Rishikesh to Kainchi Dham: Distance, Route and How to Reach

The road from Rishikesh to Kainchi Dham, town by town

The road climbs from about 380 m at Rishikesh to about 1,380 m at Kainchi Dham; the climb begins at Kaladhungi, 228 km out, and the last 49 km are mountain road. The highest point on the way is Bhowali, at about 1,700 m.

By train or by air

No direct train from Rishikesh is in the timetables we checked (22 Oct 2026). The stations nearest Kainchi Dham are Kathgodam station (37 km by road), Haldwani station (46 km by road) and Lalkuan station (61 km by road): each page has every train that runs there.

No direct flight from Rishikesh is listed for the airports near Kainchi Dham: Pantnagar Airport (76 km by road), Bareilly Airport (155 km by road) and Pithoragarh Airport (163 km by road). The airport pages have every flight that lands there.

By bus or shared taxi

Buses

• UTC's published route list includes a Nainital to Kainchi service via Bhowali, plus Bhowali routes to Delhi Anand Vihar, Agra (via Nainital and via Badaun), Bareilly, Dehradun ISBT, Saharanpur and Tanakpur. The list shows no times or fares, and none of these could be booked online for 28 Oct 2026. (utconline.uk.gov.in)

Shared taxis and taxis

• Since May 2026, Nainital police bar taxis and two-wheelers from the Kainchi Dham area on Saturdays and Sundays. They must park at Bhowali Sanatorium parking and riders take the local shuttle. The same ban was repeated for the weekend of 17 and 18 Oct 2026. (amarujala.com, 23 May 2026)

Bus times and fares change with the season: check with the operator on the day.

Where you leave the car at Kainchi Dham

On the Nainital to Almora road: 9 km from Bhowali and 17 km from Nainital; Kathgodam railway station 43 km and Pantnagar airport 79 km (district figures). (nainital.nic.in)

• Since 26 March 2025, cars park before Kainchi (Bhimtal industrial area, or Bhowali Sanatorium on the Jeolikot side) and visitors take the shuttle: 8 AM to 2 PM on normal days, 7 AM to 8 PM on festival days. (english.punjabkesari.com, 26 Mar 2025)
• Every Saturday and Sunday, taxis and two-wheelers may not enter the Kainchi area: park at Bhowali Sanatorium (Nainital and Gethia side, taxis and bikes) or Bhimtal Vikas Bhawan (Bhimtal side) and take the shuttle. (amarujala.com, 23 May 2026)
• The weekend traffic plan runs 6 AM to 8 PM. No roadside parking; when a lot is full, cars are sent to the next. Lot names change from event to event: check Nainital Police before you go. (etvbharat.com, 18 Sept 2026)
• At the 2026 fair (13 to 16 June) no private cars went to the temple; shuttles ran from lots at Bhimtal and Nainital and from Haldwani bus stand and the Haldwani and Kathgodam stations, and stopped about 1.5 km from the temple. (indiatvnews.com, 11 Jun 2026)
• Open 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM. (incredibleindia.gov.in)

The festival dates, the rules inside and the history: Kainchi Dham, the whole page.

Good to know on this road

• Kainchi Dham sits on the Nainital to Almora road, about 9 km from Bhowali and 17 km from Nainital. The name comes from two sharp hairpin bends on the motor road. (kumaon.gov.in)
• Weekend plan for 17 and 18 Oct 2026: visitors from other districts and states coming via Bhimtal park at Vikas Bhawan parking in Bhimtal; those coming via Gethia or Nainital park at Bhowali Sanatorium parking. Shuttles run from both to the temple. The plan ran 5 AM to 8 PM for KMOU buses, private buses and cars. Heavy vehicles were barred 3 AM to 11 PM and held at the district border. (haldwanilive.com, 16 Oct 2026)
• A multilevel parking for more than 500 vehicles is being built at Kainchi Dham, and a parking for about 700 vehicles is being built near the Metropole Hotel area in Nainital, per a state parking update. (indianmasterminds.com, 14 Sept 2026)
• The Bhowali Sanatorium to Ratighat bypass is 18.15 km long. By March 2026 about 8 km was finished and open to traffic, hill cutting on the other 10.15 km was done, and walls plus a motor bridge linking Ratighat to the Bhowali to Almora highway were under way. The target was before the June season. (newsweight24x7.com)
• A temporary 45 metre valley bridge over the Shipra river at Kainchi Dham, costing about Rs 68 lakh, was built to ease fair traffic and was due to open fully on 15 June 2026. (hindi.dynamitenews.com, 16 Apr 2026)
• On 2 Oct 2026 more than 35,000 vehicles entered the hills and traffic backed up from Kainchi Dham to Nainital. On 3 Oct police stopped uphill traffic from 4 PM to 10 PM to clear vehicles coming down. (amarujala.com, 4 Oct 2026)
• After more than 50,000 visitors in one weekend in early October 2026, the DM and SSP are to recommend mandatory advance registration to the state, with a tentative cap of 20,000 to 25,000 devotees a day. It is a proposal, not a rule yet. Separate one-way entry and exit is planned, extra shuttles may run from Bhowali with KMOU help, and bikes rented out as taxis face action. (businesstoday.in, 7 Oct 2026)