Rudraprayag

Rudraprayag is where the Alaknanda and Mandakini rivers meet, and where the road splits: the left fork leads up the Mandakini valley toward Kedarnath, the right continues along the Alaknanda toward Badrinath. For pilgrims doing the Char Dham circuit, this junction is where the route begins to feel real.

The sangam here is less dramatic than Devprayag — the rivers are closer in colour and the town is more spread out — but the Rudranath temple above the confluence is worth the climb. Corbett's 'The Man-eaters of Kumaon' includes a chapter on a famous man-eating leopard that terrorised this area in the early 1900s, and there's a small plaque near the suspension bridge marking the site.

Rudraprayag is a natural lunch stop and overnight base for those taking the Kedarnath route. For Badrinath-bound travellers, most continue directly to Joshimath. The town has decent hotels at the junction.