Vaadi is about 14 km from Auli by road — roughly 45 minutes by car — and around 3 km on foot by the direct trail. It sits 7 km above Joshimath, the town where the Auli ropeway begins, at 2,400 m (about 7,900 feet) in a pine and rhododendron forest.
That distance is the point. Auli is a ski slope, and Joshimath is a working town on a highway. Vaadi is neither: two private rooms in the forest between them, close enough for a day on the snow and far enough that you hear nothing at night.
There is very little accommodation in Auli itself — a few resorts and the GMVN huts on the slope, most of it quiet once the season ends. Nearly everything advertised as an “Auli homestay” is actually in Joshimath, on the road below.
Joshimath is convenient and it is a town: traffic on the Badrinath highway, hotels facing each other across the street, buses from four in the morning. It works if you want to be next to the ropeway and nothing else.
Vaadi is 7 km further up, in forest, with two rooms and no lobby. You give up ten minutes of driving and get silence, a garden, and food cooked in the same kitchen you eat in.
Auli sits above Joshimath on a meadow ridge facing Nanda Devi. It is India's best-known ski slope in winter and an easy high-altitude walk the rest of the year.
The season usually runs January to March, depending on snowfall. Slopes, equipment hire and lift passes are all at Auli. We arrange the taxi and an early breakfast.
The gondola climbs roughly 4.1 km from Joshimath to Auli and is one of the longest cable cars in Asia. Best taken early, before the cloud comes up the valley.
The meadow above Auli at about 3,050 m — a day walk with the full Nanda Devi wall in front of you. Walkable in most seasons, snowbound in deep winter.
The classic four to five day trek on Curzon's old trail, starting close to here and climbing to about 3,650 m. Guides and permits arranged by us.
About an hour and a half beyond Joshimath, open roughly May to November. Most guests go up for the morning and come back for lunch.
In bloom July to early September, reached from Govindghat below Joshimath. A two-day trip from here with a night at Ghangaria.
Vaadi is about 14 km from Auli by road, roughly 45 minutes by car, and around 3 km on foot by the direct trail. It sits 7 km from Joshimath, the town at the base of the Auli ropeway, so most guests drive down to Joshimath and take the gondola or a taxi up to the slopes.
Auli is a ski slope rather than a village — accommodation up there is limited to a handful of resorts and the GMVN huts, and it empties out once the season ends. Almost everything described as an "Auli homestay" is in or around Joshimath, the town below. Vaadi is in the forest above Joshimath, which is quieter than the town and warmer than the slope.
Yes. The ski season at Auli usually runs from January to March, depending on snowfall. From Vaadi it is about 45 minutes down to Joshimath and up to the slopes, and we can arrange a taxi for the day. Equipment and lift passes are hired at Auli itself.
The ropeway's lower station is in Joshimath, about 7 km and 20 minutes from Vaadi. The cable car covers roughly 4.1 km up to Auli and is one of the longest in Asia. We can drop you at the station in the morning; ask us the night before.
Yes. From roughly April to June the meadows are clear and the Nanda Devi views are at their best, and September to November is dry with sharp visibility after the monsoon. Gorson Bugyal, the meadow above Auli, is walkable in every season except deep winter.
The Joshimath road stays open through winter and is cleared after snowfall, though heavy snow can delay travel by a few hours. The stretch up to Auli itself is the first to close and the ropeway is often the more reliable way up. We keep an eye on conditions and will tell you honestly before you travel.
Tell us your dates and we will get back to you within a day. If you are coming for the ski season, tell us that too — we will sort the taxi and get you down the hill early.
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