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Located to the west of the Himalayas, the Valley of Flowers is exactly that: brimming with blooms of all kinds, shapes and sizes. It is known for its meadows of endemic alpine flowers and outstanding natural beauty. A haven for rare and endangered animals, including the Asiatic black bear, brown bear, blue sheep and the snow leopard, this place has a great landscape which, in turn, complements the rugged mountain wilderness of the Nanda Devi National Park.
The well-known Valley of Flowers is a National Park located off the Rishikesh-Badrinath road, approximately 16 kilometres from Govindghat. A visual extravagance, this striking valley in the Himalayas was customary as a reserve in 1982. The park in the Himalayas was formed to guard the catchment region of the Pushpavati River. This watercourse materializes from a glacier and then plummets downwards to integrate with the Ganges. The park is balanced on the higher reaches of the Bhyundar Ganga of Chamoli in the region of Garhwal. The Pushpawati River streams by the gorge while the overwhelming Rataban crest shapes a stunning background.
Popular Flowers
The valley is full of various species of flowers including poppies, orchids, daisies, and calendulas. The flowering season for each species is different and hence the valley is different every month from May to September. The Brahma Kamal is the most sought after flower in the valley though it is rarely seen. Once needs to spend considerable time in the Valley looking for the flower to see it.
Note: Do note that the Valley of Flowers is not a flower garden. It does not look like a sunflower field. The Valley of Flowers is a natural valley which has over 500 species of flowers growing without any human intervention. During your visit, you may be able to see about 100 species of flowers in a single day growing in their natural habitat. Further, the density of flower increases as you travel deep into the Valley.
History of Valley of Flowers
During 1937, the English mountaineer, Frank Smythe, had crossed the border of the Bhyundar Valley, which is an 8 kilometres long glacier passage in Chamoli Garhwal. This region was then bounded by snow-restricted mountains and was inhabited by excess of 500 species of flowers. From then on, it has now developed into a secluded site and is called the ‘Valley of Flowers’; thanks to the extraordinary number of flowers here. The natural jewels of the valley remain in bloom for three months even as the local flavours keep altering every few days. By the month of September, the scene starts to change and as autumn shoos the flowers away, the whole undergrowth remains undeveloped for the next five months; in winter, the valley is buried under a layer of snow.
Mary's Point: Miss Margarate Legge, a British botanist, had come to the valley for her studies. While traversing some rocking slopes, she slipped and died. The spot is now known as Mary's Point.
Best Time to Visit
Valley of Flowers is accessible from May to September end. For the rest of the year, the valley is not accessible due to cold. The valley is closed during heavy rains. Therefore, if it rains heavily when you reach Ghangaria (the base village), you may have to stay out for some time / days. Ghangaria is also the base village for Hemkund Sahib, the religious pilgraim center of Sikhs. The months of June, July and September (towards the end) are therefore crowded, but the crowd is limited to Ghangaria. You will always find tranquility in the Valley.
Timings:
The Valley is open from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM. The ticket counter opens at 9:00 AM and the tickets are valid for 3 days. Hence if you reach Ghagaria previous day before 6:00 PM, immediately head to the gate of the Valley (about 0.5 km from Ghangaria) and buy the tickets, so that you can enter the valley the next day early morning. You may also try acclimatizing to the altitude by walking a couple of kilometers after you reach Ghangaria.
Location
State: Uttaranchal
District: Chamoli
Distance from Govindghat: 17 kilometres
How to reach Valley of Flowers
Nearest Airport: Jolly Grant, Dehradun, 319 kilometres
Nearest Railway Station: Rishikesh, 302 kilometres
Road: The valley can be reached from Govindghat, which lies on the Haridwar-Badrinath highway about 20 km before Badrinath. The Haridwar Badrinath highway is a magnificient route, along the Ganga.
Trek: From Govindghat climb up to Ghangaria on foot or pony. Govindghat to Ghangaria is a 17 km trek. The sorrounding greenery and the company of a turbulent riveer makes the trek a unique experience. However, there is a significant rise in the altitude during this 17 km trek, which may lead toaltitude sickness towards the end of the trek. To make things worse, the way is full of pony shit, that further reduces the oxygen levels in the air.
Tourism Department
Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam Ltd.,
74/1, Rajpur Rd., Dehradun-248001.
Tel.: 91 0135-2740896, 2746817, 2749308, 2748478.
Fax: 0135-2746847.
Email:
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Climatic Conditions
Summer: A short period of time with pleasant weather conditions.
Winter: Extremely cold with layers of snowfall.
Rain: Monsoon season with heavy rainfall.
During the raininy season, there are frequent landslides along the highway from Rishikesh to Badrinath. Therefore traveling happens only during the day. Also, in case of a land slide the road may be blocked for a few minutes to a day depending on the magnitude of the landslide. You should therefore plan your to and fro travel accordingly.
Clothing
Summer: Woolen clothing
Rain: Waterproof jackets with warm underclothes
Tourist Attractions near Valley of Flowers
Hemkund Sahib, Badrinath, Auli
If you plan to visit the Valley of Flowers, you should preferably make it a long trip of at least 5 days. If you have more time at hand, you will enjoy more. During your trip try to visit as many of these places as possible: Haridwar, Rishikesh, Panch Prayag, Auli, Valley of Flowers, Hemkund Sahib and Badrinath.
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