Valley of flowers is an ultimate 5 nights and 6 days trek that opens for trekkers from mid-June to mid-September. June, July and August are the best months to visit the valley as it is generally in full bloom and large fields of exotic flowers are an absolute sight. On a good day, one can see over 300+ species of flowers. It is situated at an altitude of 3515 Meters. It also serves as the base to mighty Mt Kamet (7756 Meters)
Valley of Flowers is a trip of a lifetime to the “Unesco World Heritage Site”. It is part of the Nanda Devi Biosphere in Chamoli district.
This trek is so beautiful that it is not easy to come back and face the chaos of the city life. This hidden jewel is a truly unique habitat, home to many endemic varieties of alpine flowers and plants. Hence it attracts a lot of tourists and trekkers from all over the world. Botanists, nature lovers, mountain lovers and so on. It is home to a numerous exotic flora and fauna – like Brahmakamal, Blue Poppy, Cobra Lily Anemone, Geranium, Marsh Marigold & Asiatic black bear, brown bear, snow leopard, blue sheep and more.
A lot of trekkers also combine this trek with a visit to “Hemkund Saheb”. It is located on a different route which is as beautiful in itself. With some more changes / customization (depending on the time in hand) one can combine this trek with exploring Badrinath Dham, Mana Village (The last Indian Village and source of Saraswati River) and Auli (Ski Village).
The perfect season for Valley of flowers is mid-july onwards that is when the valley is in full bloom.
Valley of Flowers is a great option for beginners. Like Kareri Lake Trek, Kedarkantha Trek, Brhamatal Trek and Nag Tibba Trek, this can be attempted by someone with average fitness level as well.
NEW DELHI
3 Hours Before Flight Time
Drive from Haridwar to Govindghat is almost 11-12 hours. Though the drive is extremely beautiful, it is tiring as well. We will first cross Devprayag (Prayag: Confluence) which is the confluence of Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers followed by Rudrprayag, Karnprayag and Nandprayag to reach Govindghat. You will be assigned rooms as soon as you reach. Post a breather, assemble for dinner and retire for the day.
It used to be a 13 km trek with gradual ascends but with the road connectivity till the bridge in Poolna, now it is only about 9 Kms. The last 4 Kms are a little steep comparatively. The trek trek might take 4-6 hours depending on one’s capability.
Option 1: We arrange for the jeeps till Poolna. Wanderers trek leader will join the group at Govindghat itself. This is part of the package.
Option 2: There is also an option of taking a Mule. This is to be paid additionally.
Option 3: Another option from Govindghat to Ghangharia is to take a Chopper. The cost of one way flight is approx. 3500 INR and it takes about 3 minutes to get to Ghangharia. This is subject to availability and is to be paid additionally.
Reach Ghangharia and check into Hotel.
After having Breakfast, we start our trek to the Valley of flowers. It is going to be a moderate trek trek and will take a little over 2 hours to cover this distance. The view all throughout is simply magical. You will spot flowers all along the trail. After reaching valley, you have all the time to explore. There is also a grave of Joan Margaret Legge, Who was a botanist from Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. While collecting the flowers, she fell off and died. She was buried here in the valley of Flowers. After exploring the valley, we start our descend and it should take about 1.5-2 hours to the hotel.
Spend the night in Ghangharia.
We start our day early once again. After having breakfast, we start for Hemkund Saheb. We pack some stuff to eat while on the trek to Hemkund Saheb. Though we also have some small eateries along our way up, but it is good to carry packed food. The trek is a moderate ascend. The last part of the trek can also be covered by taking the stairs. We suggest sticking to the paved trek.
We take about 3-3.5 hours to reach our destination. The beauty of Hemkund Saheb is beyond words. The sarover is absolutely clear and the peaks around the Temple are all snow clad.
We get a portion of Khichdi and hot cup of tea in prashad and it sure helps a lot. We spend an hour or two here and before starting trekking back to Ghangharia.
We start from Ghangharia base to Govind Ghat. The trek will take about 4 hours for us to reach Poolna and a short drive to Govind Ghat. After reaching Govind Ghat, we check into the hotel and relax.
Optional: One can add a quick visit to Badrinath Temple in the afternoon by hiring a cab from Govind Ghat. It is about 25 kms from Govind Ghat and takes an hour to reach Badrinath. (not part of Wanderers package)
The drive back to Haridwar will be a scenic once as we cover a distance of about 300 Kms to reach Haridwar. The trip will end here.
