When and How to Go

when? 

The valley remains snow-covered from November to May. When the ice thaws in June, the valley is rich with herbs, medicinal and flowering plants, which burst into a profusion of colour in July and August. The month between mid-July and mid-August is the ideal time to visit.

How?

Air   : Nearest airport is Jolly Grant, Dehradun
Rail : Nearest railhead is Haridwar.

Approach :- The Valley is approachable from Govindghat. There are two ways to reach Govindghat.

(1) Haridwar-Rishikesh - Srinagar - Karnprayag - Joshimath - Govindghat - (Distance approx. 270 kms. on Haridwar - Badrinath highway, Between Joshimath and Badrinath.)

(2) Haldwani - Ranikhet - Karnprayag - Joshimath - Govindghat (Distance approx. 332 kms.)

After crossing the Alaknanda river at Govindghat, an ascending bridle path along Bhyundar Ganga leads to Ghangharia which is 13-14 kms. away from Govindghat.

Ghangharia is like the base point of english alphabet 'V'. Left arm is the Valley, which  is only 3-4 kms. The right arm is Hemkund Sahib, the holiest shrine of the sikhs, which is 6 kms. 

Other than trekking, mules/horses are available at Govindghat to reach Ghangaria and then to Hemkund. But no mules/horse is allowed from Ghangharia to VOF. 

 

Flora and Fauna

Brahma Kamal

The valley is home to many celebrated flowers like the Brahmakamal, the celestial flower which is offered to the gods, the Blue Poppy and the Cobra Lily. It is a much sought after haunt for flower-lovers, botanists and of course trekkers. The northern slopes are thickly forested with birch, rowan and rhododendron up to an elevation of 3,800 m with lichens carpeting the ground. The southern slopes at the base of the rock wall consist largely of meadows or bugyals, with a variety of alpine flowers, including anemones, asters, fritillarias, gentians, geraniums, larkspurs, lilies, orchids, poppies including the Himalayan blue poppy, potentillas and primulas, marsh marigolds. Medicinal herbs, such as rhubarb and aconite are also found in the valley.  Brahma Kamal grows on the higher reaches. 

Fairly devoid of fauna, animals that have been spotted in this region include the Himalayan musk deer and yellow-throated marten. It is believed that black bear, brown bear, Himalayan thar, blue sheep and snow leopard also frequent this area. 

Location - History - Legends

This U-shaped alpine valley, formed by retreating glaciers and nestled high in West Himalaya, is above Ghangaria in the upper reaches of the Bhyundar Ganga in the Zanskar Range of the Garhwal Himalaya, Chamoli District, Uttarakhand (Uttaranchal), India. The gentle landscape of the Valley of Flowers National Park complements the rugged mountain wilderness of Nanda Devi National Park to the east. Bounded by high mountain ridges and peaks on all sides, this area was declared a national park in September 1982 and in the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves since 2004 and has become a World Heritage Site.

The Valley of Flowers is essentially the catchment area of the Pushpawati River, which is known as the Bhyundar Ganga, downstream of Ghangaria. It consists of a glacial corridor, 7 km long and 2 km wide, with it's source in the Tipra Glacier which descends from Gauri Parbat. It has a distinctive climate. In the monsoon, mornings are often clear, but as the day progresses, clouds gather. 

In 1931, Frank S. Smythe a British mountaineer lost his way while returning from a successful expedition to Mt. Kamet and happened upon this valley which was full of flowers. He was so attracted towards the beauty of the place he named it the "Valley of Flowers". He camped here for several weeks in the monsoon of 1937 and wrote a book called "The Valley of Flowers" which unveiled the beauty and floral splendors of the valley and thus threw open the doors of this verdant jewel to nature-enthusiasts all over the world.

In 1939 Miss Margaret Legge, a botanist deputed by the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh arrived at the valley for further studies. While she was traversing some rocky slopes to collect flowers, she slipped off and was lost for ever. Her sister later visited the valley and erected a memorial near the spot. The memorial is still there.

Prof. Chandra Prakash Kala, a botanist deputed by the Wildlife Institute of India, carried out a remarkable research study on the floristics and conservation of the valley for a decade starting in 1993. He made an inventory of 520 alpine plants exclusively growing in this national park and authored two important books - "The Valley of Flowers - Myth and Reality" and "Ecology and Conservation of the Valley of Flowers National Park, Garhwal Himalaya'.

Love at First Sight

Long Back in 1987 immediately at the end of my PG exam, I went to Valley of Flowers as my first visit to The Himalayas. 

Like most other middle class family at that time, we didn't have the travelling culture. It's Ajitda, my cousin brother, with whom only I took my first step in the nature during my post graduation days through a weekend visit to Bangriposi, in Orissa.We were 5 people in total and all were new to me except Ajitda. It was during Saraswati puja. We started on a saturday morning and I still can remember that sitting in the bus I was missing a movie of Amitav Bachchan scheduled on TV in the evening! And at the end of the journey, it was simply "Love at First Sight" which till date didn't fade out.. There was no so called "sight seeing", "marketing" or luxury. We just walked through the jungle, rocky hills and villages whole day having some "muri-aalur chop-malpoa (a fried sweet)" as our lunch. Since water was limited, we had "aamloki" (small, yellow colored sour fruit) from the jungle to meet up our thirst. We sat here and there and gossiped gossiped gossiped. Had a star watching session at night.

It was again Ajitda, who introduced me to the mountain and nature lovers group he belonged  and it's his enthusiasm which put me in the group going to the Valley of Flowers. We were total 4 persons in the team. Me, Fultuda - Sumit Ghosh,who went to Bangriposi with us, Swapnadi - Swapna Ghosh (Fultuda's didi) and Dipankar Mukherjee, a chemistry professor and was a tenant in our adjacent house during my childhood days. And our trip was just unforgettable. Himalaya with its serenity, undisputed and wonderful beauty and vastness opened up in front of us. The unimaginably marvelous contrast of the colors of the flowers spread all over the valley and the slopes is still bright in my mind. Concept of a camera was just a luxury then. Whatever we saw, that was ours only. I don't have that language power to describe how beautiful it was. What I can say only - that very moment, looking at the naturally grown flower beds all over with such a contrast of colors, it seemed to me there must be some one some where who laid those flowers with much thought. Neither two dull nor two bright colored flowers were side by side. The whole layout was in such a way that not even a single, small bunch of flowers one would miss !! And all natural ! That was the first time I felt as if there's must be someone called "Almighty" , our "Bhagwan" who has a great sense of art !! And I couldn't forget Himalaya, as per Hindu Myth - "the abode of God", till now. I have realised now why people always go to Himalaya to meditate or in search of God. No, I am not talking about those beggar and cheat 'sadu's. I am talking about true "sadhak"s and "sanyasi"s or believers.  

Beside this realisation, the Himalayas has given me some very good friends. There's a general saying - mountains give true friends and mountains show bad friends. Fortunate I am that from my very first step to the nature, I have got some very good friends who are just like my families.

Love at first sight never fades out.

So, I am again going to visit Valley of Flowers in July 2011. This time mainly to share the beauty with Gautam - my husband. Fultuda is also in the team. India has won World Cup Cricket after 28 years and I am planning to re-visit VOF after 23 years !! I am excited no doubt. But very anxious about how it will be. Because most of the places in Garhwal-Kumaon have become so irritatingly crowded and so polluted. Hope it will not be a shattering experience this time.

Let's hope for the best.