Valley of Flowers Trek – A Complete Travel Guide
Valley of Flowers trek is a beautiful trek of the Himalayas. It has always been the first love of nature lovers, botanists, and adventure lovers across the globe. Being an age-old trek of India is what makes this trek a legendary one to explore.
Situated in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, the Valley of Flowers trekking expedition traverses along a narrow path. The entire trekking region is endowed with beautiful diversification of the endemic flora representing a picturesque beauty to adore. The presence of myriads of alpine flowers transforms this region into a vibrant paradise. No less than a floral wonder, the landscape features more than 300 different vibrant flowers such as geraniums, primulas, anemones, blue poppy, asters, etc. Blue sheep, snow leopards, black or brown bear, musk deer are some rare animals to locate here on your go.
The emerald mountain ranges, white clouds, and green meadows make Valley of Flowers trek an exciting adventure to look on for your next winter holidays.
Where to go –
The places to explore in and around Valley of Flowers are as follows –
Hemkund Sahib –
Kemkund Sahib is a famous holy shrine of the Sikhs where pilgrims from across the borders traverse through the rough terrains of the narrow trekking path. This sacred shrine is situated at the height of 4329 meters and is all over covered with snow-capped mountain ranges. You will also find a small temple dedicated to the Lakshman in the vicinity of this Hemkund Sahib.
See Also: Binsar Travel Guide
Joshimath –
This is a quaint little town in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district and has got an altitude of around 6150 meters off the sea level. This is a trekking gateway for the adventurists to explore the myriads of expeditions, camping, trekking, and pilgrimage centers.
Pandukeshwar –
Pandukeshwar is a pilgrimage center worthy of exploring during your Uttarakhand tours. There are two very famous temples within – Lord Vasudev Temple and Yogadhyan Badri Temple. This is a year-round destination for all the pilgrims to seek the holy and pious blessings of Lord Vishnu seated in a meditated posture.
Badrinath –
One amongst the four holy shrines of Char Dham under Hindu mythology, Badrinath is a famous shrine where the incarnation of Lord Vishnu is deeply praised. Tapt Kund, Brahma Kapal, Charan Paduka, Devprayag, Nandaprayag, etc. are some of the essential sites to explore within this shrine.
Auli –
Situated in the Garhwal Himalayas, Auli or Auli Bugyal has got an average height of around 2800 meters. This is a beautiful ski destination of the Himalayas, and the slopes of this destination have once served as the training ground for the paramilitary forces from India.
Vishnuprayag –
Amongst the renowned Prayags of the Alaknanda river, the Vishnuprayag is Uttarakhand’s famous pilgrim center. This region has got an altitude of around 1372v meters off the sea level. It features a famous shrine dedicated to Lord Vishnu at the confluence.
Places to stay and rest prices –
The places to stay and rest around the Valley of Flowers is as follows –
Ghangariya Camp –
This camp located close to the Valley of Flowers trek route offers stunning views of the fresh green piles. While you start with your Hemkund Sahib Valley of Flowers trekking expedition, Ghangariya camp serves as a base campsite to relax and unwind yourself.
Price – 2000 INR onwards
Hotel Kuber –
This hotel is situated in Lokpal and is equipped with a terrace, a garden, and a restaurant. Hotel Kuber is a one-starred hotel featuring 24/7 front desk assistance and room servicing round the clock.
Price – 1000 INR onwards
Camp Valley of Flowers –
The Camp Valley of Flowers provides rooms both for budgeted guests and travelers. From Executive Suites to Semi Deluxe Rooms, the Camp Valley of Flowers offers everything to make your stay a budgeted one. Every room here features cable television, running hot and cold water facilities, telephone, and attached washrooms or bathrooms.
Price – 2000 INR onwards
How to Reach –
Valley of Flowers is located near Joshimath, Uttarakhand state of India. You need to get to Joshimath which is 30 km before Badrinath, and then progress to Govind Ghat.
Most travelers enter the Uttarakhand range either from Haridwar or from Dehradun. Both of these cities are joined very well by roadways and railways to major Indian cities like Delhi and Mumbai and the most accessible and main airport is Jolly Grant, Dehradun.
Best Time to Visit Valley of Flowers Trek –
Each time the Valley of flowers starts on 1st June or as early as 27th May. Make sure it’s open when you plan to go there. This trek changes throughout the year.
Although, In May and June, you might find fewer flowers. Flowers here at this time are white. The benefit of this time is that you will find fewer people with no heavy crowd and can feel the peace and enormity of the Valley of Flowers in a very novel approach.
In the month of July and August, flowers bloom fully red, grees, and other shades.
But on this time, this place might get crowded, there will be bad weather conditions at Joshimath and nearby areas from where we reach the Valley of Flowers Trek.
In September and October, you will find greenery everywhere due to post-monsoon conditions and colder environments. Flowers will be getting brown with more greenery and less of full bloom flowers.
There are a limited number of restaurants or shops in this place and hence finding food of your choice would be troublesome. It is therefore essential that you pack some food for your Valley of Flowers trek expedition.
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