Valley Of Flowers Trek: Beginners Guide

Overview

India has many beautiful national parks which protect various species of flora and fauna. One of them is the Valley of Flowers, located in the northern part of Chamoli, the largest district of Uttarakhand, and stands at 21,900 feet.

The valley of flowers is more like a fairyland with rivers flowing around green meadows and through rocky terrain, with colorful flowers below and clouds passing above, dew drops on the leaves and raindrops gently touching your face, and beautiful flora and fauna as you hike. is also famous for its medicinal herbs which have an ancient history. In a Hindu epic, Ramayana, when Lakshmana falls ill due to a demonic attack, Hanuman takes Sanjivini, a medicinal herb from the Valley of Flowers to cure Lakshmana’s wound. Chamoli also invites various other destinations such as Hemkund Sahib, Badrinath. 

Valley of Flowers Route

Go to Haridwar or Dehradun from your city.From Airport to Dehradun Railway Station to Haridwar and Dehradun Bus Station to Dehradun and Haridwar. Take Taxi/Taxi or Public Transport from Haridwar/Dehradun to GovindGhat or Joshimath. Trek from Govind ghat to Ghangeria to to Valley of Flowers and back to Govind Ghat (3 days minimum required)

How to get to the Valley of Flowers?

First go to Haridwar or Dehradun or Rishikesh. If you are planning to fly you can catch a connecting flight from Delhi to Jolly Grant Airport which is the nearest airport to Valley of flowers in Dehradun.

If you plan to train, you can take the train which drops you at the last stop, Haridwar, and from there you can take a taxi or public transport to GovindGhat. You can also take Volvo buses from Delhi which take about 6 hours to reach Haridwar or Dehradun. Trains are also available daily to Haridwar.

Dehradun/Haridwar to Govind Ghat by road

There are different modes of transportation from Dehradun or Haridwar like taking local shared taxi/public bus or private taxi to the starting point of the trek which is Govind Ghat which is d about 290 kilometers. The journey from Haridwar or Dehradun can be done by private vehicle or shared taxis and public buses available in the morning at 6am from Dehradun and Haridwar railway station Here is the detail of the itinerary and road trip to the Valley of Flowers

Dehradun to Valley of Flowers

From Dehradun, it’s about 310 km and 11 hours drive by car.The road route is DehradunRishikesh Chamoli Joshimath GovindGhatGhangaria Valley of Flowers, via NH 58.

Haridwar to Valley of Flowers: From Haridwar it is about 275 km – 300 km which takes about 1012 hours. The road route is HaridwarAuliJoshimath Govindghat Ghangaria Valley of Flowers. Ghangaria is the base camp of this trek and takes 14km to reach the Valley of Flowers. 

Best month for trekking in the Valley of Flowers

The best time to visit this place will be during the monsoons, from July to September. During this season, the high altitude climate will be pleasant with drizzle, which makes it ideal for trekking. The temperature during the day will be 15-30 degrees Celsius and at night it will drop to 710 degrees Celsius.You may need to bring a raincoat. In July, you will encounter more lush meadows, not many flowers yet, but the surrounding greenery and the dewdrops on the leaves will amaze you with beauty. During the first 15 days of August, you will will see a large number of fully blooming diverse flowers that will look like a hidden paradise in the Himalayas. But be prepared for a bustling valley as thousands of people flock to this place during these months.

It is advisable to start the trek early at 7am, in order to spend more time in the valley, and the entrances stop around 2pm, you must finish the trek and exit at 5pm.You may need to pay the entrance fee at the forest department checkpoint, carry identification cards such as ID card or driver’s license, medical certificate.

Valley of Flowers trekking will take at least 5 days, starting from Dehradun or Haridwar and 6 days if you want to visit Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara. You will cycle along many beautiful rivers such as Alaknanda, Pushpavati, Laxman Ganga, waterfalls, temples, on the way to Valley of Flowers.

Places to visit around Joshimath

While if you still have some days left, or if you can squeeze a day or two out of the hectic life, you can visit these places around Joshimath which is a famous shrine. Joshimath Ropeway to Auli, Shri Shankaracharya Math, Bagini Glacier, Nanda Devi National Park, Vishnuprayag, Mana Village, Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib and famous Kedarnath Temple. 

Many travel enthusiasts opt for a solo trip because it is not so dangerous and economical. It swells with more challenges like changing buses and taxis from Dehradun or Haridwar and being alone in a camp or hotel. But you will find many solo travel companions and pilgrims who can accompany you on the trek and agree to share a room if you feel comfortable!