Thursday, June 20, 2013

Perfect Time To Visit Valley of Flowers National Park



If words could describe the Valley of Flowers National Park in Uttarakhand, then
Eternity begins here in the “Valley of Flowers”. A land of endless meadows, with insurmountable snow capped peaks bearing icy glaciers that burst into streams, and a background of birdsong. Flowers carpet the entire valley and the leaves form a porous umbrella

Location:

The valley of flower lies in Uttarakhand bordered by Nepal and Tibet comes alive with the monsoon rain. The valley of flowers spread around 87 sq.km and declared as national park in 1982. The main Valley of Flowers is a glacial corridor, around five kilometers and 2 km wide. The Valley of Flowers National Park is located in Chamoli Garhwal, close to Nanda Devi National Park. It’s about 600 kilometers from Delhi, the nearest Airport is Dehradun and nearest railway station is Rishikesh.


The valley of flower opens from starting of June and the end of September as it's covered in snow the rest of the year. The best time to visit is from mid July to mid August, when the flowers are in full bloom after the first monsoon rain. The Valley of Flowers presents a different look each day when it becomes accessible from May to September.
Valley of Flower:
There are no human settlements inside the national park and grazing has been completely banned.
This richly diverse area is also home to rare and endangered animals, including the Asiatic black bear, snow leopard, brown bear and blue sheep.  The valley is also home to several fauna like Himalayan musk deer, yellow throated marten, snow leopard, blue sheep, black and brown bears. It is also home to a variety of birds like Himalayan golden eagle, snow partridge, Himalayan snow cock, Himalayan monal, snow pigeon and sparrow.

There are no accommodation facilities inside the Valley in Flowers as visitors are not allowed to stay inside the park. Hotels and lodges can be found in Ghangaria.

Where to eat

Like options to stay, there are no options to eat inside the park too. It is advisable to carry enough food stocks to last your trek. Ghangaria is the place where one can find restaurant and hotels.
Important Tips:

Access to the National Park is checked at the entrance to the gorge just above Ghangaria, where a small entrance fee is payable.
Don't trample on flowers to take those photographs!
Wear warm clothing and carry packed food and water.
Make sure you're physically fit to undertake the trek. Carry first-aid and any medication that you are normally advised.


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