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.
