Valley of Flowers Trekking

Valley of flowers is the name of the Himalayan area in Uttarakhand, India. In 1931 the English mountaineer Frank Smythe stumbled across the Bhyundar Valley, an 8 km long glacier corridor in Chamoli Garhwal. This area, surrounded by snow-capped mountains and carpeted with over 500 species of flowers, soon became a protected site.

The world famous Valley of Flowers is situated in the upper expansions of Bhyundar Ganga in the far interior of Garhwal Himalayas. The valley is spread over an area of 87.5 Sq. Km and is 3,250 mt above the sea level.

It was declared a national park in 1982. The Valley of Flowers stretches over an expanse of 87.50 km². This part of Uttarakhand, in the upper reaches of Garhwal, is inaccessible through much of the year. The area lies on the Zanskar range of the Himalayas with the highest point in the national park being Gauri Parbat at 6,719 m above sea level.

Flowers mostly orchids, poppies, primulas, calendulas, daisies and anemones carpet the ground. Alpine forests of birch and rhododendron cover a part of the area, and are home to tahr, snow leopard, musk deer, red fox, common langur, bharal, serow, Himalayan black bear and a huge variety of butterflies.

There is no settlement in the national park and grazing in the area has been banned. The park is open only in summers between June and October, being covered by heavy snow during the rest of the year.

Trekking:
Valley of Flowers is the most happening trekking destination for the adventure enthusiast. There are various trekking activities one can indulge in like short walks to rock climbing to mountaineering and more. This place has got all the ingredients to be called the best trekking destination of India. The popularity of this sport can be gauged from the fact that a large number of trekking tour are being organized and tourists from all corners of the globe do visit this place. The most popular trek path is the one from Govindghat to Ghangria via Hemkund Sahib where one gets the chance to explore Joshimath and the entire Flowers Park.

Entry Eligibility
All visitors to the Valley of Flowers need to obtain an entry permit from the Forest Checkpost at the entrance to the park, beyond Ghangaria. The fee is a nominal one- at least for Indians, who pay significantly less than foreigners. The permit is valid for three days, and additional charges are levied for still cameras; video cameras are allowed only if you're carrying a special permit from the Chief Wildlife Warden in Lucknow. Visitors are allowed into the park only during the daytime.

Overnight stay at the Valley of Flowers in not allowed and one has to find accommodation at nearby places. The accommodation charges vary from Rs. 100 to over Rs.1000 depending upon the location and facilities. Due to the harsh weather the overall climate of this valley is chilly so it's advisable to carry worm clothes if you intend to visit this place.

Accommodation
Overnight stay at the Valley of Flowers is not permitted. so there are no facilities for accommodation within the park. There are state-run tourist resthouses at Joshimath and Ghangharia; both in addition, have several tourist lodges and resthouses. Accommodation tariffs along the way can range from anywhere between Rs 200 to 1500.