The stunning landscape of The Valley of Flowers National Park in northern India's state of Uttarakhand, bordered by Nepal and Tibet, comes alive with the monsoon rain. This high-altitude Himalayan valley has around 300 different varieties of alpine flowers, which appear as a bright carpet of color against a mountainous snow capped background.
The park is spread over 87.5 square kilometers (55 miles), and was declared a national park in 1982. It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The main Valley of Flowers is a glacial corridor, around five kilometers (3.1 miles) long and two kilometers (1.2 miles) wide.
Where is The Valley of Flowers :
The Valley of Flowers National Park is located in Chamoli Garhwal, close to Nanda Devi National Park. It’s about 595 kilometers (370 miles) from Delhi, and has an altitude that varies from 10,500 feet to 21,900 feet above sea level.
How to reach The Valley of Flowers:
The nearest airport is in Dehradun, 295 kilometers (183 miles) away, and the nearest railway station is in Rishikesh, 276 kilometers (170 miles) away. The closest you can get to The Valley of Flowers by road is Govind Ghat. This requires around a 10 hour drive to Joshimath, then another one hour to Govind Ghat. From Govind Ghat it’s a 13 kilometer (8 mile) trek along a steep, narrow, but well defined mountain trail to base camp at Ghangaria. This will take between 4 to 8 hours, depending on your fitness! The start of the main valley, where all the flowers are, is a further 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from Ghangaria.
Best time to Visit The Valley of Flowers :
The Valley of Flowers is only open from April to October as it's covered in snow the rest of the year. The best time to visit is from July to August, when the flowers are in full bloom after the first monsoon rain. If you go before July, you’ll find hardly any flowers at all.
Valley of Flowers Opening Hours:
To prevent trekkers and livestock from taking too much of a toll on the park, access to The Valley of Flowers is restricted to daylight hours (from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and camping is prohibited. The last entry to the park is at 3 p.m. You’ll need to go from, and return to, Ghangaria on the same day.
Hotels In Valley of Flowers :
It’s best to stay overnight in Joshimath before continuing to Ghangaria. The government run Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) guesthouses are the reliable options for accommodations in the area, and advance bookings are possible. There are plenty of other options to choose from though. At Ghangaria you’ll find both basic hotels and camping facilities. However, comforts are minimal, and the electricity and water supply are erratic. A deluxe double room costs 950 rupees ($25) at the GMVN guest house in Ghangaria. Alternatively, the more adventurous can camp as close to the entry of the park as permitted near Ghangaria.
The park is spread over 87.5 square kilometers (55 miles), and was declared a national park in 1982. It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The main Valley of Flowers is a glacial corridor, around five kilometers (3.1 miles) long and two kilometers (1.2 miles) wide.
Where is The Valley of Flowers :
The Valley of Flowers National Park is located in Chamoli Garhwal, close to Nanda Devi National Park. It’s about 595 kilometers (370 miles) from Delhi, and has an altitude that varies from 10,500 feet to 21,900 feet above sea level.
The nearest airport is in Dehradun, 295 kilometers (183 miles) away, and the nearest railway station is in Rishikesh, 276 kilometers (170 miles) away. The closest you can get to The Valley of Flowers by road is Govind Ghat. This requires around a 10 hour drive to Joshimath, then another one hour to Govind Ghat. From Govind Ghat it’s a 13 kilometer (8 mile) trek along a steep, narrow, but well defined mountain trail to base camp at Ghangaria. This will take between 4 to 8 hours, depending on your fitness! The start of the main valley, where all the flowers are, is a further 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from Ghangaria.
Best time to Visit The Valley of Flowers :
The Valley of Flowers is only open from April to October as it's covered in snow the rest of the year. The best time to visit is from July to August, when the flowers are in full bloom after the first monsoon rain. If you go before July, you’ll find hardly any flowers at all.
Valley of Flowers Opening Hours:
To prevent trekkers and livestock from taking too much of a toll on the park, access to The Valley of Flowers is restricted to daylight hours (from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and camping is prohibited. The last entry to the park is at 3 p.m. You’ll need to go from, and return to, Ghangaria on the same day.
Hotels In Valley of Flowers :
It’s best to stay overnight in Joshimath before continuing to Ghangaria. The government run Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) guesthouses are the reliable options for accommodations in the area, and advance bookings are possible. There are plenty of other options to choose from though. At Ghangaria you’ll find both basic hotels and camping facilities. However, comforts are minimal, and the electricity and water supply are erratic. A deluxe double room costs 950 rupees ($25) at the GMVN guest house in Ghangaria. Alternatively, the more adventurous can camp as close to the entry of the park as permitted near Ghangaria.
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