Valley of Flowers

Valley of flowers - Uttarakhand - India — Valley of flowers – Uttarakhand – India

Lofty mountains in the backdrop, sparkling streams flowing through and vivid flowers adding colors to it! This is the irresistible charisma of Valley of Flowers National Park.

Renowned for its ravishing prairies of alpine flowers, Valley of Flowers is a national park reclining in the western part of our very own The Great Himalayan Mountains. Falling in the north Indian state of Uttarakhand and spread across an area of 87.5 sq kms, the valley is blessed with a huge variety of flora which is the primary attraction of this destination.

Besides the flora, there is also a diverse variety of some rare and endangered species of fauna such as snow leopard, musk deer, red fox, Asiatic black deer, blue sheep and brown beer.

While you pass over the gorges, you will be left spellbound by the magnetic bloom of the green meadows, verdant mountains, gushing waterfalls and white clouds mingling into them creating the scenery similar that of a fairyland’s backdrop.
According to mythological beliefs, this valley is the very place from where Lord Hanuman fetched Sanjeevni Booti for curing and saving life of Lakshman.

It is said that the place and its beauty only became popular post 1931 when it was visited by a group of three British mountaineers. They were travelling to some other place but lost their way and discovered this mesmerizing valley. The beauty of the valley left them enthralled and they named it as the Valley of Flowers. In the year 1982, the valley was declared as a national park. It is also one of the World Heritage Site that our country proudly owns.

Besides tourists and pilgrims, the place is of a great delight to trekkers, environmentalists, ecologists, naturalists and zoologists.
Here is some useful information that you should know about Valley Of Flowers”

Best Time to Visit

One of the most delightful valleys of our country, the Valley of Flowers is best visited during the months of July, August and September. This is the time when efflorescence of colorful and fragrant flowers is spread all across the place. The valley is divided into two parts by the waters of Pushpawati River. From the month of October onwards starts the season of winter and the entire basin gets covered by thick snow. In summers, huge glaciers are found all over the place since the snow on the mountains starts melting and it is only by the end of June that flowers start flourishing.

Opening and closing dates

Every year the valley opens for general public on 1st of June and closes on 4th of October.

Opening and Closing Timings

The valleys opens at 7 am and visitors can enter upto 2pm, however, people can stay inside the valley till 5pm. You are advised to reach the entry gate by 6:45 am so that you can easily buy the ticket and enter the valley. While returning, you should plan to start back at about 1:45 pm so as to reach the exit conveniently by 5pm.

Entry fee

For Indian visitors, the ticket costs Rs.150 per head which shall allow you entry into the valley for three days. For each additional day, you need to buy a ticket of Rs.50 per head. For foreigners, entry ticket for the first three days costs Rs.600 and Rs.250 for every added day. Non-professional cameras are allowed inside for free however there are charges for professional cameras and shooting videos, documentaries and feature films.

How to Reach

By Air – The nearest airport is Jolly Grant Airport which is at a distance of 306 km from Valley of Flowers.
By Rail – Rishikesh is the closest railway station at 289km. Another convenient railway station is at Haridwar(317km). Further, tourists need to travel by road. Read By Road section to know more.
By Road – To reach the Valley of Flowers, one needs to reach Govindghat. Here is how to reach Govindghat-
Option 1- Rishikesh- Srinagar- Karnaprayag- Joshimath- Govindghat
Option 2- Haldwani- Ranikhet- Karnaprayag- Joshimath- Goindghat

Since the journey by road is quite long and public transport facilities in this area are not quite decent, therefore it is advisable to hire a private taxi from Haridwar, Rishikesh or Haldwani. At Govindghat ends the motorable road.

From Govindghat, 13kms away is Ghanghria from where the valley is another 3km further. There are four options for reaching Ghanghria from Govindghat- Porter, Helicopter, Pony and Trekking. Post reaching Ghanhgria, the only way to reach Valley of Flowers is by trekking.