The Valley of Flowers & Hemkund Sahib Trek is located in the Valley of Flowers National park in the north of Chamoli & Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand, India. The valley was declared as a National Park by the government of India in 1980 to preserve its flora & fauna and later, in 2004 as a UNESCO world heritage site. Ever Since then, the valley of flowers has been on the bucket list of trekkers from all over the globe.
Valley of Flowers Trek, as the name suggests, is famous for meadows and beautiful alpine flowers that are native to this location and are not found anywhere else on the planet. There are an estimated 500+ species of flowers that grow wild in this area.
This is a moderate difficulty trek that will take you up to a high altitude of 14,400 ft. This is mainly because of the distance (37 Km) and the steep ascent that comes at the climb to Hemkund Sahib from Ghangaria.
The first day of the trek starts early in the morning with a drive to Govindghat from Dehradun. We will cover 310 Km on NH-7 and it will take us around 9 hours to reach our first destination. On the way, you will cross a number of holy places including the famous Devprayag, which is the confluence of the Bhagirathi river and Alaknanda river. We will take ample breaks through the drive including the lunch break. Upon arrival at Govindghat, an overnight stay will be at a hotel/guesthouse.
After having breakfast, we will start our trek towards Gangharia which is the base camp for both Valley of Flowers & Hemkund Sahib. The hike is about 12 Km long and will take you to an altitude of 3050 m above sea level. After trekking for 5 hours we will reach Gangharia which is also known as Govind Dham. Overnight stay will be at camps.
Day 3 is the most awaited day of the Valley of Flowers trek. After having early morning breakfast, we will start walking to this majestic valley. Walking on this beautiful trail with green, yellow, red & blue flowers will make your experience unforgettable. Ghangaria to Valley of flowers is an easy 7 Km trek and it will take us about 2 hours to reach our destination which will be filled with exotic & rare Himalayan flowers. After spending some time at the valley, we will trace our steps back to Ghangaria where we will spend the night at camps.
Early in the morning, we will start our 6 Km hike to Hemkund Sahib. The trail is a stone-paved continuous steep ascent that will take you to the world’s highest Gurdwara at an altitude of 4,330 m. If you are lucky, you might spot the rare Brahma Kamal (Saussurea obvallata) growing wild in this area. The Gurudwara is located beside a glacial lake known as Hemkund which reflects crystal clear reflections of nearby peaks. Lakshman temple is also located near the lake.
By afternoon, we will start trekking back towards Ghangaria where we will relax for the evening and stay for the night at camps.
After breakfast, we will trek back to Govindghat on the same beautiful trail we came from. Upon your arrival at Govindghat, we will drive back to Joshimath and rest for the night at a hotel or a guest house.
The final day of the Valley of Flowers trek will start from Joshimath & will end after a 296 Km drive back to Dehradun which will take about 8 hours. You are expected to reach Dehradun by evening so make your further travel arrangements accordingly
The Valley of Flowers Trek opens from July to October, but mid July to September is the best time to visit the trek as during this period, the flowers at the valley are fully bloomed which makes it a very different experience to visit this place as compared to other months.
The valley of flowers trek is an easy - moderate difficulty trek. The moderate part of the trek is due to the long distance you have to cover on the entire trek which is about 37 Km. Apart from this, the steep ascent to Hemkund Sahib which takes you to a height of 4,000+ m above the sea level also contributes to this trek’s difficulty level.
The Valley of Flowers is a safe trek that is frequented by many travellers and pilgrims every year. The trail is well marked and most of the ascents are gradual with the exception of the climb to Hemkund Sahib from Ghangaria. The only issue is the quick height gain from Ghangaria to Hemkund Sahib. But the properly placed campsites give trekkers enough time to acclimatize which drastically reduces the chances of AMS.
This is a brief list of things that you should carry on the trek to make the experience more memorable and much more comfortable -
Nearest Hospitals
Joshimath
Joshimath Community Health Center
NH 58, Joshimath, Uttarakhand 246443
Distance from Govindghat: 9 Km.
Time To reach : Approx. 30 mins
Network & Connectivity
BSNL network available up to Govindghat. No networks are available on the trail.
ATM’s
Last ATM is available at Joshimath, it is advised to take cash from this ATM to avoid any last minute hassles.
Q. Which place is known as the Valley of Flowers?
A. Valley of Flowers is a valley located in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. The Valley is famous for its alpine meadows & 500+ species of rare himalayan flowers that are native to the location and are not found anywhere else on the planet.
Q. Which is the best time to visit the Valley of Flowers?
A.
Q. Is the Valley of Flowers trek difficult?
A
Q. Is Valley of Flowers worth visiting?
A.
Q. Is Valley of Flowers Safe?
A.