Himalayan Valley of Flowers National Park is near Badrinath in Chamoli District of Uttarakhand state, India, on the Western Himalayas. It is pretty hard to access this valley. Hence, it was not known to the outside world until 1931. Frank S. Smythe, Eric Shipton, and R.L. Holdsworth accidentally stumbled upon this area on their return from Mount Kamet, the second-highest mountain in the Garhwal region.

It takes three days of trekking to go to the Valley of Flowers and return to Joshimath. It takes an extra day to trek to Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara and return to Joshimath town. The itinerary is given at the bottom of this post.

Link to Photo Source – Himalayan Valley of Flowers National Park

Himalayan Flowers National Park was declared as a national park in 1982. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site (along with nearby Nanda Devi National Park), at 3250 to 6750 meters above sea level. The main valley is eight kilometers by two kilometers in length and breadth. This national park has an area of 87.50 square kilometers.

Flowers in this National Park change their colors at different times during the day. It is one of the most beautiful High Altitude Valleys of the World. This Himalayan valley in Uttarakhand is rich in flora with different species of valley flowers.

Rare alpine flowers are there in this Himalayan Valley National Park. You can not see them anywhere else in the world. There are many other species of flora in this valley.

Valley of Flowers India National Park is rich in fauna with many endangered species of animals like Snow leopard, Asiatic black bear, blue sheep, and brown bear.

Nada Devi National Park borders the Flowers National Park.

Valley of Flowers trekking is a major activity in this National Park.

How Do I Go to the Himalayan Valley of Flowers?

Valley of Flowers National Park is around 600 kilometers from New Delhi, the capital of India. The nearest airport to the Flowers Valley is at Dehradun, at 300 kilometers distance.

Rishikesh, at around 275 kilometers distance, is the nearest railway head.

Joshimath is the nearest town to the valley.

Normal Trekking Itinerary to the Himalayan Flowers Valley and Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara

Day 1

Summary – Reach Joshimath. From there, go to Govindghat. Then, trek to the Base camp at Ghangaria.

Details: Govindghat is at around 6000 feet altitude and around 22 kilometers from Joshimath on NH58, which is the point where trekking to Himalayan Valley Flowers National Park starts. You need to trek around 13 kilometers from Govindghat to reach the base camp at Ghangaria.  (Only BSNL mobile phones have a signal in these areas. That itself is very weak.

You may travel a distance of around four kilometers up to Pulna by Jeep from Govindghat. In that case, you need to trek only the remaining nine kilometers to reach the base camp at Ghangaria.

The last entry time at Ghangaria base camp is 3 pm. Sometimes, if you are lucky and hold the previous bookings, this may get relaxed by an hour or two or a little longer. Again, this relaxation is dependent on the officers on duty there.

Note:

You can go by mule to the Flowers Valley base camp at Ghangaria. It lacks adventure and costs Rs 1000 or even higher in some cases.

There is a Gurudwara at Ghangaria. Free food and accommodation are available here.

Day 2

Summary- Ghangaria base camp to the Valley of Flowers and back to Ghangaria base camp

Details – The paradise, i.e., the valley with flowers, is around three to four kilometers from the base camp at Ghangaria. It requires passing through some dangerous trekking trails to reach the valley.  After spending some time, you must trek back to the base camp on the same day. i.e., You are not allowed to stay overnight in the valley.  Return trekking is even more dangerous.

Note: From Ghangaria to the Valley of Flowers, some people carry those who can not walk inside the large baskets on their backs.

Day 3 (Optional)

Summary – Trekking to the Sikh shrine of Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara

Details – The famous holy Sikh Shrine of Hemkund Sahib is also near the Ghangaria base camp. It is around six kilometers away from the Ghangaria base camp, at about 14100 feet altitude. 

Those who are interested and adventurous can trek to this holy place. It takes one day for the to and fro trekking to the Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara from Ghangaria base camp, a total of 12 kilometers, including the return journey. You cannot stay at the Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara after 3 pm.

Bhrama Kamalam flowers are there on the route to Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara.

Note: There are mules for those who cannot walk to the Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara from the Ghangaria base camp.

Day 4 / Day 3 (For those who avoided the optional third-day trek to Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara )

Summary – Return from Ghangaria base camp to Govindghat and then back to Joshimath town, thus ending the trekking package to the Himalayan Flowers Valley.

Valley of Flowers trekking package tours are available from tour operators, trekking groups, etc.

Which is the Ideal Time to Visit the Himalayan Flowers Valley?

Flowers National Park is open only for five months, from June to October. In other months, it will be snow-covered. It is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Night camping inside the valley is prohibited.

The Twitter user @TuruhiCommunity has communicated to me the following.

This Flowers Valley National Park trekking requires a strenuous hike of the Himalayas. Hence, it is only for the medically fit.