Valley of Flowers (called in short as VOF as well) is known for its vast meadows full of various alpine flowers and flora. This place is located in the higher reaches of Himalaya (at an altitude of 3350 m. approximately) in Uttarakhand Chamoli district. The trek for the Valley of Flowers starts from Govindghat. It is a small settlement/village situated on the way towards Badrinath shrine (approximately 16 km. before Badrinath) from Joshimath. Govindghat to Valley of Flowers is about 17 km. trek. Camping within the national park is not permitted. Last staying or camping can be done in Govinddham, which is also known as Ghangharia. Govindghat to Ghangharia is about 14 km. trek and Ghangharia to Valley of Flowers is about 3 km. trek further. This route is also commonly known as the pilgrimage trail for Sikh temple Hemkund Sahib (situated at an altitude of 4632 m.). The best season for this trek is during the monsoon, i.e. June-July-August. But during this time the hill areas become very landslide-prone and sometimes many places of Uttarakhand face casualties due to flash floods.
Valley of Flowers Itinerary (Haridwar to Haridwar):
- Day 1 – Haridwar to Joshimath by Jeep/Bus
- Day 2 – Joshimath to Govindghat by Jeep/Bus, trek to Ghangharia (14 km.)
- Day 3 – Ghangharia to Valley of Flowers and back (3 + 3 = 6 km. approx.)
- Day 4 – Ghangharia to Hemkund Sahib and back (6 + 6 = 12 km. approx.)
- Day 5 – Ghangharia to Govindghat, take Jeep/Bus to Joshimath/Rudraprayag
- Day 6 – Joshimath/Rudraprayag to Haridwar by Jeep/Bus
Priyanka and I visited this beautiful place in the month of August 2011. Here is the photo album link: Valley of Flowers trek August 2011 photo album or Blogspot Blogger link.