Valley of Flowers is one of the best trekking destinations in Uttarakhand Himalayas. This heavenly valley is located at Chamoli district. The Chamoli is one of the districts of Gharwal Mandal, Uttarakhand. The base camp for trekking into Valley of Flowers is Ghangharia which is the small picturesque town near Govindghat, Joshimath. The valley is blessed by the several species of flowers where some of them are rare to rarest. The valley is a conservative area for endangered and rare species of animals like blue sheep, leopards, snow leopards, Himalayan bears, musk deer & many more. The attitude range of valley is 3352 meters to 3658 meters above sea level. This area comes under Nanda Devi Biosphere reserve and considered to be one of the core zones. The whole valley stretched at the length of 8 kilometres and it is 2 kilometres wide in terms of land.

It is the high altitude valley and cast spells on the visitors by showing its full spectrum of flowers. This valley is administered by the Forest Department of Uttarakhand. It is just as the paradise for trekkers, photographers and a kind of research lab for botany students. The discovery of valley is quite interesting in 1931 it was discovered by the British citizen Mr Frank S. Smythe. He and his team members were coming from an expedition then after losing the way they reached there and got influenced by its beauty they named it as -” The Valley of Flowers”.

In 1982 this valley had been declared as Nanda Devi National Park then later it becomes the Nanda Devi Biosphere and world heritage site by UNESCO in 2004. The other nearby place to the valley is a sacred site named as Hemkund Sahib. It is the only gurudwara which is located at the high altitude. This is the place where Sri Guru Govind Singh ji meditated and established the Khalsa methodology. There is a high altitude lake is also situated near the gurudwara which is known as Hemkund.

Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival at Joshimath
Day 2: Joshimath - Govindghat - Ghnagharia
Day 3:Ghnagharia - Valley of Flowers
Day 4:Ghangharia - Hemkund Sahib
Day 5:Ghangharia - Govindghat-Joshimath
Day 6: Joshimath - Haridwar
Day 7: Departure From Haridwar

Best Time to Go
The best time for trekking at this valley is from June to October. After 31 October the valley remains closed. During the full swing of winters whole valley is covered with the snow. When the snow starts melting down then from that time flowers bloom. Till the end of the June valley again becomes the beautiful landscape. To reach Joshimath, Haridwar and Rishikesh are the nearest major cities from there you can find various modes of road transportation.





Things to Carry
Lip Balm
Body Lotion
Camera
Extra Batteries for Camera
BinocularsSunglasses
Backpack
Dry Fruits and Snacks
Woollen Clothes
Woollen Socks
Woollen Gloves
Led Flashlights
Identity Proof
Trekking Shoes
Trekking Poles
Trekking Bag
Permit/License
First Aid Kit
General Medicine Kit
Personal Toiletries
Small Garbage Collection Bags
Water Bottle
Thermo Flask
Solar Charger
Sunscreen Lotion

Advisory
Do not litter
Carry a personal garbage bag with you.
Obtain all the permits before the trek commencing. It will save time.
Do not indulge in any activity which is against the Law of India.
Do not carry any kind of weapon in the valley.
Try to avoid plastic materials as much as possible. In case you have used it during trekking then do not leave it behind and put it in your personal garbage bag.
Try to avoid bad comments on co-travellers. If you face any issues then notify your team/group leader.
If you face any health issue then tell your team leader immediately.
As Shop/ Restaurants are not allowed in the valley, carry some snacks/dry fruits with you.
Try to avoid activities that harm nature. Be a responsible trekker.
Do not use any kind of toxic material during the trip it may lead you in difficulty.
Upon asking you have to show your id-proof the a