Valley of Flowers

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Nanda Devi And Valley Of Flowers National Parks (1988, Extended 2005); Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve · Ghangaria, Uttarakhand

A high alpine valley in the Garhwal Himalaya of Uttarakhand, around three and a half thousand metres up, which in the monsoon months becomes a carpet of wildflowers: hundreds of species, including blue poppies, primulas, lilies and orchids, beneath glaciers and snow peaks. It was made famous in the West by a British mountaineer who stumbled into it in 1931, and together with the neighbouring Nanda Devi National Park it forms a World Heritage Site. It can only be visited on foot. The trek starts at Govindghat, climbs to the base village of Ghangaria, and from there the valley is a few kilometres further; camping is not allowed inside, so every visit is a day walk from Ghangaria with a permit. From the same base, a steep climb leads to Hemkund Sahib, a Sikh shrine beside a glacial lake at over four thousand metres, which draws far more pilgrims than the valley draws walkers. The valley is open only from roughly June to October, and the flowers peak from mid-July to mid-August, which is also the height of the monsoon, with rain, mist and landslides on the approach roads.

Ghangaria, Chamoli District, Ghangaria, Uttarakhand, 246443, India

NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The typical pattern: the valley opens for the season around the start of June and closes around the end of October, on dates set yearly by the forest department. On open days, permits are sold at the check post above Ghangaria from about 7 in the morning, entry closes in the early afternoon around 2, and visitors must be out by about 5. Hemkund Sahib is usually open from late May to early October, with pilgrims asked to start down by early afternoon. Monsoon landslides may close the approach for days. Confirm season dates and road status before travelling.

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