Valley of Flowers Trekking Tour
Duration : 07 Nights / 08 Days
Departures from : New Delhi - Haridwar - Joshimath - Govindghat - Valley of Flowers - Ghangria - Hemkund - Ghangria - Govind Ghat - Badrinath - Rishikesh - Delhi
Best Time to Visit Valley of flowers : July, August and till mid September
Trek Gradient: Easy – Moderate. Gradual ascent throughout on a well - defined trail.
VALLEY OF FLOWERS TREK
DAY 01 : NEW DELHI – HARIDWAR (200 KMS/ 5 HRS)
Today drive to Haridwar. Upon arrival in Haridwar, you are met and transferred to your pre-booked hotel. Visit Hari-ki-Pauri to see evening Aarti ( prayers) at the Ghats of the holy river Ganges. Overnight stay at the hotel.
DAY 02 : HARIDWAR - JOSHIMATH (264 KMS/8-9 HRS/ 6,700 ft.) VIA DHARI DEVI TEMPLE
After breakfast, drive to Joshimath. En-route visit Devprayag, where the river Bhagirathi and Alaknanda meets and become a holy river the Ganges. If time permits, one can break the journey at Dhari Devi temple lies on way to Joshimath. Seek the blessing of Goddess Dhari and continue to drive towards Joshimath. The journey to Joshimath is a fascinating one, traveling mainly up the Alaknanda valley from Deoprayag onwards mixture of beautiful countryside and fascinating bustling small towns.
As you move higher up, the scenery subtly changes from very lush hillsides, with rice terraces, to the slightly more barren mountainous countryside beyond Srinagar. The final few kilometers of the journey is an incredible hairpin mountain road from the Vishnu Prayag. Upon arrival in Joshimath by late evening, check-in at your pre-booked Hotel. Overnight at Hotel.
DAY 03 : JOSHIMATH - GOVINDGHAT (22 KMS/1 HRS/ (6,300 ft)) – PHOOLNA(6,800 ft) - GHANGHARIA (09 KMS TREK/5-6 HRS/ (9,800 ft)
After having breakfast at Joshimath, drive to Govindghat. It is a place where you can hire a porter or mule/ponies to carry luggage up to Ghangaria base camp. Please note that helicopters are also available at this point, but their operation is subject to weather conditions. Start trekking for Ghangaria via Phoolna, which is 4 km away from Govindghat. Now trekking distance has been reduced to 9 km from earlier 13 km as there is the motorable road up to Poolna. The track is very well maintained with several barriers at the side to prevent falls. There is a gradual ascent along a well-maintained pilgrim trail to Ghangharia. Upon arrival at Ghangariya, check into the hotel. You can have glimpses of beautiful surroundings in the evening. Overnight at Hotel.
DAY 04 : GHANGARIA – VALLEY OF FLOWERS(11,500 ft.) – GHANGARIA (5 KMS TREK ONE SIDE/5 HRS)
Today we start for the Valley of Flowers trek. Better carry packed lunch with you while trekking up to Valley of flowers. You can indulge yourself here in the Valley in exploring, photographing, and identifying flowers. From Ghangaria, there is another 05 km trek to the valley nearly 10 km long and almost 02 km wide. The valley is ringed with snow-capped mountains and watered by streams rising in the mountains, its accessible from late April, but is grandest from late July to the end of August. Hundreds of wildflowers bloom in Tread with caution because your visit should not endanger the things you have come to see. Also, carry a little salt. The valley is infested with leeches in the wettest weather when the flowers are there best.
After breakfast trek to Valley of flowers at (3858 m) above sea level. The Valley is an enchanting sight with an impressive array of rare wildflowers like Geranium, Marsh marigold, Primula, Potentilla, Geum, Asters, Lilium, Ranunculus, Corydalis, Inula, Braham kamal, Campanula, Pedicularis, Arisaema, Morina, Impatiens, Bistorta, Ligularia, Anaphalis, Saxifrages, Sibbaldia, Thermo- psis, Trollius, Codonopsis, Dactylorhiza, Cypripedium, Strawberry, Epilobium, Rhododendrons and numerous others. Most of the flowers have medicinal values too. The valley is 10 km long, 2 km wide, and is divided by the Pushpawati stream, into which several tiny streams and waterfalls merge. After enjoying the beauty of the valley trek back to Ghangaria. Dinner & overnight stay at the hotel.
DAY 05 : GHANGHARIA – HEMKUND(14,100 ft.) - GHANGHARIA (06 KMS TREK ONE SIDE)
After an early breakfast, Trek Hemkund Sahib(4329 meters) above sea level. It is a holy place for the Sikh community. You can see thousands of Sikh Men, women, and children are woken up in their Gurdwara-shrines in the plains by the thudding of huge drums. They assemble and led by the yellow flags of their monotheistic faith, start their long and arduous pilgrimage to the 4329 meter-high Gurudwara Hemkund Sahib, on the far side of the great glacial lake of Lokpal. Several snow-covered peaks rise around this austerely beautiful lake. It is quite a steep climb. In the Sikh holy book, The Granth Sahib, the Sikh Guru Gobind Singh recounts that in a previous life. He meditated on the shores of a lake surrounded by seven snowcapped mountains now recognized by Hemkund. Late afternoon trek down to Ghangaria. Dinner & overnight stay at the hotel.
DAY 06 : GHANGARIA - GOVIND GHAT (14 KMS TREK /5-6 HRS) - BADRINATH (30 KMS/2 HRS/ 10,170 ft.)
After an early breakfast, we trek down to Govind Ghat and proceed to Badrinath by road. The drive from Govindh Ghat to Badrinath is another stunning drive over winding mountain roads with superb views it all adds to the sense of adventure. Upon arrival in Badrinath, check into your pre-booked hotel. Afternoon Visit Mana Village and Badrinath temple. Overnight at Hotel.
DAY 07 : BADRINATH - RISHIKESH (300 Kms/ 11 Hrs)
After an early breakfast, drive back to Rishikesh. Driving down from Badrinath and then up into Joshimath gives a much better idea of the layout of the whole area and also a chance to take one last look at the mountains. During the journey, you get to see different things and get a better feel for them. On the way back to Rishikesh, you can see the Place called Rudraprayag, where the confluence of river Mandakini and river Alaknanda take place. Upon arrival in Rishikesh, check into the Hotel. The evening can be spent with a walk down along the road where all the Ashrams are situated to see the Temples. Overnight at Hotel.
DAY 08 : RISHIKESH - DELHI (230 Kms/ 07 Hrs)
After an early breakfast, drive back to Delhi. Later departure transfer to Airport/Railway Station/Hotel to board flight for onwards journey.
THINGS TO CARRY
Warm clothes / Jacket especially for evenings and mornings (if it rains it will get rather cold). Several layers of clothing (thermals are recommended for the innermost layer) is preferable to a big thick jacket. This helps as you can add or remove layers according to the climatic conditions, which can change rapidly (especially for the evening/ early mornings when it is rather cold).
