Valley of Flowers Trek
NATURE OF TRIP Trekking
LOCATION Garhwal Himalayas, Uttarakhand
DURATION 6 Days (Haridwar - Haridwar)
TREKKING DAYS 4 Days
MAXIMUM ALTITUDE Valley of Flowers (>3600m) / Hemkund Sahib (4329m)
GRADE Moderate+
SEASON Jun-Oct
ACCOMODATION Eco Lodge - 2 Nights Camp - 3 Nights
OVERVIEW :
The valley of flowers is a world heritage site and is part of the famous Nanda Devi Biosphere. This national park in the far interiors of Garhwal Himalayas (Uttarakhand) is spread over 87.5 sq. Kms. This hidden jewel is a truly unique habitat, home to many endemic varieties of alpine flowers and plants. This valley is at an altitude of 3250 m and above. Over the years many nature lovers from across the globe have been visiting the valley only to be left spell bound by its beauty.
This region also plays home to many rare & endangered species of animals like Asiatic black bear, brown bear, snow leopard, blue sheep and more We offer a very special & flexible itinerary not seen before where people are going to get the option of spending many more extra hours inside and around the valley instead of just a couple of hours, if they were to take the regular itinerary. Our trip will have you walking large parts of the valley and climb up to a beautiful vantage point to observe the colossal beauty of this natural wonder. We will also explore higher reaches around the valley and retrace the steps of Frank Smythe, the legendary mountaineer who discovered this valley by chance while coming down after a successful summit of Mt. Kamet IN 1931. Not many people have walked this route.
ITINERARY
Day 01: Haridwar – Auli (2450m) Drive/280 kms/8-9 hrs
We will meet at Haridwar railway station at 7 a.m and from here board a vehicle (arranged by us) and be driven up to Auli. This is a long but interesting drive. You will for most part of the journey drive along the Ganga & Alaknanda rivers. En route you will be crossing the holy towns of Rishikesh, Dev Prayag & Rudra Prayag. Evening relax at the beautiful lodge set up in an apple orchard. Overnight in H.E.L, Auli .
Day 02: Auli (2450m) – Govindghat – Ghangaria (3050m) Drive/1 hr & Trek/4-5 hrs
Early morning drive for about an hour or so to reach Govindghat, our starting point for the trek. We start the trek by crossing the river Alaknanda over a bridge at Govindghat and from there walking towards the Bhyundar valley through forest area and a few villages. There are numerous waterfalls and absolutely lush green landscape all around. The gradient of the trail is moderate. The 14 kms trek to reach Ghangria takes about 4-5 hrs, one can also hire a mule or use the helicopter service to reach Ghangria. Overnight in GIO’s Camp Valley of Flowers, Ghangharia.
Day 03: Ghangaria (3050m) – Valley of Flowers (3600m) – Ghangaria (3050 m) Trek/4-5 hrs
It's a delightful and short ascent to the valley. Gradient is moderate and the landscape extremely soothing to the eye. It will take about a couple of hours to reach the valley. The beauty of this world renowned valley totally lives up to its reputation. There are unending meadows laden with varieties of alpine flowers, network of streams and big mountains all around. At the entrance of the Valley stands the snow-clad peak of Ratban Parvat, towards the left is Nar Parvat, which separates the Badrinath valley from this valley, and to the right is dense Birch forest on the hillsides. We will spend 3-4 hrs exploring different corners & vantage points of the valley and towards late afternoon head back to the camp at Ghangria.
Day 04
Option 1: Ghangaria (3050m) – Hemkund Sahib (4329m) – Ghangaria (3050m) Trek/6-7 hrs
Today's climb to Hemkund Sahib is steep at places and will take about 3 - 4 hrs. Hemkund Sahib is a popular Sikh Shrine built next to the beautiful lake. The lake is surrounded by wild flowers with Brahmkamal being the most popular. Pilgrims take a dip in the freezing cold waters of the lake, not an easy task. The hot tea served in the Gurudwara (shrine) is divine to say the least. We will also visit the Laxman mandir next to the Gurudwara. Towards afternoon head back to Ghangria. Overnight in the camp at Ghangharia.
Day 05: Ghangaria – Govindghat – Badrinath – Auli Trek/3-4 hrs & Drive/4 hrs
Today we trek back to Govindghat and from there drive for about an hour to reach the beautiful temple town of Badrinath. Situated on the banks of holy Alaknanda and with the backdrop of
Neelkanth peak, an ancient temple with hot sulphur water pools and crisp and clean air, Badrinath is a wonderful destination to visit. For the spiritually inclined, there can be no better place. Later in the evening we return to Himalayan Eco Lodge, Auli where a hot shower followed by a sumptuous meal awaits us. Overnight in H.E.L, Auli.
Day 06: Auli – Haridwar Drive/280 kms/8-9 hrs
After breakfast drive down to Haridwar. Trip ends here
TREKKING INCLUDES
- 2 guides for the group of maximum 12 trekkers so 1 guide for 6 group members. This will ensure high safety and more information and personal attention which are necessary to appreciate a trek. All our guides are professionally trained and have many years of relevant experience in guiding treks.
- Accommodation in a deluxe mountain lodge in Auli on single/double occupancy basis (www.himalayanecolodges.com/auli.php). This lodge has an absolutely fantastic location and very good quality facilities and services.
- High quality Camping arrangements
We believe that roughing it out necessarily doesn’t mean sleeping in smelly sleeping bags, compromising on safety by using low quality equipment and having unappetising meals. We focus on your safety, basic comforts and the environment while camping. Keeping this is mind, the following equipment is provided on the trek:
- 3/4 season imported alpine tents
- Fresh and clean sleeping bags of very good quality
- Good quality Camping Mattresses
- Camping stools
- Mess Tent
- Toilet tents (2) with portable toilet seats
- First Aid / Medical kit
- All meals starting from dinner on Day 1 till breakfast on Day 6. A lot of emphasis is given to nutritional needs and a menu of vegetarian dishes is prepared accordingly. Tea/coffee will be served throughout.
- Porter/mule charges for carrying camping equipment & rations
- Forest entry charges, permits & camping fee (if any)
- First aid kit (our guides are certified in handling first aid situations)
- Service Tax
PRICE ON REQUEST
TRANSPORT TARIFF INCLUDES
Do keep in mind that transport is a very critical component of your trek. This aspect is most often not given proper attention and can result in lot of discomfort especially in the mountains. We provide transfers to get you to the starting point and back as comfortably and in as less time as possible for you to enjoy the trip. We only use quality vehicles like Toyota Innova, Mahindra Xylo, Mahindra Scorpio, Tempo Traveller, etc. and no local jeeps or similar vehicles are used except where there are short transfers from the lodge to the trek points, etc. The transport tariff includes all driver charges, fuel, parking, toll and taxes.
COST DOES NOT INCLUDE
- Porter/mule charges to carry your personal bag
- Any meals/services not mentioned above
- Any charges for video cameras, still cameras, etc.
- Alcohol, soft drinks, beverages, etc.
- Personal expenses like tips, telephone calls, laundry, etc.
- Any costs arising out of unforeseen circumstances like landslides, road blocks, bad weather, etc.
- Insurance
OTHER OPTIONAL CHARGES
- Charges for a porter/mule to carry personal bag throughout the trek (not more than 10 kgs): Rs. 1,400 per person for the complete trek
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Transport Options (Delhi - Haridwar - Delhi)
For travel to Haridwar and back one can choose between air, rail & road. For air travel, the closest airport is the Jolly Grant Airport (30 kms) in Dehradun and is well connected to Delhi and other parts of the country by Air India, Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines & Spice Jet. Train travel is highly recommended with enough options being there. For train details, you could log on to www.indianrail.gov.in and for online railway ticket bookings you could log on to www.irctc.co.in.
There are frequent Public Transport buses including Volvos available from Delhi to Haridwar that cost about Rs. 200-500 per person. These buses depart from Delhi ISBT every 30 mins. or so and take about 4/5 hrs to cover the distance. The same is also applicable on the return journey. A private vehicle could also be arranged for if you require the same.
Weather Details
In the initial days of the pre monsoon season (April-Jun) there will be snow on the higher meadows and on the Pangarchulla peak. The snow start melting by early to mid-May so trekkers coming on this trail in April-May should be prepared for snow conditions. Days are going to be sunny and warm (12-20 °C) while the night temperature at the highest campsite would be in the range of -2 to 5 °C. In the post monsoon season (Sep-Nov) there is hardly any snow at the start with possibility of snowfall towards the end of the season, which also melts very fast. The days are sunny with temperatures hovering around (10-16 °C) and the evenings start getting cold with the onset of October and nights are comparatively colder (-5 to 5 °C). Wind-chill factor is something that one needs to account and be prepared for on most Himalayan treks.
Please keep in mind that the above information is not exact and does not account for sudden changes. Whatever the temperatures and conditions rest assured we will be prepared to handle it with ease as we use equipment of very high specifications.
