The Valley of
Flowers National Park is an Indian National Park located in West Himalayan range of Uttarakhand and is known for its meadows of native alpine flowers and the variety of flora. This richly
diverse area is also home to rare and endangered animals, including the Asiatic black bear, snow leopard,
musk deer, brown bear, red fox, and blue sheep. Birds found in the park include Himalayan Monal Pheasant and other high altitude birds. The gentle landscape of the Valley of
Flowers National Park complements the rugged mountain wilderness of Nanda Devi National Park to the east. Together, they encompass a unique transition
zone between the mountain ranges of the Zanskar and Himalaya. The valley was declared a national park in 1982 and now it is a World Heritage Site.
The place was little
known to outside world earlier. In 1931, Frank S. Smythe, Eric
Shipton and R.L.
Holdsworth, all British mountaineers, lost their
way while returning from a successful expedition to Mt.Kamet and happened upon the valley, which was full of flowers.
They were attracted to the beauty of the area and named it the "Valley of Flowers." Frank
Smythe later authored a book of the same name.
The Valley of
Flowers has gained importance as a region containing a diversity of alpine
flora, representative of the Western Himalayan alpine shrub and
meadows eco-region. A
number of plant species are considered threatened. Several have
not been recorded outside of Uttarakhand. Two have not been recorded in Nanda
Devi National Park. The diversity of threatened species of medicinal plants is
higher than has been recorded in other Indian Himalayan protected areas. The
entire Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve lies within the Western
Himalayas Endemic Bird Area (EBA). The Valley of Flowers National Park is
the second core zone of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve. 
Alpine shrub-lands, dominated by rhododendrons, predominate at lower elevations close to the tree line. Above
the shrub-lands are alpine meadows, known as bugyals or
bughiyals, which support a variety of herbaceous plants. In the spring and
summer, the alpine meadows are covered with brightly colored flowers.
Getting to the Valley of Flowers
requires a trek of about 17 km (10.5 mi). The nearest major town is Joshimath in Garhwal,
which has convenient road connections from Haridwar and Dehradun,
both about 270 km (168 mi) from Joshimath. From Delhi, one can take
the train to Haridwar and then travel by bus to Govindghat via Rishikesh. Govindghat
is approximately 16 km before another important destination of Badrinath.
It is also possible to drive from Delhi to Govindghat, a distance of about
500 km.
Govindghat is a small place close to Joshimath (around one hour distance), where the trek begins. From
Gobindghat, a trek of 14 km (8.6 mi) brings trekkers to the Ghangaria,
a small settlement located about 3 km (about 2 mi) from the valley.
The trek from Gobindghat to Ghangaria is common to the Sikh Temple at Hemkund and
a trekker is likely to find many Sikh pilgrims on the route. As one nears
Ghangaria one is greeted by fields of perfumed wild flowers, wild rose bushes
and wild strawberries by the sides of the path. The visitors to Valley of
Flowers need to get a permit from Forest Department, at Ghangaria and the
permit is valid for three days and visiting and trekking is allowed only during
day time. As visitors are not allowed to stay inside the National park,
accommodation can be obtained at Gangaria. Best time to visit is August
and September, when the valley is full of flowers, just after the outbreak of
monsoon.
