Valley of Flowers The Trekkers' Heaven

Beautiful Place ! one never would have seen in dream even, melodious sound of Pushpawati River, an angelic appearance of alpine flowers make the place heaven, mesmerizing scene of colourful flower leaves all the pains and griefs behind. Friends! today again I am making you familiar with one another delightful place of Uttarakhand which should be visited at least once in life.

Situated at high altitude of Himalayan valley, the Valley of Flowers is located in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, a state in India. It is one of national parks and also a World Heritage Site in India. The park is being administered by the Uttarakhand State Forestry Department, the national Ministry of Environment and Forests, India.

Valley of Flowers National Park is spread an area of about 87.50 km², and abode for rare seen endangered animals. The park is considered one of the most inaccessible place as it is surrounded dense forest and mountains, but in 1931 Frank S. Smythe, Eric Shipton and R.L. Holdsworth mountaineers, met with this place which was full of colourful flowers and they named it "Valley of Flowers." The book was also authored on Valley with the same name.

Trekkers' Heaven: The flower of valley is the peerless place for trekking lovers. The place offers you 14 km trekking and 3 km climbing along with scenic view of beautiful Lakshman Ganga river. What you need to do is: you have to reach Govindghat which is about 17 Km from the valley, and you can reach there by public transport or by private taxi from Rishikesh, a famous city in the state of Uttarakhand, India. From Govindghat your 14 km trekking starts to Ghangria, a small village on the way to Valley which is quite enjoyable and full of adventure. After reaching Ghangria where you can have your night stay. Next morning you can begin 3 km climbing for the valley. It is advised for old age people not to visit the place as its difficult access and lack of oxygen make it very dangerous place.

Climate: The valley is situated near the Himalayan valley which makes it most foggy place in the region. About six to seven months between November to March, the valley remains covered with dense snowfall. In summer valley faces the temperature of just above the cool (19°C maximum) and with the coming of monsoons, specially in late June and the beginning of early July the place faces heavy rain fall.

Flora and fauna: The valley is home for numerous endangered animals. The park comprises various big and small rare animal which includes Snow Leopard, Lime Butterfly, Himalayan weasel Mustela sibirica, Himalayan goral Naemorhedus goral, Musk deer, Red Fox, Serow, blue sheep, Asiatic black bear, etc. Coming to its fauna, the park is surrounded with numerous flowers such as alpine flowers, rhododendron, orchids , poppies, primulas, marigold, daisies etc.