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Uttarakhand is one of the north India destinations which
is famous for its natural beauty, wildlife, adventure
and culture. The Valley of Flowers in Uttarakhand draws
many a tourist from all over the world. Valley of
Flowers National Park is an Indian national park,
Nestled in the high Himalayas of Chamoli district of
Garwhal region in Uttarakhand. The most striking feature
of this park is its colorful flowers and scenic beauty.
Valley of Flower is a picture perfect land of
innumerable flowers that blossom throughout the year and
creates a heavenly sight. Not only is this it also a
home to a variety of wildlife, including the endangered
ones. Some of the wildlife species found here are musk
deer, snow leopard, brown bear, Asiatic black bear, blue
sheep and snow leopard. The Valley of Flowers is an
outstandingly beautiful high-altitude Himalayan valley
that has been acknowledged as such by renowned
mountaineers and botanists in literature for over a
century and in Hindu mythology for much longer. Its
‘gentle’ landscape, breathtakingly beautiful meadows of
alpine flowers and ease of access complement the rugged,
mountain wilderness for which the inner basin of Nanda
Devi National Park is renowned. The place had
disappeared from the tourist map due to its inaccessible
approach but in 1931 when Frank S. Smythe a British
mountaineer lost his way while returning from a
successful expedition to Mt. Kamet and he reached this
valley which was full of flowers. He was so attracted
towards the beauty of the place he named it as "Valley
of Flowers". He authored a book called "The Valley of
Flowers" which unveiled the beauty and floral splendors
of the valley and thus threw open the doors of this
verdant jewel to nature-enthusiasts all over the world.
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In
1939, Miss Margarate Legge, a botanist deputed by the
botanical gardens of Edinburgh arrived at the valley for
further studies. While she was traversing some rocky
slopes to collect flowers, she slipped off and was lost
for ever in the garden of the gods. Her sister later
visited the valley and erected a memorial on the spot
where she was buried by the locals.
Sprawling over an area of 87.50 sq km, and height of
3,600 m above the sea level, hemmed by glistening snowy
mountains, the Valley of Flower is a haven for nature
lovers. Come June and this valley gets flooded with
beautiful and colorful alpine flowers. The flowering
season starts in June and ends in October, so tourists
must visit this Park during this period to capture the
magic of flowers. The best time to visit the valley is
during July and August when innumerable varieties of
flowers bloom and present a spectacular sight. The
valley itself is 10 Km long and about 2 Km wide in
conical shape, with the river Pushpavati flowing through
it. After one gets down at Govindghat on the main
Badrinath highway, it involves a trek of 15 Km to reach
Ghangaria, from where a further short trek of 5 Km leads
one to the edge of the valley. The valley ranges between
3352 and 3658 mts. in altitude. Valley of flower is
splashed with colour as it bloomed with hundreds
different beautiful flowers, taking on various shades of
colours as time progressed. Valley was declared a
national park in 1982, and now it is a World Heritage
Site. It is a mesmerizing high-altitude Himalayan valley
offering picturesque landscape, gorgeous greenery,
majestic mountains, breathtaking meadows of flowers and
wilderness. Flowers mostly orchids, poppies, primulas,
calendulas, daisies and anemones carpet the ground.
Alpine forests of birch and rhododendron cover a part of
the area, and are home to tahr, snow leopard, musk deer,
red fox, common langur, bharal, serow, Himalayan black
bear and a huge variety of butterflies.
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Literally hundreds of wild flowers bloom in this
valley including the rare Himalayan Blue Poppy
.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 at their
best. It is 36 Km from Joshimath. A naturalist’s
delight, the valley is reputed to be the largest
repository of the wild flowers in the natural
surroundings in the world over 300 species has been
identified. Only day visits are permitted. Night
halt accommodation is available at Ghanghria.
The Track
While trekking towards valley of flowers, one can
experience the beauty of shining peaks fully covered
with snow. One can also see the beautiful view of
surrounding greenery and various running streams
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clear water. There is no settlement in the national
park and grazing in the area has been banned. The
park is open only in summers between June and
October, being covered by heavy snow during the rest
of the year.
The Valley of Flowers is a national park which
boasts of more than 500 varieties of flowers and a
variety of wildlife species. It is a must-visit
destination during your visit uttarakhand. If you
are a nature lover and want to explore the beauty of
nature in its complete way then non other in the
world as Valley of Flower. Getting to the Valley of
Flowers isn't exactly a cakewalk; getting here
requires a trek of about 20 Km. The nearest major
town is Joshimath in Garhwal, which has convenient
road connections from railheads such as Hardwar and
Dehradun, both about 270 Km from Joshimath. From
Gobind ghat, a trek of 14 km brings hikers to the
tiny settlement of Ghangaria, beyond which the toll
gate to the National Park is about 3 km. |
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If
you are planning to visit beautiful places in
Uttarakhand and want to explore the beauty then Plan
your tour to Valley of Flowers and get completely
soaked in its overwhelming natural beauty. There are
many travels and tour operators in India, provide
you different packages to visit the beautiful land
of flowers in Uttarakhand. You can also visit Valley
of Flower during your Chardham Tour in Uttarakhand.
The chirping of the birds, the flowers dipped in
dew, colorful butterflies fluttering from flower to
flower, refreshing air, and lush greenery is enough
to make you experience heaven on earth. The Valley
of Flowers is a famous attraction in your Visit
Uttarakhand. This tour will surely make your
holidays pleasurable and memorable. |
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