Valley Of Flowers

The most beautiful of all Himalayan flowers, the blue Primula can be seen blooming in thousands in the valley. The best time to see the valley in full bloom is from mid July to mid August.To reach the valley one has to trek from Govind Ghat, on the route to Hemkund Sahib, upto Ghangaria, 12 kms ahead.Few furlongs ahead of Ghangaria the trek route to the valley takes a detour towards left. The valley is about 5 kms from Ghangaria. The high altitude serine lake, known as Hemkund ( 4329 mts.) lies in heavenly environs. A steep trek from Ghangharia leads one to this spot in about four to six hours. It is an important pilgrimage for both Hindus and Sikhs, as well as for people from other faiths. There is a Sikh Gurudwara and a Lakshman temple built on the bank of the lake. Encircled by seven snow clad peaks and their associated glaciers, it reflects its surroundings enchantingly on its crystal clear serene waters. The glaciers from Hathi Parvat and Saptrishi peaks feed the lake and a small stream called Himganga flows out of this lake. As alluded to, in the holy Granth Sahib, Guru Govind Singh, the tenth Guru of the Sikh faith had meditated on the bank of this lake in one of his earlier births. It is widely believed among Sikhs that Guru Govind Singh introduced the features now universally associated with Sikhism. On 15th April 1699, he started the new brotherhood called the Khalsa (meaning the pure, from the Persian word 'Khales') an inner core of the faithful, accepted by baptism (amrit). The five K's' date from this period: kesh (uncut hair) kangha (comb), kirpan (dagger or short sword), kara (steel bangle), and kachh (boxer shorts).

Tourist Attractions

V The valley itself is a scenic paradise of a wide range of wild colored flowers. Due to its exquisite beauty, the valley attracts tourists in large numbers from across the world. Not only tourists, even botanists and naturalists also visit here for exploration. The valley features 300 different species of wild flowers. Some of the most popular species of flowers in the Valley of Flowers include Ranunculus, Inula, Campanula, Pedicularis, Arisaema, Impatiens, Bistorta, Ligularia, Anaphalis, Saxifrages, Sibbaldia, Lilium, Asters, Thermopsis, Morina, Corydalis, Braham Kamal etc. There are many natural waterfalls that further add to the beauty of valley.

Accommodation

Tourists are not permitted to stay here in the park. At Ghangharia, there are private hotels to spend nights. The Govt. rest houses also provide stay facilities to visitors, close to the Valley of Flowers. At Ghangharia, there is a Gurudwara which also provides facilities for accommodation. You will have medium quality of food in dinner or in lunch.

How to Reach

You can travel by air; Jolly Grant (located in Dehradun) is the nearest airport from the Valley of Flowers. It is 183 miles away from the valley. And the closets railway station is in Dehradun, which is about 276 kilometer away. Govind Ghat is the closest destination to reach Valley of Flowers by road. From Govind Ghat, you can reach Ghangharia. From Ghangharia, finally 3 kilometer of scenic trekking takes you to the Valley of Flowers.