Valley of Flowers National Park

Valley of Flowers National Park is an Indian national park, Nestled high in West Himalaya, is renowned for its meadows of endemic alpine flowers and outstanding natural beauty. This richly diverse area is also home to rare and endangered animals, including the Asiatic black bear, snow leopard, brown bear and blue sheep. The gentle landscape of the Valley of Flowers National Park complements the rugged mountain wilderness of Nanda Devi National Park. Together they encompass a unique transition zone between the mountain ranges of the Zanskar and Great Himalaya. The park stretches over an expanse of 87.50 km².

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.

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. The locals, of course, always knew of the existence of the valley, and believed that it was inhabited by fairies.

While trekking towards valley of flowers, tourists can experience the beauty of shining peaks fully covered with snow. Tourists can also see the beautiful view of surrounding greenery and various running streams with crystal clear water.

The valley is home to many celebrated flowers like the Brahmakamal, the Blue Poppy and the Cobra Lily. It is a much sought after haunt for flower-lovers, botanists and of course trekkers, for whom a sufficient excuse to embark on a mission to reach a place, is that it exists.

The Valley of Flowers is internationally important on account of its diverse alpine flora, representative of the West Himalaya biogeographic zone. The rich diversity of species reflects the valley’s location within a transition zone between the Zaskar and Great Himalayas ranges to the north and south, respectively, and between the Eastern Himalaya and Western Himalaya flora. A number of plant species are internationally threatened, several have not been recorded from elsewhere in Uttarakhand and 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). Seven restricted-range bird species are endemic to this part of the EBA.

The Valley of Flowers was declared a national park in 1982. This part of Uttarakhand, in the upper reaches of Garhwal, is inaccessible through much of the year. The area lies on the Zanskar range of the Himalayas with the highest point in the national park being Gauri Parbat at 6,719 m above sea level.

History

The Valley was introduced to the world as the Valley of Flowers by Frank S. Smythe - mountaineer, explorer, botanist who camped here for several weeks in the monsoon of 1937 and did valuable exploratory work. He authored a book called "The Valley of Flowers" which unveiled the beauty and floral splendours of the valley and thus threw open the doors of this verdant jewel to nature-enthusiasts all over the world.

In 1939 Miss Margaret Legge, a botanist deputed by the Royal Botanic Gardens 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. Her sister later visited the valley and erected a memorial near the spot. The memorial is still there.

Management

There is no settlement in the national park and grazing in the area has been banned. The park is open only in summer between June and October, being covered by heavy snow during the rest of the year.

Location

State: Uttranchal

Exact Location: The Valley of Flowers is nestled in the upper expansions of Bhyundar Ganga near Joshimath in Gharwal region.

District: Chamoli

Nearest Town: Joshimath

The Trek

Getting to the Valley of Flowers requires a trek of about 17 km. The nearest major town is Joshimath in Garhwal, which has convenient road connections from railheads such as Haridwar and Dehradun, both about 270 km from Joshimath.

From Joshimath, a vehicle can be hired to take you to within 17 km of the park, to the settlement of Gobindghat. The route from Joshimath to the Valley of Flowers goes along the main road to Badrinath; roughly midway along this road, a minor road branches off to Gobindghat, the roadhead for the Valley. From Gobindghat, a trek of 14 km brings hikers to the tiny settlement of Ghangaria. Valley of flowers is about 3 km from this place. Hemkund Sahib is around 5 km from Ghangaria.

The Valley of flowers starts from Ghangharia but one can see its real beauty or we can say that real valley of flowers starts after crossing the gorge and the stream. Ratban Parvat comes in front of the valley and in the end kunt khal comes.

The Valley of flowers is covered with majestic peaks and river Pushpawati flowing through it divides it into two sections. Many streams also flow through the valley irrigating it, adding to the beauty before finally merging with River Pushpawati. There is a single track in the valley to view flowers.

You may also come across many butterflies. En route, you may be able to spot the musk deer, blue sheep ( bharal), Himalayan bear, Himalayan mouse hare, and snow leopard. The Valley of Flowers is also a paradise for avid bird watchers.

Meadows of wild flowers are interspersed with waterfalls, springs, rocky boulders, and more. For trekkers, the base camp is at Ghangaria, from here the Valley of Flowers is a 3 km uphill trek. It’s a moderate level trek, and the trail is well-defined.

Best Time to Visit: From Mid July to Mid August.

Fauna

The park is home to tahr, snow leopard, musk deer, red fox, common langur, bharal, serow, Himalayan black bear, Himalayan brown bear, Pica (Mouse hare) and a huge variety of butterflies. Among the important birds and Pheasant are, Himalayan Golden Eagle, Griffon Vulture, Snow Partridge, Himalayan Snowcock, Himalayan Monal, Snow Pigeon, Sparrow Hawk etc.

Flora

Flowers mostly orchids, poppies, primulas, calendulas, daisies and anemones carpet the ground. Alpine forests of birch and rhododendron cover parts of the park's area.

Other Attractions

Hemkund Saheb: A very popular trekking destination, Hemkund is a 15 km trek from Govindghat. The high altitude lake known as Hemkund (4329 m) is located here. The lake and its picturesque surroundings are an important pilgrim center for both Hindus and Sikhs. Close to the lake, the sacred Sikh Gurudwara and a Lakshman temple are located.

Joshimath: One of the popular pilgrim centres in Uttrakhand, Joshimath was established by Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century. There are the temples of Nav Durga and Narsingh here. This scenic town is also the base for trekking to the Valley of Flowers.

Badrinath: Badrinath, one of the holy places for Hindus in India. It is the most sacred Dham in India. Badrinath is located in the Chamoli district of Uttranchal, at around 3133 mts high from the sea level. Badrinath temple is dedicated to Hindu god Vishnu. This temple is near to the Alaknanda River.

How to Reach

The nearest airport is in Dehradun, 295 kilometers (183 miles) away, and the nearest railway station is in Rishikesh, 276 kilometers (170 miles) away. The closest you can get to The Valley of Flowers by road is Govind Ghat. This requires around a 10 hour drive to Joshimath, then another one hour to Govind Ghat. From Govind Ghat it is a 13-kilometer (8 mile) trek along a steep, narrow, but well defined mountain trail to base camp at Ghangaria. This will take between 4 to 8 hours, depending on your fitness.

Species

External links

• Valley of Flowers National Park, Uttarakhand, Official website
• Official UNESCO website entry
• Pictures, Food, Guide, Prices & Accommodation at the Valley of Flowers
• GMVN Trek details
• Valley of Flowers National Park
• Near Gurdwara Hemkunt Sahib
• Valley of Flowers

es:Parque Nacional del Valle de las Flores fr:Parc national de la Vallée des fleurs gu:વેલી ઓફ ફ્લાવર્સ નેશનલ પાર્ક hi:फूलों की घाटी राष्ट्रीय उद्यान it:Parco nazionale della Valle dei fiori ml:വാലി ഓഫ് ഫ്ലവേഴ്സ് ദേശീയോദ്യാനം mr:व्हॅली ऑफ फ्लॉवर्स राष्ट्रीय उद्यान nl:Nationaal park Valley of Flowers pl:Park Narodowy Valley of Flowers pt:Parque Nacional do Vale das Flores ru:Долина Цветов fi:Valley of Flowersin kansallispuisto sv:Valley of Flowers nationalpark uk:Національний парк Долина Квітів

Categories: Buildings | Buildings in India | Buildings in , India | UNESCO World Heritage Sites | UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Asia-Pacific | UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India