“Valley of
Flowers” is the name of the Himalayan area in Uttarakhand
state in India. In 1931 the English mountaineer Frank Smythe
stumbled across the Bhyundar Valley, an 8 km long glacier
corridor in Chamoli -one of the district of Uttarakhand
state .This area, surrounded by snow-capped mountains and
carpeted with over 500 species of flowers , soon became
a protected site.
Nature had designed this valley (3,658 m. to 3962 m)
for the dedicated outdoors person .It is a 13 km trek
from Govindghat to Ghangharia. where there is a tourist
bungalow. No one is allowed to camp in the Valley of Flowers.
From Ghanghria its another 4 km trek to the valley. Nealy
10 km long and almost 2 kms wide, the valley is ringed
with snow-capped mountains and watered by streams rising
in the mountains. its accessible from late April, but
grandest from late July to the end of August. 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 have been identified.Only day visits
are permitted.Night halt accommodation is available at
Ghanghria.
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.
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 Government of India
has now declared the valley a National Park. It is a unique
park, perhaps the best in the whole world. May and June
is the time to see rhododendrons. Ju ne and July is the
time for lilies and orchids. July and August is for primulas,
also called primrose. It is a common name for a medium-size
family of flowering plants most abundant in the North
Temperate Zone.
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