The Valley of Flowers National Park located in the chamoli district of uttarakhand require no introduction. Every nature lover around the globe knows about this valley or must have heard about it. Trek to this valley is in the wish list of every traveler who loves hiking in the mountains. This valley is the most sought after destination in Himalayas with a easy to moderate trek difficulty level and has a well defined trail. Even kids above 8 years have completed this trek.
Every year the valley of flowers national park reopens for public on 1st of june, but due to the covid pandemic this year the valley was opened for public on 1st of july. It was on 28th of june 2021 when I received certain inputs that the park authority has finally decided to reopen the valley for public from 1st of july. The news was a delight to my ears as I had always dreamt of visiting the valley along with my 9 years old son on the first day. On the eve of 29th june we packed our backpacks and packed all stuffs that I would require while on trek.
We woke up early on 30th june and after the morning chores, ate an early breakfast. As I knew there would be no shops or eateries open enroute the trek, we packed a few stuffed 'parathas' along with some fruit juices. At 6:30 AM we bid farewell to all and begun our journey to the Valley of Flowers. On the outskirts of town (joshimath) I saw many familiar faces doing yoga in the park and some returning from a long morning walk. Never knew these people were so health conscious!
I always prefer travelling early morning in mountains as the road construction workers begin their work after 8 AM. After crossing the bridge over alaknanda river, the route goes along the river for a stretch of about 2.5 kms. This stretch is a rock fall area since decades and currently the all weather road expansion work is being done in this stretch. The workers in their barracks and the heavy machinery decently parked along the stretch of road, we very carefully crossed this stretch of road while keeping a cautious eye on the uphill slopes. While crossing the bridge over the confluence of alaknanda and dhauliganga, we raised our hands to praise the deity in the temple there.
Flower in the valley of flowers
At 7:30 AM we reached govindghat and halted at a small shop on the way to "Gurudwara'. My kid Joy bought some extra candies and chocolates as a supply reserve for this trek. Crossing the bridge adjacent to the 'Gurudwara' we began our journey to 'pulna village' which is four kms from govindghat. We crossed the 'Kutkura Dhar' enroute and by 8:15 AM we were at pulna village sipping some nicely brewed tea at the residence of an acquaintance. Parked our vehicle there, fastened the backpack and the duo (father and son) began the trek to the valley of flowers.
Joy who had accompanied me on a couple of treks, was very excited to visit the valley of flowers. I could notice his enthusiasm on the trail between pulna and 'jungle chatti'. He enjoyed the trail meandering through forest with occasional views of waterfalls. The roaring sound of the rapid moving mountain river in deep valleys, the chirping of birds in woods and the pristine ambience was what he enjoyed the most. We talked a lot about the mountains, valleys and the treks we had tread together. His talkative nature and the curiousness to learn more makes him a good companion while on trek. We sat down for a while at 'jungle chatti' and in the company of joy together we enjoyed a portion of our packed food and fruit juices. Over the chit chat after meal, Joy enjoyed his favourite "dairy milk silk" and slipped in a few candies in his pocket to savour while on the climb ahead.
The trail from Jungle chatti to 'Bhyundar' village is a gentle climb that meanders through forest occasionally crossing seasonal water streams. At 11:15 AM we entered the Bhyundar village, paid homage to Goddess Nanda at the village temple and rested for a while at the other end of village by the river, cherishing the mesmerizing views of the marvelous and majestic 'Haathi Peak'. Bhyundar is the summer settlement of the villagers from Pulna. After a while I fastened my backpack and together we crossed the small temporary bridge over the river. A new bridge with hundreds of mts span is under construction and will be ready before the advent of winter. After crossing the river the trail follows the river bank for a while and then again meanders through the woods. After about a mile the trail goes through a cliff and then again vanishes in the woods. While crossing the cliff one notices huge black hives of wild honey bees hanging high above the head. Joy talked a lot enquiring about these hives.
Entrance to Kanjilla Khark
The trail ahead is a gradual climb up to 'Kanjilla Khark' and goes through dense woods. About 200 mts before kanjilla the stone laid path with fallen bright leaves so amazed us that we waited to click some pics there. At kanjilla their is a helipad used by aviation companies that ferry people from govindghat to ghangria in just three minutes. Ghangria the base camp for valley and Hemkund Sahib trek is just 700 mts from Kanjilla Khark. As the heli services were not operational, all we saw there were herds of cattle and mules grazing. We sat there for about 20 minutes as Joy was a little bit exhausted. Joy made friends with a few shepherd dogs there and in the company of these dogs we reached Ghangria surrounded by the tallest pine trees that I have ever seen. It was 2:15 PM by now and our hot lunch was ready to be served at Hotel Himalayan Holidays. After lunch, the whole day Joy and me wandered in the vicinity and by evening reached the hotel. As there was an electricity failure, we ate the dinner served and went to sleep early.
Joy at kanjilla Khark
On 1st of July at 6:15 AM we ate the breakfast and packed our lunch for the valley. The streets of Ghangria which have lost its old grandeur and charm due to the pandemic, looked pathetic and deserted; the streets were dirty and stinking with cow dung and mule's excreta. Walking past the Gurudwara which used to be the hub of ghangria crowded with pilgrims wearing colorful turbans, I saw a few fellow travelers packing their bags for the trek to the valley. One of them enquired, "At what time the gate to the valley opens?". "At 7:00 AM" I replied. After crossing the small bridge over the Laxnam Ganga, we followed the trail that leads to the entry gate of the valley manned by the forest department staff. There is a small temple dedicated to lord Hanumaan nearby where we stopped to seek the lord's blessings.
At 7 AM sharp we reached the park gate, accompanied by 9 fellow travelers. After paying the entry fee and signing in the visitors log, we followed the trail meandering amidst the huge pine trees of the dense woods. Its a beautiful and scenic trail that leads you to the iron bridge built over the 'pushpawati river' originating from the 'tipra glacier' and bifurcates the valley. From here the trail ascends for about 1.5 kms following a zig-jag route amidst the forests of pine and birch. Talking about "Birch trees' and the use of birch bark, we finally reached the point from where we could witness the serenity of the valley and see the whole valley covered in green carpets with layers of bright colors swaying above the ground. With haste steps we rushed in to the valley of flowers.
Trail amidst the flowers
If there is a place called heaven; it ought to be this place. Had often heard the folklores describing the beauty of this paradise and talking about the fairies from heaven dancing amidst the flowers. After crossing a couple of mountain streams we finally entered the flower beds. Up to the far distance the eyes could perceive, the long and narrow trail bifurcates the wide flower bed covered with flowers of blue and white shade. Uphill at a stone's throw distance I witnessed the pristine beauty of this paradise, covered far and wide with wild flowers of white color. Following the long trail amidst the flowers and witnessing the vast carpets of yellow shades in the valley ahead, we reached at the grave of Margaret Legge a researcher who died here when she fell from a ridge while collecting flower seeds. We had planned to reach the pushpawati river bed and return to ghangria for lunch. We knew there won't be many flowers there ( the flowers here bloom after mid july) but the spectacular views this place provide makes it a place worth a visit. We had hardly tread the trail for about a few hundred mts when it started to drizzle. There's a huge rock nearby which sheltered us from the rain. Everyone took out the packed lunch from their bags and enjoyed the meal while talking about the pristine beauty of this paradise. It rained for about an hour and as soon as the rain stopped we took haste steps towards ghangria. We planned to visit the pushpawati river bed in August when this river bed is all covered with beautiful red flowers.
At quarter to four PM we reached our hotel 'The Himalayan Holidays'. Very quickly delicious hot lunch was served to us. Joy enjoyed the pasta that was cooked especially for him. We went to our room for an hour nap as our exhausted bodies need some rest. At night the hotel staff lit a campfire for us and gave a bowl full of marinated paneer tikkas which we skewed over the fire. The dinner was served by the camp fire and after enjoying the star gazing session we went to our room as we had to start early morning on our journey home.