|
Look Beyond |
Travellers Factoid |
Tours
Nestled
in the picturesque valley of Garhwal
Himalayas
in the state of Uttarakhand, this place is infectiously beautiful for alpine
flowers and incredible natural sceneries.
Nanda Devi National Park is
near by and together its called Nanda Devi and Valley Of Flowers National
Park. The park spreads over an area of 87.50 km square and also recognized
by UNESCO as a world heritage site. The park is also famous for variety of
fauna and rich with rare and endangered wild creatures. Home of some of the
beautiful animals like Asiatic black bear, snow leopard, brown bear and blue
sheep.
As the name suggest the place is beautifully adorned by varieties of
flowers, shrubs, orchids and must see place for phytologist. The place is in
the western Himalayas so embellished with Himalayan flowers including ferns,
dwarf iris, dwarf larkspur, dwarf rhododendrons, primula, blues poppies,
fritillaria, asters and uncountable inulka grandifloras. Heavenly abode of
chilling streams, shady silver birch and snowy peaks, the place is believed
to be playground of fairies and nymphs. It was unknown to people worldwide
untill English botanist Frank Smyth in 1931 made it famous detailed 262
different types of flowers in his book, Valley Of Flower.
One Of the popular way to reach valley of flower is the trekking route. The
trek route starts at Govindghat in Uttarakhand. From there its a long 14 kms
trek to Ghangria. Ghangria is the base and gateway to valley and usually
people stay here. The total trek takes about seven hours and require lots of
energy and mental toughness but the beauty surrounding the valley simply
refreshing. It is recommended to visit the the place in rainy season when
the Bhyundar Ganga has maximum surge and roaring past you.
Key Species In Valley Of Flowers
MAMMALS - Leopard, Himalayan Tahr, Musk Deer, Red Fox, Himalayan
Weasel, Yellow-throated Marten, Himalayan Black Bear, Brown Bear, Himalayan
Mouse-hare, Bharal (Blue Sheep), Indian Flying Squirrel. BIRDS RAPTORS-
Lammergeier, Himalayan Griffon, Common Kestrel, Golden Eagle, Black Eagle.
BIRDS RAPTORS- Lammergeier, Himalayan Griffon, Common Kestrel,
Golden Eagle, Black Eagle.
FLORA
- Himalayan Monal, Koklass Pheasant, Kalij Pheasant, Himalayan Snowcock,
Snow Partridge, Hill Partridge, Chukar, Red-billed Chough, Yellow-billed
Chough, Common Raven, Grandala, Snow Pigeon, Spotted Laughingthrush,
Variegated Laughingthrush, Plain-backed Thrush, Upland Pipit, Rosy Pipit,
Rock Bunting, White-capped Bunting Brown Dipper, White-throated Dipper,
Spotted Forktail, Little Forktail FLORA TREES pines, maples, firs, spruces,
rhododendrons, silver birch, common yew, asters, balsams, dandelions,
edelweisses, gentians, geraniums, irises, lilies, poppies (Blue Poppy
above), potentillas, primulas, saussurea, senecios.
Invaluable Suggestions
You need to obtain an entry permit from the Forest Checkpost at the
entrance to the park. This permit is valid for three days. You have to pay
apetty sum of money but there are additional charges for still cameras,
video cameras.
Park is open for the visitors for only during the day time.
The valley is reachable from Govindghat. There are possibly two ways to
reach there. One is Rishikesh-Srinagar-Karnprayag-Joshimath-Govindghat that
is roughly 270 kms and another one is
Haldwani-Ranikhet-Karnprayag-Joshimath-Govindghat that is 332 kms.
Best time to visit the park is during the rainy season thats mid July to
mid September.
Joshimath, at a distance of around 23 km from the Nanda Devi National Park,
is an important place in any expedition to the higher altitudes of the
Garhwal Himalayas.
Area : 87.5 Sq. Kms.
Year of establishment : 1982
Location: On the upper expansions of Bhyundar Ganga in Chamoli
District of Uttar Pradesh.
Climate : July and August
Maximum Temp.: 170 Celsius
Minimum Temp : 70 Celsius
Head Quarters : Joshimath
Nearest Railway Station : Rishikesh, Distt. Dehradun
Nearest Air Port : Jolly Grant, Distt. Dehradun (17 Kms. From
Rishikesh)
Nearest petrol pump : Jharkula, Joshimath (22 kms. Before
Govindghat)
Nearest Hospital/Market/Bank : Joshimath
Nearest Post & Telegraph Office/Phone : Govindghat
How To Reach?
By Air- Jolly Grant airport of Dehradun falls the
nearest to the Valley of Flowers.
By Train- The nearest railhead is Rishikesh at a
distance of 276 km
By Road- Valley of Flowers is well connected with
most of the major cities of India.
Related Stories
Wilderness In Himachal
Pradesh- By Vinay Tandon
