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Valley of Flowers

A Legendary Trail the World Wants to Trek in

This trek's season has ended for 2024. Instead, choose our most beautiful trek in Kumaon: the Ranthan Kharak TrekView Ranthan Kharak trek info

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TREK DIFFICULTY

Moderate

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TREK DURATION

6 days

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HIGHEST ALTITUDE

14,107 ft

A Legendary Trail the World Wants to Trek in

The Valley of Flowers trek is one of India’s most popular treks in the Himalayas. People who haven’t even stepped into the Himalayas, have heard about the Valley of Flowers trek. But there is a solid reason behind Valley Of Flower’s legendary popularity – it is one of India’s oldest known treks. 

In 1980, the Indian government created the Valley of Flowers National Park, and later in 2002, it was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This pushed Valley of Flowers on the bucket list of trekkers from around the world.

It is important to time your visit well. Valley of Flowers has something different to offer each month. Read this article to find out the best time to trek here.

Having said that, you must note that the Valley Of Flowers trek is not easy. It is a moderate level trek, with slightly longer trekking days and a steep ascent to Hemkund Sahib that will challenge your endurance. So, prepare well for this trek. We have talked in detail about this in the ‘difficulty’ section of this trek guide.

Valley Of Flowers - Complete Trek Information

We have always wanted trekkers to be well-informed before they go on a Himalayan trek. Knowledge is the difference between a safe trek and a dangerous one. It’s also the difference between a wholesome experience and a superficial experience.

Use this section to learn about the Valley of Flowers trek. It has in-depth information about each day of the trek, what to expect, and how you need to prepare for it. Many years of expertise have gone into this content. Trekkers find that extremely useful.

Valley of Flower Videos
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Flowers at a Glance

The Valley of Flowers trek is well-known in the world for its flowers. Sandhya UC, Co-founder and CTO, Indiahikes also loves the trek for its flowers. She says, "A narrow path in between the flowers beckons you to go deeper. You now start seeing a variety of flowers. Not only in colours but in shapes, sizes, textures and smells. A few tens of steps bring you to a new variety of flowers. You wonder who got them here. What made the variety change? It was also interesting to see the big fauna change along with the changing flora.

I stood by the flowers, sat down beside them, and lay down on the small exposed trail trying to immerse myself and feel a part of the multitude of flowers in the valley. The cool mountain breeze coming from the glacial end of the valley brought with it scents that I had never known before."

This video takes you through some of the flowers from the valley.

Flowers at a Glance

The Valley of Flowers trek is well-known in the world for its flowers. Sandhya UC, Co-founder and CTO, Indiahikes also loves the trek for its flowers. She says, "A narrow path in between the flowers beckons you to go deeper. You now start seeing a variety of flowers. Not only in colours but in shapes, sizes, textures and smells. A few tens of steps bring you to a new variety of flowers. You wonder who got them here. What made the variety change? It was also interesting to see the big fauna change along with the changing flora.

I stood by the flowers, sat down beside them, and lay down on the small exposed trail trying to immerse myself and feel a part of the multitude of flowers in the valley. The cool mountain breeze coming from the glacial end of the valley brought with it scents that I had never known before."

This video takes you through some of the flowers from the valley.

Expert Speak

Sandhya UC, Co-Founder, COO

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Sandhya UC, Co-Founder, COO

Valley Of Flowers was my first Himalayan trek. Not did I love the trek but I also fell in love with trekking in the Himalayas because of it. After Valley Of Flowers, I went on to do a lot more Himalayan treks, but the Valley of Flowers stays very close to my heart! A lot of people tend to discredit the trek thinking there is not much to it. That would be a mistake. A lot is going on the trek.

What I Like and Don’t Like About Valley of Flowers Trek

What I Like About Valley of Flowers Trek

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Sandhya UC, Co-Founder, COO

Valley Of Flowers was my first Himalayan trek. Not did I love the trek but I also fell in love with trekking in the Himalayas because of it. After Valley Of Flowers, I went on to do a lot more Himalayan treks, but the Valley of Flowers stays very close to my heart! A lot of people tend to discredit the trek thinking there is not much to it. That would be a mistake. A lot is going on the trek.

1. The Valley of Flowers

The biggest reason for me to love and remember the trek is the beautiful valley itself. When you stand at the entry of the valley you see ahead of you a colourful carpet laid out.  The valley is at least a couple of kilometres wide and more than 10 kilometres long. In front of me was the carpet with waves of pinks, blues and yellow flowing along with the breadth and width.

A narrow path in between the flowers beckons you to go deeper. You now start seeing a variety of flowers. Not only in colours but in shapes, sizes, textures and smells. A few tens of steps bring you to a new variety of flowers. You wonder who got them here. What made the variety change? It was also interesting to see the big fauna change along with the changing flora.

I stood by the flowers, sat down beside them, and lay down on the small exposed trail trying to immerse myself and feel a part of the multitude of flowers in the valley. The cool mountain breeze coming from the glacial end of the valley brought with it scents that I had never known before.

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Picture by Kavya PS

2. The climb and Hemkund Sahib

Valley Of Flowers is a moderate trek but the climb to Hemkund challenges you to the next level. In 6 km you gain almost 4,000 ft. This not only introduces a new challenge but also takes you to a scenic zone that you did not expect.

I loved the entry into the alpine zone while climbing up to Hemkund. You almost get a drone or helicopter view of Ghangaria and the Valley of flowers while on the way up. You can see where you came from and where you went the previous day. A bird’s-eye view puts so much perspective even on landscape scenery.

As you climb up steeply you go through varied experiences. Leaving the tree line, entering alpine meadows, feeling the thin air and looking up to the pure alpine cliffs.

Once at Hemkund Sahib, the quietness of the lake and the surrounding mountains stun you. The majestic lake reflecting its surroundings – the mountains and the Gurudwara makes you reflect in gratitude about your entire journey. For many, it is a moment of quiet reflection on their entire lives.

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Picture by Krishna singh

3. The cultural experience

Valley Of Flowers is not just a trek. Along with a trek to the beautiful valley, it shows you an incredible journey of faith undertaken by humans. You see youngsters, middle-aged, elderly, children, and toddlers on this incredible climb to the lake at 14,000 ft. Many take the support of ponies or even porters but quite a few of them climb on their might.

It was heartwarming to see volunteers sweeping every section of the trail to keep it clean and working at Hemkund Sahib Gurdwara in freezing temperatures. It was a wonderful feeling to wake up in Ghangaria at dawn to the parade calls of the Sikh Gurudwara. The trek shows you a world you would hardly see otherwise.

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Picture by Huzefa Studiowala

What I Don't Like About Valley of FLowers Trek

1. The fact that I cannot camp

Camping is an intrinsic part of a great trekking experience for me. Unfortunately, the Vally Of Flowers trek does not offer that experience. Ghangaria being on the pilgrim trail to Hemkund needs to house hundreds of people and thereby modern infrastructure of lodging is indispensable.  Camping is not allowed by the authorities.

The Valley of Flowers is a very ecologically sensitive area. Nobody is allowed to stay in the valley at night. No animals are allowed to enter the valley either. Given these restrictions, it is not practical to camp anywhere on the trek.

2. The innumerable shops selling packaged goods

All along the trail to Hemkund Sahib we see innumerable dhabas and shops selling food and packaged goods. While we may say that the huge footfall necessitates the supply, I wish the shops were more regulated. I also wish there was better regulation on what could be sold in an eco-sensitive zone like this.

Packaged goods freely available everywhere only means prolific litter everywhere. Perhaps time to question how we solve our needs for food and drink on a high traffic trail like this. Would you have any suggestions?

FAQs