Valley of Flowers National Park — from Govindghat and Ghangaria
What it is
The Valley of Flowers is a national park set up in 1982 in Chamoli district, a high valley some 8 km long by 2 km across, covering 87.50 km², between about 3,352 and 3,658 m. It is known for its meadows of alpine flowers and for rare animals, among them snow leopard, musk deer, blue sheep and the Asiatic black bear, with the Himalayan monal among its birds. With Nanda Devi National Park to the east it forms the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve. Three British mountaineers, Frank Smythe, Eric Shipton and R. L. Holdsworth, came on it in 1931 on their way back from Kamet and gave it its name.
Photos: Rohit Sharma (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Rohit Sharma (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Rohit Sharma (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Getting there
From Joshimath, drive about 34 minutes to Govindghat, where the road ends for this valley. Wikipedia describes a shared taxi for the first 4 km, then a walk of about 9 to 11 km (the two articles differ) to Ghangaria. That small settlement, at about 3,049 m, is the base, and the valley is about 3 km beyond it. Porters, mules and a helicopter to Ghangaria are also mentioned. We have no published walking times we can cite for any of this, and our own trail routing does not resolve the path, so we print none: ask at Govindghat and plan at least one night at Ghangaria.
The permit and the rules
Visitors must get a three-day permit from the Forest Department office in Ghangaria, by Wikipedia's account. Only day visits and walking are allowed inside; no one may stay overnight in the park, so accommodation is at Ghangaria. We have no verified fee. Grazing has been banned since 1983, and there is no settlement inside the park.
When to go
Only from June to October; for the other months heavy snow covers it. Heavy monsoon rain falls from late June to early September, and the mist and cloud of those weeks are what keep the flowers so thick.
Around it
The same path from Govindghat leads to Hemkund Sahib, about 6 km above Ghangaria. In Joshimath itself, see the Narsingh Temple and Auli, and read how to reach Joshimath.
Plans that include this
All Joshimath itineraries →
Nearby places
All of Joshimath →
Nearby destinations
All destinations →
Questions people ask
How do you reach the Valley of Flowers?
Drive to Govindghat, about 34 minutes from Joshimath on our routing. Wikipedia describes a shared taxi for about 4 km and then a walk of about 9 to 11 km to Ghangaria, the base, and about 3 km more to the valley. We have no published walking times to cite, so ask at Govindghat.
Do you need a permit for the Valley of Flowers?
Yes. Wikipedia says visitors must get a three-day permit from the Forest Department office in Ghangaria. Only day visits and walking are allowed; no one may stay overnight inside the park, so you sleep at Ghangaria. We have no verified fee, so check when you get the permit.
When is the Valley of Flowers open?
Only in summer, from June to October; for the other months it lies under heavy snow. Wikipedia notes heavy monsoon rain from late June to early September, with mist and low cloud that keep the meadows green. Ghangaria too is open only from June to October.