The sylvan surroundings of Uttarakhand are the best bet for tourists who look for a respite from their hectic schedule. And, with the extreme heatwave scorching most parts of the country, it will be a welcome break when the Valley of Flowers opens on 1st June 2022.
The state of Uttarakhand has been bestowed with nature’s pristine beauty and the living proof is the Valley of Flowers, located in the higher Garhwal Himalayas, rich in floral and faunal wealth.
At a height of 3,000 meters, in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, the Valley of Flowers is accessible to the public from June to October. And remains covered in a blanket of snow for the remaining six months beginning in October.
It was an accidental discovery by an avid British mountaineer and a botanist, Frank S Smythe, when he was traversing through the region in 1931.
The valley today is home to over six hundred flowering species, including some exotic varieties like Brahmkamal, which is also the state flower of Uttarakhand. Other varieties include blue poppy, described as the Queen of Flowers, Bluebell, Primula, Potentilla, Aster, Lilium, Himalayan Blue Poppy, Delphinium, and Ranunculus. The region also has a rich faunal diversity with species like the leopard, musk deer, and blue sheep.
Declared a National Park in 1982, the Valley of Flowers stretches over an expanse of 87.50 sq. km. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. Accessible only on foot, it is a paradise for trekkers. The valley has seventeen kilometers long trek thatbegins at Ghangaria, situated at an altitude of 10,000 feet, which can be reached via a trek from Govindghat, a small township near Joshimath.
