Traveling Tips for Valley of Flowers
Here is some useful information which you will need to plan your trip to Valley of Flowers.
Traveling around in Uttaranchal
*******************************************************************
Traveling around in Uttaranchal
*******************************************************************
The first 24 hrs of your trip are going to be spent in just traveling, and at the end you will have just reached either Joshimath or Govindghat. Now, there are two ways to reach Joshimath.
Route 1: New Delhi - Haridwar - Joshimath
New Delhi to Haridwar is a 5 hrs bus journey and around 4/4.5 hrs train journey. Plan to reach Haridwar early in the morning around 0400/0500 hrs. From here, you can decide to travel either in a shared taxi or by bus. You can get a shared taxi from as early as 0400 hrs until anytime of the day, and it will move as soon as there are at least 9 paid-for passengers in it, and it takes only 8-9 hrs to reach Joshimath. The flip side is that if there are less than 9 paid-for passengers it will not move even if that meant not moving at all the entire day, and secondly, there are direct taxis only until Karnaprayag or Chamoli. From there you will have to look for another shared taxi.
If you decide to travel by bus, get to the bus station. It is only 2 kms from the Haridwar railway station, and any rickshaw waala would take you there for just Rs 10. The first bus for Joshimath leaves at 0330 hrs, the second one at 0600 hrs and there is no bus after 0900 hrs. It’s a 10-11 hrs journey and the ticket would cost you Rs 220.
The important towns and distances en route Joshimath are given as below:
Haridwar – Rishikesh: 24 kms
Rishikesh – Devprayag – Srinagar: 103 kms
Srinagar – Rudraprayag – Karnaprayag: 69 kms
Karnaprayag – Nandaprayag – Chamoli – Pipalkoti: 59 kms
Pipalkoti – Joshimath: 34 kms
Route 2: New Delhi - Ramnagar - Joshimath
The best way to reach Ramnagar is by train.
Ranikhet Express: Delhi (Dep @ 2240 hrs) – Ramnagar (Arr @ 0500 hrs)
From Ramnagar, travel in a bus to Karnaprayag, and from there board another bus to Joshimath.
The important towns and distances en route Joshimath are given as below:
Ramnagar – Ranikhet: 105 kms
Ranikhet – Dwarahat – Chaukhutia – Karnaprayag: 111 kms
Karnaprayag – Nandaprayag – Chamoli – Pipalkoti: 59 kms
Pipalkoti – Joshimath: 34 kms
When to visit?
*******************************************************************
Route 1: New Delhi - Haridwar - Joshimath
New Delhi to Haridwar is a 5 hrs bus journey and around 4/4.5 hrs train journey. Plan to reach Haridwar early in the morning around 0400/0500 hrs. From here, you can decide to travel either in a shared taxi or by bus. You can get a shared taxi from as early as 0400 hrs until anytime of the day, and it will move as soon as there are at least 9 paid-for passengers in it, and it takes only 8-9 hrs to reach Joshimath. The flip side is that if there are less than 9 paid-for passengers it will not move even if that meant not moving at all the entire day, and secondly, there are direct taxis only until Karnaprayag or Chamoli. From there you will have to look for another shared taxi.
If you decide to travel by bus, get to the bus station. It is only 2 kms from the Haridwar railway station, and any rickshaw waala would take you there for just Rs 10. The first bus for Joshimath leaves at 0330 hrs, the second one at 0600 hrs and there is no bus after 0900 hrs. It’s a 10-11 hrs journey and the ticket would cost you Rs 220.
The important towns and distances en route Joshimath are given as below:
Haridwar – Rishikesh: 24 kms
Rishikesh – Devprayag – Srinagar: 103 kms
Srinagar – Rudraprayag – Karnaprayag: 69 kms
Karnaprayag – Nandaprayag – Chamoli – Pipalkoti: 59 kms
Pipalkoti – Joshimath: 34 kms
Route 2: New Delhi - Ramnagar - Joshimath
The best way to reach Ramnagar is by train.
Ranikhet Express: Delhi (Dep @ 2240 hrs) – Ramnagar (Arr @ 0500 hrs)
From Ramnagar, travel in a bus to Karnaprayag, and from there board another bus to Joshimath.
The important towns and distances en route Joshimath are given as below:
Ramnagar – Ranikhet: 105 kms
Ranikhet – Dwarahat – Chaukhutia – Karnaprayag: 111 kms
Karnaprayag – Nandaprayag – Chamoli – Pipalkoti: 59 kms
Pipalkoti – Joshimath: 34 kms
When to visit?
*******************************************************************
Both Valley of Flowers and Hemkunt Sahib are open to tourists for just 4 months in a year from 5th June to 5th October. Due to monsoons in July/August, the valley is in full bloom from mid-August to mid-September and this is also the best time to visit Valley of Flowers.
However, the optimum window to go there is 2nd week of September. Land slides are a common phenomenon during monsoons and sometimes also block sections of highway, which is very irritating especially if you are hard pressed for time. Moreover, since Hemkunt Sahib is a pilgrimage spot for sardars, the first three months witness a very high volume of tourists. So, if you want to avoid land slides and also the rush of pilgrims, plan your trip sometime around 2nd or 3rd week of September.
As September is also the lean season, you will be able to negotiate cheaper deals for hotel accommodation.
*******************************************************************
You will spend considerable time in Ghangharia (10,000 ft) which is a very small town and also the base camp for both Valley of Flowers and Hemkunt Sahib. The only place worth eating at is Himalaya Restaurant.
However, the optimum window to go there is 2nd week of September. Land slides are a common phenomenon during monsoons and sometimes also block sections of highway, which is very irritating especially if you are hard pressed for time. Moreover, since Hemkunt Sahib is a pilgrimage spot for sardars, the first three months witness a very high volume of tourists. So, if you want to avoid land slides and also the rush of pilgrims, plan your trip sometime around 2nd or 3rd week of September.
As September is also the lean season, you will be able to negotiate cheaper deals for hotel accommodation.
*******************************************************************
You will spend considerable time in Ghangharia (10,000 ft) which is a very small town and also the base camp for both Valley of Flowers and Hemkunt Sahib. The only place worth eating at is Himalaya Restaurant.
Suggested Itinerary
*******************************************************************
The following is the suggested itinerary:
Day 1: Reach Haridwar early morning. Get on to a bus or a shared taxi for Joshimath. Reach Joshimath in the evening. Stay overnight at Joshimath.
Day 2: Take the first bus out of Joshimath for Govindghat at 0630 hrs. It will take an hour to reach Govindghat. Start the 13 km trek to Ghangharia. Reach Ghangharia sometime in the afternoon and spend the rest of the day relaxing.
Day 3: Start the 6 km trek to Hemkunt Sahib early morning around 0530/0600 hrs. Come back to Ghangharia sometime in the afternoon and again spend the rest of the day relaxing.
Day 4: Visit Valley of Flowers. Again start early around 0600 hrs and come back to Ghangharia sometime in the afternoon/late afternoon. Pack your bags, settle your hotel bill and start the return 13 km trek to Govindghat. Stay overnight at Govindghat.
Day 5: Get on to a bus or a shared taxi for Haridwar at around 0700/0730 hrs. Reach Haridwar in the evening. Board a bus or a train for New Delhi. Reach New Delhi early morning around 0300/0400 hrs.
If you have a day more at your disposal, you can squeeze in a visit to Badrinath also as it is only an hour’s ride away from Govindghat.
I went to Valley of Flowers and Hemkunt Sahib in the second week of August 2007. You can read the travelogue here and take a look at the pics here.
The following is the suggested itinerary:
Day 1: Reach Haridwar early morning. Get on to a bus or a shared taxi for Joshimath. Reach Joshimath in the evening. Stay overnight at Joshimath.
Day 2: Take the first bus out of Joshimath for Govindghat at 0630 hrs. It will take an hour to reach Govindghat. Start the 13 km trek to Ghangharia. Reach Ghangharia sometime in the afternoon and spend the rest of the day relaxing.
Day 3: Start the 6 km trek to Hemkunt Sahib early morning around 0530/0600 hrs. Come back to Ghangharia sometime in the afternoon and again spend the rest of the day relaxing.
Day 4: Visit Valley of Flowers. Again start early around 0600 hrs and come back to Ghangharia sometime in the afternoon/late afternoon. Pack your bags, settle your hotel bill and start the return 13 km trek to Govindghat. Stay overnight at Govindghat.
Day 5: Get on to a bus or a shared taxi for Haridwar at around 0700/0730 hrs. Reach Haridwar in the evening. Board a bus or a train for New Delhi. Reach New Delhi early morning around 0300/0400 hrs.
If you have a day more at your disposal, you can squeeze in a visit to Badrinath also as it is only an hour’s ride away from Govindghat.
I went to Valley of Flowers and Hemkunt Sahib in the second week of August 2007. You can read the travelogue here and take a look at the pics here.
Note: This post has been written for a budget traveler. All the necessary care has been taken in reporting the figures used in this post but still any deviation from them is possible and readers are advised to check those before planning their trip.
Au Revoir
posted by Ankur Shanker @ 2:53 PM
10 Comments:
thanks dude...that was very helpful
Online Bus Ticket Booking. Haridwar,also spelled hardwar, is an important pilgrimage city and municipality in the haridwar district of uttarakhand, india. Haridwar is regarded as one of the seven holiest places to hindus. Amidst the kumbha mela, millions of pilgrims, devotees, and tourists congregate in haridwar to perform ritualistic bathing on the banks of the river ganga to wash away their sins to attain moksha.
the bus route from ramnagar to karanprayag is best experienced if you catch the bus which start's at 2:00 a.m. the route goes through the boundary of corbett national park and has some of the finest views.
This comment has been removed by the author.
This comment has been removed by the author.
Thank you for the excellent info, It was exactly what I was looking for, and really helpful.
Travel Blog
Its very useful. Thanks for sharing. Ramnagar is also popular for having so many resorts for the tourists to accommodate. More than 100 resorts are located there. Check out all best hotels in Ramnagar also.
Thanks for giving that type service. That service is so helpful to us.
Delhi to Mcleodganj Taxi | Taxi From Delhi to Mcleodganj
If you want a cab this is a must visit blog for you!!
Delhi to Haridwar Taxi
Such a wonderfull post and images are very impressive. Thank you so much for sharing this informative post. Keep it continue and make some post related to Delhi To Haridwar taxi best cab service provide fast car booking.
Post a Comment
<< Home