Valley of Flowers National Park, Uttrakhand, India
Valley of Flowers is a vibrant and splendid national park reposing in West Himalayas. Nestled in Uttarakhand, this alluring place is famous for its charming meadows of alpine flowers. Endowed with a diverse range of endemic flora, it is picturesque in its beauty. This lush region is also home to some rare and endangered animal species. You may spot animals like Asiatic black deer, snow leopard, musk deer, red fox, brown bear and blue sheep. High in the lofty Himalayas of the Garhwal region sprawls this enchanting valley. Legends believe it to be the place from where Hanuman had collected the Sanjeevani buti for curing Lakshmana. This place has floral pastures, running streams and beautiful backdrop of the mountains.
Contents
- Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve
- Location
- Declaration of National Park
- Base camp Ghangaria
- Opening and Closing dates 2021
- Opening and closing timings of Valley of flowers
- Best time to visit Valley of flowers
- Entry Fee for valley of flowers
How valley looks in following months
VALLEY OF FLOWERS IS LOCATED 300 KMS NORTH OF RISHIKESH, NEAR BADRINATH
Deeper parts of the valley, Epilobium Latifolium.
Important facts about Valley of flowers national park.
- Location : Near Badrinath, in Garhwal Region of Uttarakhand.
- National Park : It was declared as National park in 1982.
- World Heritage Site : Declared as World Heritage Site on July 14, 2005 by UNESCO.
- Best time to visit : July and August
- Hotels : Blue Poppy Swiss Cottage camps and Blue Poppy Resorts in Auli.
- Entry Fee: Rs. 150 for Indians and Rs. 650 For non-Indians
- Entry Timings : 7 am to 5 pm
- Opening Date : 1st June
- Closing Date : 4th October
- Time needed for Valley of flowers trek :7 days Ex Haridwar.
Valley of flowers did not open in 2020.
Due to Corona Virus pandemic the Valley of flowers did not open for public in 2020. The whole region was closed. However Hemkund Shahib was open for few days at the end of season. So in 2021 you the valley of flowers will see the human beings after two years !
Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve
Location: Near Badrinath, in Garhwal Region of Uttarakhand.
It’s a core zone of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve. A colossal expanse of 87.5 sq kms and myriad alpine flowers makes this place a colorful paradise. Perched at an altitude of 3658 m above sea level, Bhyundar Valley is the home to this surreal place. Historically, the beauty of the place was unknown to world until in 1931, three British mountaineers came here. They lost their way and happened to discover this alluring valley and named it Valley of Flowers. Later in the year 1939, Joan Margaret Legge, a botanist arrived here to study flowers. She was deputed by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Krew but she lost her life by slipping from the rocky terrain. Her sister later came here and erected a memorial near the spot.
Location of Valley of Flowers national park
Valley of flowers national park is located in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand India. This is remotely located and it takes minimum 3 days to reach Valley of flowers from Haridwar. The last motor-able point is Govindghat. Check our trek itinerary page for more day wise information. It is around 500 km from New Delhi and 300 km from Haridwar. Our page on how to reach valley of flowers, we have given distances between important points and time required between them, different modes of transportation available to reach Valley of Flowers.
It is located 300 Kms North of Rishikesh, near Badrinath. You need to Travel by Road till Govindghat and from there the trek to Valley of Flowers starts. Govindghat is 20 Kms before Badrinath. Till Govidghat there is a motor-able Road. Rishiksh is 6 Hours Drive from New Delhi, India.
Valley of flowers tour
Declaration of National Park
Emerald mountain ranges, green meadows and white clouds fuse to create a dreamlike locale called Valley of Flowers. Cascading waterfalls are abundant while you’re traversing towards the valley. Declared as the National Park in 1982, the vibrant valley is a world heritage site as well. The pristine beauty, mystical surroundings lures nature lovers, photographers and botanists.
Valley of flowers remains covered with a thick blanket of snow during the winter season. It is in full bloom during July, August and September. This is the best time to explore the splendor of this magnificent place. The aqua waters of Pushpawati River bifurcates the valley into two parts. Dew drops of flowers, the rhythmic sound of flowing water and the romantic breeze can be enjoyed by the visitors during the period of July to September. As per the local beliefs, this valley was inhabited by fairies. No wonder, it’s a fairy land.
Base camp Ghangaria
Ghangaria is the base camp for the trek to the valley. It has private lodges and hotels for accommodation. One cannot stay at Valley of flowers, therefore Ghangaria remains an ideal place to relax and sleep. It is managed and administered by the Uttarakhand State Forestry Department and Ministry of Environment and Forests. Settlement in this park is not allowed and grazing is also banned since 1983.
A beautiful world awaits here at the endearing spot. We offer attractive trekking packages and arrangements for all budgets. You could book online and avail great prices. It’s a wonderland of natural beauty that shouldn’t be missed.
Opening and Closing dates of Valley of Flowers in 2021.
Valley of flowers will open on 1st June 2021 and will close on 4th October, 2021. It remained closed for public in 2013 after the floods in June 2013 till 4th October, 2014 as the trek between Ghangaria and the valley was damaged. It was reconstructed by September, 2014 and valley was opened for public for 6 days from 4th October to 9th October, 2014. You can visit out best time to visit valley of flowers page to know what will be best time among these four months of accessibility of the valley.
Valley of flowers timings (Opening and closing timings of the valley)
Valley of flowers opens at 7.00 am every day and last entry is allowed till 2.00 pm. You need to get out of the valley by 5 pm and be at the entry gate at 6.45 so as to take your entry ticket sooner and enter by 7.00 am. Your return trek should start by 1.30 pm so as to reach back by 5.00 pm.
Best time to visit Valley of Flowers national park
The best time to visit depends upon what you like to see and how rough and tough you are. You will find maximum number of flowers in July and August. Please read out full page on Best time to visit Valley of Flowers for detailed information.
Valley of Flowers in June
Big Glacier in Valley of flowers in June.
Huge Glaciers are found in June. At this time snow starts melting and the seeds of the last year’s plants starts germinating and by July all the flowers will be at full bloom. Please see the following link for gallery of flowers found in June
June Flowers GalleryValley of Flowers in July
At this time the Valley is lush green and all the flowers are in full bloom and as you can the pink shade in this picture is a huge colony of Epilobium.
Valley of flowers in July month.
Valley of flowers in August
The valley is in full bloom till August end. You will see lot of flowers and beautiful landscapes.
Valley of flowers in August
Valley of Flowers in September
Valley of flowers in September, This is the picture taken in Last week of September in 2015. Flowers are all gone but the view is clear with different shade of the valley.
This is the last phase when Valley of Flowers is accessible to general public. After this snowfall will start in the month of the October, and it will be snow capped again and all the plants will shed seeds and seeds will be preserved under snow to germinate again in next season when snow starts melting in May.
Valley of flowers in October.
Snowfall starts in the month of October and the Valley is closed for general public. Valley of flowers closes on 4th October
Valley of flowers in October
Valley of flowers entry fee.
Like entry fee for most of other tourist places in India the entry fee is separate for Indian nationals and foreigners. Entry fee for Valley of Flowers is Rs. 150 for Indian Nationals and Rs. 600 (US$ 10 Approx) for foreigners. This entry ticket is valid for 3 days for any extra day Indians need to pay Rs. 50 whereas foreigners need to pay Rs. 250. To take a professional video camera inside the valley Indians need to pay Rs. 500 and for foreigners it is Rs. 1500 for a day.
Entry fee for valley of flowers.
Entry fee chart
| Sr. No. | Description | Entry Fee |
| 1 | Entrance Fee (in Rs.) Per Head for first Three Days |
Rs. 150 for Indian nationals and Rs. 600 for foreigners |
| Extra day | Rs. 50 for Indian nationals and Rs. 250 for foreigners | |
| 2 | Camera Fee |
|
| Still Camera (Non-Professional) | Free | |
| Still Camera (Professional) | Free | |
| Movie-Video (Non-Professional) | Free | |
| Movie-Video (Professional) | Rs. 500 for Indian nationals and Rs. 1500 for foreigners | |
| 3 | Filming Charges | |
| Feature Film Per Day | Rs. 100000 for Indian nationals and Rs. 200000 for foreigners | |
| Documentary Film Per Day | Rs. 10000 for Indian nationals and Rs. 30000 for foreigners | |
| 4 | Security for above | |
| Feature Film Per Day | Rs. 100000 for Indian nationals and Rs. 200000 for foreigners | |
| Documentary Film Per Day | Rs. 50000 for Indian nationals and Rs. 100000 for foreigners |
Valley of flowers Pictures
Following are some of the pictures taken in Various seasons. For more photos please visit our Photo Gallery page. There are many pictures of the valley given there, including pictures of flowers, landscapes and earlier groups taken by us to the valley.
Geranium
Geranium
Anemone tetrasepla
Beautiful streams inside Valley of flowers
Primula Denticulata
Beautiful river from Govindghat to Ghangaria trek
Pushpawati river in the valley of flowers
Vajradanti
Ladies slipper orchid
Author
We Organize Tours to Valley of flowers
Devkant and Seema Sangwan
Email : trekforall@gmail.com
Frequently asked questions About the Valley
 Can senior citizens visit valley of flowers?Senior citizens also want to come to this heaven on earth but they are confused about whether they can do it or not. We have been taking senior citizens to the valley of flowers. There are options of helicopter and ponies to skip trekking. |
 What type of shoes is appropriate for valley of flowers ?When you go for trek you should wear appropriate type of shoes so that your main concentration is on trekking and enjoying nature. We have seen that shoes of many people breaks while trekking and sometimes people develop blisters. |
 Minimum age to visit valley of flowersWhether kids can do the trek to Valley of Flowers or not? What is the minimum age requirement to visit the valley of flowers? Please read this full page to get the answer to this question. Couples with young children willing to visit valley of flowers can go through this page. |
 Number of Days required in seeing Valley of FlowersMinimum number of days recommended going for trek to Valley of Flowers. Why we need an extra day for the trip. Read full report with pictures of the valley. |
 How difficult is Valley of flowers trek.Trek difficulty of the Valley of Flowers trek. Vital statistics are given here. How much altitude is to be gained every day while trekking? How much distance is to be covered every day? What is Fitness level required for the trek? |