A Trip to Heaven - Valley of Flowers Uttarakhand

trtraj · 26th August 2010, 18:33

Hello BHPians,

I have been to the heaven recently and wanted to share the experiences with all of you.

The trip was planned and it was unfortunate that my manager didn't approve the leave and hence i coughed out 3.6k more for my flight ticket to delhi round trip.

Place : Valley of flowers, Bhyundra village, Ghangaria, Uttarakhand.
Date : August 5 ~11
Reason : Hiking and photography.
Mode : All possible mode (Flight, Train, Taxi, Mules & by walk)
Accomodation : GMVN (Ghangaria) Friend booked online.

First of all I thank my friend Subhro who been a whole idea for this trip. He did lot of homework to find the feasibility of accomodation and travel.
This place is located in Uttarakhand and the best season to visit this place is in between July and September The valley closes after 1st week of September.

Day 1

Chennai to delhi - 2 hrs 50 mts reached friends place and after chatting for a while went to railway station to catch train to Haridwar.

Day 2

The train runs for 6 hours from delhi. We reached early morning in Haridwar and hired a shared taxi paid for 10 seats. (400 per seat)
Haridwar to Govind ghat (the base place to reach Ghangaria) This road actually leads to Badrinath (22 kms from this place) and 8 kms from Bardrinath there is a place called Mana the village in India china border.
There was around 10 ~ 12 hours of travel which is just 265kms (approx) from Haridwar to Govind Ghat. The taxi may stop @ Joshimath where only one way traffic allowed for specific time. We got stopped by 3:20 PM and waited till 4:30.
The whole route is very scenic where you find lot of streams, Waterfalls and full and full of greenery.
We had stayed in the hotel Bhagat (on the main road to badrinath) paid 1200 for a room with a beautiful view of stream and mount.
Options available for 1000 rs too.
Once we reached Govind ghat we have to go to Ghangaria (13 kms distance on hill) either by foot or with the help of Mules.

Day 3

7:00 AM - A porter helped us by carrying our stuffs for Rs 450 /- till Ghangaria. I hiked just for 1.5 kms and rented a mule since i was not well after the travel in ghat. My friend is a trekker and he never had any mule in the whole trip.
Reached GMVN Ghangaria by 3:30 and thought of visiting the Valley of flowers on the same day.
The ticket counter closes by 3:00 PM and no people allowed inside the valley after 6:00 PM.
So, Eventually we came back to the GMVN to take rest after having food. Tried some dishes in Hotel Himalaya and the food was full of artificial colors. That point of time we decided not to go to that place again.

GMVN had some good food with limited varieties. (had food here and in hotel Kuber rest or the days)

Day 4

Started to valley by 6:30 AM and reached there by 2:30 after shooting little flowers on the way. Suggestions to the non pro trekkers
1. Make sure you dont carry much weight.
2. Carry atleast a liter of water.
3. Carry a walking stick if possible. (by walk or by Doli 2500rs per trip)
4. Carry medicines for headache, moisturising cream, lip gaurd & muscle relaxants (incase of injuries)
This valley is in 10000 ft of altitude and expect the altitude sickness when you are new to high altitudes.
I managed to go by walk as i didn't like to concept of man carrying man. This is my personal opinion with my ability to walk. Others please excuse.

Day 5

Again to valley by 7:30 AM
back by 6:00 PM

Day 6

Went to Hemkhund Sahib (holy place for Sikhs)
This place is simply amazing lying in 13200 ft altitude and steep roads (i hired a mule again for 650 rs two way). There is a flower called Bramha kamal which blooms only in this place of himalayas.
Returned from Hemkhund and got down to Govind ghat again on the same day evening.

Day 7
Started to haridwar and came across around 10 landslides which delayed us for more than 6 hours and hence we missed our train which booked for 6:18 PM boarding.
Reached Haridwar by 9:30 and managed to get a taxi to delhi as my flight back to chennai was on next day early morning.

Day 8
Reached delhi by 5:30 AM and rushed to flight and back in chennai.
An awesome experience is what i gained and around a kilogram of weight which i lost.

trtraj · 26th August 2010, 18:36

More pictures from valley

trtraj · 26th August 2010, 18:38

some more flowers here

trtraj · 26th August 2010, 18:41

the last amount of pics here

jigbarai · 26th August 2010, 19:06

Great pics and lovely macros !
Which camera gear ?

sudev · 26th August 2010, 19:14

Amazing pictures sir....any description of various flowers?

anilisanil · 26th August 2010, 19:53

really lovely pics and some good work at macros

Which camera??

neoranjit · 26th August 2010, 20:02

Nice pics trtraj. Have you shot any pic that shows the entire valley ?

sami316 · 26th August 2010, 20:08

Wow,
Great pics mate. Amazing macros. Waiting for more.

trtraj · 26th August 2010, 21:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by neoranjit

Nice pics trtraj. Have you shot any pic that shows the entire valley ?

Thanks for the comments. I wish i should had one! I wasn't very lucky as the weather was pretty bad to shoot Landscapes. And the entire valley is 87.5 sq km.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sami316

Wow,
Great pics mate. Amazing macros. Waiting for more.

Thanks for the comments.

Quote:

Originally Posted by anilisanil

really lovely pics and some good work at macros

Which camera??

Quote:

Originally Posted by jigbarai

Great pics and lovely macros !
Which camera gear ?

Canon 550D with 100mm Macro Non-IS

Quote:

Originally Posted by sudev

Amazing pictures sir....any description of various flowers?

Persicaria affinis(pink flower with dew in my pics) ,Aconitum hookeri(also known as bell flower -lilac color), Meconopsis aculeata(seen mainly in himalayas and pakistan alone) and some siline flowers. For rest I have to wiki it for more details.

IQBAL VEERJI · 26th August 2010, 23:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by trtraj

Thanks for the comments. I wish i should had one! I wasn't very lucky as the weather was pretty bad to shoot Landscapes. And the entire valley is 87.5 sq km.

Thanks for the comments.

Canon 550D with 100mm Macro Non-IS

Persicaria affinis(pink flower with dew in my pics) ,Aconitum hookeri(also known as bell flower -lilac color), Meconopsis aculeata(seen mainly in himalayas and pakistan alone) and some siline flowers. For rest I have to wiki it for more details.

Boss I have been going to Sri Hemkunt Sahib for the last 31 years without break every year and this year also I am going to leave on 4th Sept with our jatha(Group of sikh and non sikhs ) as usually done all these years

kraft.wagen · 27th August 2010, 00:23

amazing pics there trtraj. this place is on my list for long now

susan3004 · 27th August 2010, 01:32

Excellent details of the travell and the conditions pertaining to staying and eating. And yes, excellent photo coverage too. Request put some other photographs showing the condition of the track and the place of stay.

TSEA · 27th August 2010, 08:48

Wow! Great Flower Pictures. Loved all of them, specially the ones with water droplets. Thanks for sharing the pics and providing information on the route.

ampere · 27th August 2010, 10:38

Thats real treat for the eyes! Valley of flowers is truly heaven. I have been to Badrinath and Kedarnath. I could see the way leading to Hemkunt Sahab and Valley of flowers. Just that we did not have the time to go!

Thanks for sharing.

26th August 2010, 18:33	#1
trtraj BHPian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Bangalore \ Singara Chennai Posts: 247 Thanked: 125 Times	A Trip to Heaven - Valley of Flowers Uttarakhand Hello BHPians, I have been to the heaven recently and wanted to share the experiences with all of you. The trip was planned and it was unfortunate that my manager didn't approve the leave and hence i coughed out 3.6k more for my flight ticket to delhi round trip. Place : Valley of flowers, Bhyundra village, Ghangaria, Uttarakhand. Date : August 5 ~11 Reason : Hiking and photography. Mode : All possible mode (Flight, Train, Taxi, Mules & by walk) Accomodation : GMVN (Ghangaria) Friend booked online. First of all I thank my friend Subhro who been a whole idea for this trip. He did lot of homework to find the feasibility of accomodation and travel. This place is located in Uttarakhand and the best season to visit this place is in between July and September The valley closes after 1st week of September. Day 1 Chennai to delhi - 2 hrs 50 mts reached friends place and after chatting for a while went to railway station to catch train to Haridwar. Day 2 The train runs for 6 hours from delhi. We reached early morning in Haridwar and hired a shared taxi paid for 10 seats. (400 per seat) Haridwar to Govind ghat (the base place to reach Ghangaria) This road actually leads to Badrinath (22 kms from this place) and 8 kms from Bardrinath there is a place called Mana the village in India china border. There was around 10 ~ 12 hours of travel which is just 265kms (approx) from Haridwar to Govind Ghat. The taxi may stop @ Joshimath where only one way traffic allowed for specific time. We got stopped by 3:20 PM and waited till 4:30. The whole route is very scenic where you find lot of streams, Waterfalls and full and full of greenery. We had stayed in the hotel Bhagat (on the main road to badrinath) paid 1200 for a room with a beautiful view of stream and mount. Options available for 1000 rs too. Once we reached Govind ghat we have to go to Ghangaria (13 kms distance on hill) either by foot or with the help of Mules. Day 3 7:00 AM - A porter helped us by carrying our stuffs for Rs 450 /- till Ghangaria. I hiked just for 1.5 kms and rented a mule since i was not well after the travel in ghat. My friend is a trekker and he never had any mule in the whole trip. Reached GMVN Ghangaria by 3:30 and thought of visiting the Valley of flowers on the same day. The ticket counter closes by 3:00 PM and no people allowed inside the valley after 6:00 PM. So, Eventually we came back to the GMVN to take rest after having food. Tried some dishes in Hotel Himalaya and the food was full of artificial colors. That point of time we decided not to go to that place again. GMVN had some good food with limited varieties. (had food here and in hotel Kuber rest or the days) Day 4 Started to valley by 6:30 AM and reached there by 2:30 after shooting little flowers on the way. Suggestions to the non pro trekkers 1. Make sure you dont carry much weight. 2. Carry atleast a liter of water. 3. Carry a walking stick if possible. (by walk or by Doli 2500rs per trip) 4. Carry medicines for headache, moisturising cream, lip gaurd & muscle relaxants (incase of injuries) This valley is in 10000 ft of altitude and expect the altitude sickness when you are new to high altitudes. I managed to go by walk as i didn't like to concept of man carrying man. This is my personal opinion with my ability to walk. Others please excuse. Day 5 Again to valley by 7:30 AM back by 6:00 PM Day 6 Went to Hemkhund Sahib (holy place for Sikhs) This place is simply amazing lying in 13200 ft altitude and steep roads (i hired a mule again for 650 rs two way). There is a flower called Bramha kamal which blooms only in this place of himalayas. Returned from Hemkhund and got down to Govind ghat again on the same day evening. Day 7 Started to haridwar and came across around 10 landslides which delayed us for more than 6 hours and hence we missed our train which booked for 6:18 PM boarding. Reached Haridwar by 9:30 and managed to get a taxi to delhi as my flight back to chennai was on next day early morning. Day 8 Reached delhi by 5:30 AM and rushed to flight and back in chennai. An awesome experience is what i gained and around a kilogram of weight which i lost. Attached Thumbnails Attached Images
	() Thanks

26th August 2010, 18:36	#2
trtraj BHPian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Bangalore \ Singara Chennai Posts: 247 Thanked: 125 Times	some more pics More pictures from valley Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

26th August 2010, 18:38	#3
trtraj BHPian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Bangalore \ Singara Chennai Posts: 247 Thanked: 125 Times	Some more pics some more flowers here Attached Thumbnails Attached Images
	() Thanks

26th August 2010, 18:41	#4
trtraj BHPian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Bangalore \ Singara Chennai Posts: 247 Thanked: 125 Times	the last amount of pics the last amount of pics here Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

26th August 2010, 19:06	#5
jigbarai BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Mumbai Posts: 554 Thanked: 29 Times	Great pics and lovely macros ! Which camera gear ?
	() Thanks

26th August 2010, 19:14	#6
sudev Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 3,838 Thanked: 3,179 Times	Amazing pictures sir....any description of various flowers?
	() Thanks

26th August 2010, 19:53	#7
anilisanil Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Pune Posts: 1,420 Thanked: 291 Times	really lovely pics and some good work at macros Which camera??
	() Thanks

26th August 2010, 20:02	#8
neoranjit BHPian Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Chennai Posts: 588 Thanked: 195 Times View My Garage	Nice pics trtraj. Have you shot any pic that shows the entire valley ?
	() Thanks

26th August 2010, 20:08	#9
sami316 BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 484 Thanked: 45 Times View My Garage	Wow, Great pics mate. Amazing macros. Waiting for more.
	() Thanks

27th August 2010, 00:23	#12
kraft.wagen BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Cbe <- >Ams Posts: 978 Thanked: 329 Times View My Garage	amazing pics there trtraj. this place is on my list for long now
	() Thanks

27th August 2010, 01:32	#13
susan3004 BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Kapurthala Posts: 384 Thanked: 263 Times	Excellent details of the travell and the conditions pertaining to staying and eating. And yes, excellent photo coverage too. Request put some other photographs showing the condition of the track and the place of stay.
	() Thanks

27th August 2010, 08:48	#14
TSEA BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 420 Thanked: 852 Times	Wow! Great Flower Pictures. Loved all of them, specially the ones with water droplets. Thanks for sharing the pics and providing information on the route.
	() Thanks

27th August 2010, 10:38	#15
ampere Team-BHP Support Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 17,947 Thanked: 12,934 Times View My Garage	Thats real treat for the eyes! Valley of flowers is truly heaven. I have been to Badrinath and Kedarnath. I could see the way leading to Hemkunt Sahab and Valley of flowers. Just that we did not have the time to go! Thanks for sharing.
	() Thanks