Trek to Valley of Flowers starts from Ghangharia. This small village is nestled on the confluence of River pushpawati and Hemganga. To reach Ghangharia, we need to do a 9 km trek from Joshimath.
Joshimath to Govindghat
We started from Joshimath early in the morning around 8 AM. From Joshimath, we drove upto Govindghat, it takes around 45 to 60 minutes. The drive is entirely beautiful, one passes through numerous waterfalls on the way. We had a one-night stay in Joshimath, the day we started from Rishikesh.
Starting point of trek?
Some people start the trek from Govindghat itself, but we took a taxi upto pulna and from there we started our trek to Ghangharia. The total distance is around 3 Kms.
How is the trail to Ghangharia?
The total distance of trek from Pulna to Ghangharia is around 9 km. The trail is well laid, right from the starting you will be accompanied by huge waterfalls. The starting part of the trek is a bit steep, but after an hour or so you will come into the flow. The best of trial apart from being well marked is, the views all around you will be just outstanding. And they will always motivate you to keep moving.
The first village that we came across was Bhyundar, we passed through the village temple. The river and waterfalls accompany us on the entire trail. On the entire trail, you will see Dhabas and shelters especially for yatris(travelers). We crossed many rivers, through old traditional bridges. It was a bit scary at first but equally adventurous. The natural beauty here is quite different from what I had seen on past trips. And during the monsoon, the beauty is at its peak. Mountains are covered with a sheet of green and shadowed by clouds the whole time.
Two rivers that you will pass through during the Valley of Flowers and Hemkund are the Pushpavati river and the Laksman river.
Difficulty level?
It is a moderate level trek. Although the path is well marked, good stamina is required to walk for 7 to 8 hours including some steep patches as well, at the start and end of the trek.
Total distance and duration
The total distance is approx 9 to 10 km. And it took us around 8 hours to reach our homestay in Ghangharia.
Best time to visit Ghangharia
The best time to travel here is definitely monsoon. It is true that the monsoon season has its added risks such as landslides. However, during this time only natural beauty is at its full bloom.
Stay in Ghangharia?
In Ghangharia, we stayed in a homestay. Though the homestay was simple, the view from my windows was no less than breathtaking.
Don’t listen to what they, go and see it**
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