Travel » Valley Of Flowers

"Full many a flower is born to blush unseen And waste its sweetness on the desert air." These few hundred kilometers of barren rock and snow, scoured by wind-whipped sands of high altitude desert and ravaged by bitter, searing winds off the Karakoram and Hindukush ranges and the Tibetan plateau, are perhaps the most inhospitable region of India. But one has only to see the raw, savage beauty of the lofty mountains, the untamed aura of the desolately unending desert scapes of upper Ladakh, or the snow-sculpted wilderness of North Arunachal home to numerous species of endangered flora and fauna to realise that this region is truly unique.

And before the uninitiated amongst you confuse the issue, permit me to assure you that the real Himalayas begin only at 9,000 ft; below that is merely kitsch, thanks to the rapacious and mercenary drive of man which has resulted in putrefied blotches on the underside of our grand Himalayas. (The tourist industry touts them as hill stations: and we accept them as such!)

Having spent several years in the high Himalayas from Ladakh to Arunachal I've always marveled at nature's ability to produce strikingly beautiful and exotic blooms amidst barren rock and sand or amidst frozen rock and sand often devoid of water at vertigo inducing heights in excess of 18,000 ft.

Anybody who has seen primulas bloom at Khardung-La in Ladakh at 18,000 ft in August, or experienced the riot of colors that are rhododendrons in Yumthang Valley in North Sikkim at 12,000 ft in April, or the carpets of bistortia on Se-La in Arunachal at 14,000 ft, is likely to suffer from severe bouts of depression and nostalgia when he or she next visits a florist.

One of the most popular places to gaze at petalled beauties is the Valley of Flowers.

The Valley of Flowers (VOF) is located in the Zanskar ranges of Chamoli district of Garhwal, UP. It rims roughly north-south and is the source of the headwaters of the Bhavander, a mountain torrent. The Bhavander in turn runs approximately 20 km before joining the Alaknanda river at Govindghat, the mad head. Here we begin an 11 km trek along the northern bank of Bhavander on a mule track to Ghaggariya en route to the VOF. A reasonably pleasant walk, but for two factors. For one, the innumerable roadside shacks offering refreshments at exorbitant prices pollute the environs; and two, the amount of dung left behind by the couple of hundred ponies that ply this route daily, would make a bio-gas plant a viable business proposition in this now not so remote area! One can only hope that the local civil authorities and the state tourism department take notice of the dismal state of affairs along the approach axis to the Valley of Flowers, and make a sincere attempt to address these problems.

The walk is through open deciduous forests interspersed with terraced fields on either side with old-fashioned villages along the river bank. The gradient is tolerable by Himalayan standards: those wanting to reach their destination with their shoes clean can always opt for the ponies at the cost of encouraging more muck for the purists to wade through! The vegetation tends to turn temperate during the last 3 km to Ghaggariya, which happens to be the only suitable place for a night halt. Basic amenities are available here. The alternative is to be self-contained and under a tent.

The essence of Ghaggariya is a cluster of hostelries which provide boarding and lodging for people visiting the VOF, or those on a pilgrimage to the holy Sikh shrine, Hemkund Sahib. The setting of this "transit camp" amidst a copse of deodars is picturesque when viewed from nearby heights. In reality, overcrowding compounded by poor sanitation, the excreta of animals and the large scale, thoughtless and unsupervised deforestation results in an unpleasant experience.

Hereafter, the trek to the VOF continued the next day is positively refreshing on three counts: One, no crowds. Two, traces of pollution and degradation decrease dramatically. Three, the gradient makes for a happy traipse amidst alpine meadows of the VOF. From Ghaggariya the track bifurcates: one branches off to the right to climb steeply to Hemkund Sahib which is where more than 90 percent of the people are headed. The other meanders in a leisurely manner up and along the raging Bhayander into the VOF.

The VOF commences at an approximate height of 11,000 ft and climbs up to 14,000 ft. The altitudinal range makes for a reasonable variety of flora during the season which begins in March with primula and rhododendrons, and extends into late September. Steep mountain sides restrict the width of the valley to a few hundred meters, neatly bisected by the turbulent Bhayander. The lower slopes of the valley form bugyals (a Garhwali word for alpine meadows) which host carpets of flowers which change as the season progresses. The final approach to the VOF is down a steep, deodar-clad slope and then up again, on to the other side across a narrow gorge through which the Bhayander thunders. The river is churned into milky-white froth by its incessant assaults on apparently unyielding rocks. (An awesome sight from close-up as 15 inch boles of pine are effortlessly shredded into match-wood, smashed on their way down from rock to rock.)

Unique Valley
The uniqueness of the valley lies in the fact that within its confines one can find considerable bio-diversity in flowering and medicinal plants. But all the flowers do not bloom at the same time and to fully partake of the floral variety of this fairytale valley, a number of trips spread through the season are called for. Moreover, given the short blooming period of some of the prettier/ uncommon flora that grow on steep flanks of the valley, one is apt to see the species either in the budding stage or as withered blooms. Also, a combination of wind, sun-obscuring clouds and the threat of rain make photography a daunting task. The peak flowering season is July-August. Heavy monsoons tend to disrupt the lines of communication and the risk of getting stranded for an odd day or so must be seen as an opportunity to further explore the local environs.

The valley widens after a few kilometers, and the slopes become more accommodating as meadows are overrun by scree and moraine: and geraniums and balsam give way to asters and delphiniums, to name but a few.

By the time one reaches 13,000 ft, the wind—coming off the nearby snow line—is keener. Clouds and rain are capable of putting a damper to one's spirits. And unless one is acclimatized to this rarified atmosphere and in fine fettle, high altitude conditions can take the wind out of your sails. The important thing is to stick it out at least three-quarters the distance into the valley: for it is here that one begins to glimpse the true character and wilderness of the Himalayas and, if one goes further up, the much sought after brahmakamal.

How and Where
New Delhi and Lucknow are connected by air to a number of Indian cities. Infrequent but regular services are also available to Dehra Dun in the Himalayan foothills and to Pithoragarh in the Kumaon Himalayas. The aerial route offers picturesque vistas. Rishikesh and Bareilly are effective rail heads. Further movement northwards has to be done by road.

One can travel by road from New Delhi to Haridwar, Rishikesh, Srinagar in Garhwal, Karanprayag, Joshimath, and thence to Pandukeshwar/Govindghat. It constitutes a two-day journey with the hill trek beginning at Rishikesh. A night halt at Srinagar or Karanprayag is advisable. Hotels and government tourist lodges areavailable at moderate prices.

Or one can go from Lucknow to Bareilly, Tanakpur, Champawat, Ghat, Kausanti, Gwaldham, Karanprayag—and onwards to Govindghat. Though longer than the first option, the stretch from Tanakpur through the verdant and scenic Kumaon hills via Champawat (of Corbett's man-eater fame) and Kausani (to admire Nandadevi at sunrise) is well worth the effort.

Yet a third option is from Dehra Dun to Rishikesh and thereafter along the main highway as in the first route. It includes a full day's journey along the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda river valleys.

From Pithoragarh through the rolling hills and dales of inner Kumaon via Devalthal and Bageshwar on to Gwaldham is another scenic route. Thereafter, follow the Pinder river as per the second option. Though it can be completed in one long gruelling day, it is more enjoyable with a night halt at Gwaldham. The morning and evening views of Nandadevi from here are equally magnificent.