Valley of Flowers, Uttarakhand, India

Valley of Flowers spreading over 87.50 sq km nestled in himalayas is famous for meadows of localised alpine flowers and outstanding natural beauty& is also home to rare and endangered animals, including the Asiatic black bear, snow leopard, brown bear.The outstanding beauty of Valley of Flowers has been acknowledged by renowned mountaineers and botanists Its ‘gentle’ landscape, breath-takingly beautiful meadows of alpine flowers complement the rugged, mountain wilderness of Nanda Devi National Park.This park is world famous for diversity of alpine flora representing West Himalaya biogeographic zone,a number of plant species are internationally threatened, several have not been recorded from elsewhere in Uttarakhand ,the diversity of threatened species of medicinal plants is higher than has been recorded in other Indian Himalayan protected areas,Seven restricted-range bird species are endemic to this part of the Endemic Bird Area( EBA).It was declared a national park in 1982.

The Valley was introduced to the world as the Valley of Flowers by Frank S, Smith - mountaineer, explorer, botanist who camped here for several weeks in the monsoon of 1937 and authored a book called "The Valley of Flowers" which unveiled the beauty and floral splendours of the valley and thus threw open the doors of this verdant jewel of nature. Apart from the flowering plants,wild animals like Himalayan birds,butterflies, Musk deer, Bharal,Himalayan bear,. are enchancing the beauty of the park.The Valley of Flowers is a treat for naturalists, ecologists, environmentalists, ornithologists, trekkers.The Valley becomes accessible from late April when the snow starts melting and flowing down the buttrssnes and gullies. The spring avalanches pouring down the slopes provide appropriate moisture for flowers.

The route is-New Delhi - haridwar - Joshimath-Ghangaria-Valley Of Flowers - Ghangaria-4 km trek to Valley Of Flowers (3858 m ) from Ghangaria. The valley is an enchanting sight with an impressive array of rare wildflowers like brahma kamal, fane Kamal with range of small multicolored flowers make it a delight for travelers. The snowclad peaks including Nilgiri Parbat (6474 m) stand in bold relief against the skyline. The valley is 10 kms long, 2 kms wide, and is divided by the Pushpawati stream, into which several tiny streams and waterfalls merge. After enjoying the beauty of valley we come back to Ghangaria.Joshimath - Haridwar- Delhi.