The Valley of the Flowers

This beautiful fragrant valley in the Garhwal Himalayas was first discovered by the British botanist and mountaineer Frank Smythe in 1931 while returning from a successful climb of Mt. Kamet. He returned and catalogued almost 270 different species of flowering plants in this exquisite valley. Situated at 3658m / 12,071ft, this sprawling valley is 10 Kms long and 2 Kms wide. A small marble slab in memory of Joan Margaret Legge a botanist from Edinburgh who slipped off a rocky slope and died while collecting flowers proclaims – 'I shall lift my eyes up to the Himalayas from whence cometh my strength'

Delhi - Rishikesh - Joshimath - Govindghat - Ghangaria - Valley of Flowers - Hemkund Saheb - Ghangaria - Govindghat - Badrinath - Rishikesh - Delhi

Day 1:  On your arrival we meet you at the International Airport in New Delhi which is most often in the early hours of the morning and drive you to your pre-reserved hotel. The entire day is free for you to either relax in your room or explore this exciting city, its colourful bazaars and medieval and colonial monuments.

Day 2: We leave after breakfast and drive 240 Kms to the holy city of Rishikesh in the Himalayan foothills with its profusion of Ashrams and temples lined up above the sacred River Ganga (Ganges) that originates high above and flows 2000 Kms across the plains to spill into the Bay of Bengal. We check into a comfortable hotel / guest house for an overnight stay.

Day 3: Today's 8 hour drive of 255 Kms takes us to the small town of Joshimath stopping briefly at Srinagar town for lunch. On arrival at Joshimath we check into a pre-reserved hotel / guesthouse for the night.

Day 4: After breakfast we drive 20 Kms to the small hamlet of Govindghat from where we begin our trek on a cobble stones path. Climbing steadily for 13 Kms we ascend a hillside to reach the small settlement of Ghangaria by late afternoon and check into a small comfortable hotel for the night.

Day 5: Today the 3 Km trail interspersed with tea shacks goes gradually uphill emerging into the beautiful valley of flowers at 3342m / 11,028ft declared a National Park in 1982. Here you walk through an expansive carpet of wild orchids, poppies, daisies, anemones and primulas fringed by forests of birch and rhododendron. The upper reaches of this breathtaking valley abounds in wildlife among them musk deer, red fox, bharal and tahr and serow wild goat, Himalayan black bear and the elusive snow leopard. Wander around this fragrant valley and return to Ghangaria as staying within the park is not allowed.

Day 6: The cobbled trail climbs steeply for about 5 Kms through alpine meadows and reaches the small Gurudwara of Hemkund Sahib on the banks of the Hemkund Lake at 4320m / 14,256ft. After having spent awhile here we return by evening to Ghangaria and our hotel.

Day 7: We return the same way we came by trekking downhill for 13 Kms before boarding our Jeep for the onward drive to Badrinath where on arrival we check into a comfortable guesthouse/hotel. In the afternoon we stroll around this small town and visit the Lord Vishnu temple.

Day 8: Today we drive about 300 Kms in 10 hours to Rishikesh where we check into a hotel for the night.

Day 9: Leave for Delhi (240 Kms / 6 Hours) after a leisurely breakfast and check into your hotel.