VALLEY OF FLOWERS TREK

Day 4 : VALLEY OF FLOWERS TREK

 Aug26th 2024,Janmashtami day

Flowing river, valleys encompassing beauty to take in, snow capped glacier in the far sight mighty tall, hemkund sahib peak giving holy vibes on the other side. It was all an adventure to unfold from inception to the day throughout. We started early 6 30am to 7 am like to walk upto starting point entry gate of valley of flowers trek after some standard breakfast in the inn kubera annex, there are plenty of them in the humble neighbourhood and this one seemed to be the premium choice of lot. We hired a bittu wala (basket ) for our lil one and out we went. Starting the 8km to 10km valley hike up and down the rugged rocky pathways carved out of stones and mud.

by the entrance gate to Valley of Flowers national park,a UNESCO world heritage site

start of trek

lovely hues of the valley welcoming

the teen always a step ahead of us

my partner and prankster

adventurous beginning

As we stepped into the UNESCO world heritage site of Valley of flowers national park a profoundly wild enthusiasm runs in to embark with cheerful promptness to tread our way through the serpentine well-trodden trails checking out the different flora and river gullying about underneath the bridge.  The mountainous path which gives us over 2000 ft elevation gain compared to 10000 ft at ghangaria base camp. Little did we know that the rains by 3pm that made us rush back by 4 30 pm to room was a regular and an indicator for flashfloods that didn’t occur that day but ensued on thu while we read aboutit in papers on our stay at Dehradun and we had at next table tamil senior citizens who narrated it to us how some of their friends who went were stranded till CRPF stepped in to make a new makeshift bridge in place of the one we stepped over to cross and had our lunch by the cavern there.

this was one high peak and  such peaks pushed us to scale more

pensive cloud of thoughts

the serpentine Pushpavati originating from glacier we could sight

forest trail ahead and towering range on the other side

mighty pushpavati flowing by VOF

a day to remember for the boys

lil man all up for posing

with pretty flora of VOF

valley view from starting point

The whole trail is dotted with such pretty flowers orchids, poppies and such multitude of flora that can leave you wanting to keep walking ahead to chance upon on more of them. The locals tell how if we start much earlier we could have gone further deeper in the valley till we could see ahead another 4 to 5 km  ,from where all the tourists had stopped by for the final u turn point, which was post lunch and by 3pm the tiny drizzles turned into nice downpour and we started back the trails in a better faster pace as most parts in that rocky terrains it was still slightly downhill.

First Himalayan treks have special place for most of us and this one was sure to hold such a place in our hearts. The only option of packed lunch we get here are paranthas with aloo sabji so get ready to be bored or bloated on it, they tell anything else doesn’t stay good for travel.  And you can pack your snacks and consciously bring back any wrappings covers to hotel unlike the very few we sighted fallen on these pristine paths.

the black and white image of Snow capped mountains at other end of valley

It was Frank Smythe author of a book on this valley of flowers  in 1931 whose chance detour while climbing down an expedition the other way round that led to its discovery. By 1982 it was open for all as a national park to be cherished and enjoyed for its exotic Himalayan flowers native to this place and visits allowed only between june to September and hence a monsoon trek.

 Tip for trek: carry light essentials like snack,lunch packed,water( you can fill stream water between),rain coat or poncho essential, extra socks(mine got wet but didn't change),good trekking shoes we had decathalon ones that had great grip and prevents sprained leg and all ,the trails are all rocky.

And by end of day some oil maalish for legs took, and soaked salt in hot water(did only at Govindghat after soarness kicked in).

 

Tirupur to VOF- the group

wadiyan mein kho jaana...surreal feels amidst the blooms

the family pic at the last point of return for us at VOF

DAY 3: GOVINDGHAT-PHULNA TO GHANGARIA & oxygen deprivation story

 DAY 3: GOVINDGHAT-PHULNA TO GHANGARIA

Aug 25 2024,With the road travel previous day stay at the Govind Ghat gives enough acclimatization vs those who fly the helicopter to base camp Ghangaria or to Badri which is close by. So that left us well prepared for the 8 to 9 hrs long trek from Phulna village out side 100m ahead of our Ganga homestay resort to Ghangaria the base camp village for valley of flowers trek and Hemkund sahib dhaam. 

lovely view from room ,Mandir valley river view

valley view

towering flower patches

organic vegetable garden thats cooked for our dinner

river Pushpavati flowing behind further down

 A special note on this Resort, location and owner. Location is amidst gorgeous valleys of Nanda devi national park and Pushpawati river flowing below and divinely peaceful surrounded by their temple and organic vegetable garden and huge flowers patches. Owner Arvind Singh ji is most welcoming and  lively man and his wife Maheshwari ji  cooked some excellent food for us which was very delicious, hygienic and homely. Hotel rooms were very clean and mountain and river view with enough warming and hot water, good rajais(blankets) all. Advantage of this property is its 100m above the Phulna village point beyond which vehicles are not allowed so we parked our car here and with bags enough for 3 days and 2 nights luggage proceeded down the path and took the government auto service or the jeeps to trek starting point 3 km away. 

some view it was walking along Ganga (Pushpavati river) and watching waterfalls

pics dont do the justice but it looked magnificient and towering on us

Phulna to Ghangarias trek path cobbled first half

snack breaks,healthy stuffs

mom and kid catching our breath at break points, you have these at most corners till bridge

From here we took the Bittu service(for placing luggage) and started our trek walk the winding paths running parallel to the meandering Pushpavati. It was very hot and thermals are not needed during this part of the trek as its swelting walk. Our younger one took the bittu after some 1/3rd distance of the 14km trek. Around 11am we started walking and as is usual of teens my elder one who was walking way ahead of us beyond the half way point of the trek where we cross the bridge and he did end up getting dehydrated with no water point though had money but like many menfolk walked empty handed and water was in bittu luggage, so this makes one realise the importance of water and how elevation and speed dont go hand in hand , maintain a steady pace and get acclimatised. so when at  6 pm we entered the village and caught upto him at first cafe near helicopter point at Ghangaria his splitting headache started and we reached our hotel Khuber Annex the near by pharmacist doctor found his o2 level at 60 or so and gave just few gasps of oxygen and his headache went and he was better, before that we gave lot of water, did oil head massage and nilgiri thailam nothing worked because oxygen deprivation especially in kids is very crucial cause for such pains or aches in kids. So having reached Ghangaria the base camp surrounded by hills and snow capped mountains in distant view(btw in winters every where from Govindghat will be snow covered and this place is closed for winter until opening in summer).

The elevation gain from Govindghat-phulna-Ghangaria is 2104m to 3049m(or 10003 ft :O )

The rooms are simple cozy modest and neat with thicker rajai ,room heater(additonal payment), ice cold climate, and all of us had nice leg or shoulder or tel maalish in the patio which is all clustered and it was nice like back in Tirupur all 10 of us chatting away over pakodas and hot beverages. The chills gave me some nostalgic feel of the biting cold i used to enjoy while in US or while we went to Kashmir 12 yrs back with 1.5 yr old kid. And its time to put on those socks and some jacket of sweater, still we had the men folk not feeling the cold and in their tees ;) 

And like all cold places people go to sleep soon by 9pm to rise at dawn for the 6am trek starting times and early breakfasts.

And this 14km trek for those who cant walk this 6 to 8hrs one can opt for bittu if kid or lightweighted else there is horse ride. for us the walk we took 7.5 hr with all the in between tapri wala(small stalls) breaks we had snacked on our theplas,corn,coconut kernels,sundal,manga,cucumber,fruits,nimbu paani and snacks from tirupur and some maggi and parantha the only avl foods kind there along the trek path.

DAY 2: RISHIKESH TO GOVINDGHAT ROAD TRIP

 DAY 2:  RISHIKESH TO GOVINDGHAT ROAD TRAVEL

Aug 24,2024,Great journeys begin with some adventures and strong prayers, chanting Vanamali gadishanki shloka we started on our day long supposedly 8hrs ride from Rishikesh to Govind ghat along Ghat road in one of world most dangerous roads. We had a sumptuous full fledged breakfast spread at Sky high restaurant of Hotel Clarks Inn, Rishikesh. 

Clarks inn's Rishikesh- Panaromic mountain view

Sky high restaurant

                                    

The ghat road intertwines all along the meandering mighty Ganges until at the destined Prayags you find the meeting tributaries. With some delay at check post checking the car papers, the over 262 km ride uphill is rather enjoyable as well as exhausting, so we took needed halts and rest room breaks and witnessed a road rokho of locals to fresh land slide causing detour of additonals 2hrs path through pristine villages, and with no halt for lunch but biting into the theplas from tirupur (a staple for us for road trips from kalpana didi) and then all millet laddoos,muruku,dry fruits to halting for fresh fruits to grab, we went on to reach our destination Govindghat in middle of night like scenes at 9pm in pitch dark ,empty roads, daunting himalayas throwing ghastly shadows in night. 

ghat roads views to soak in

adventure rides through landslide zones,no stop zone

shivaliks

photographer in me,langoor who kept company at check post

 So the 8 hrs ride that many said would take 9 to 10hrs as in hills there always landslide and diversions prone its the normal, for us it took a 11 to 11.5 hr including the check post wait time half hr, road rokho aandholan, 2hrs detour due to fresh landslide , and we would have passed over 9 to 10 sites of previous landslides that were all partially broken into and partially cleared or might be fresh mini landslides of rocks. Nearing Joshimatt we saw the massive july landslide and we passed through that broken rock too and while travelling all through especially those paved roads which are made cutting mountains and the mountain seemingly dangling overhead it does gives you those nervous spirits and adds extra dose of prayers to your lips. 

dev prayag-confluence of Alaknanda,Bhagirathi

me and boys in front of Sanskrit university,Devprayag

Mandakini...you cant stop without humming Shivapanchaksharam

Karnaprayag

 While crossing initially shivpuri once can witness the bungee jumping and other adventure points in the lower ghats. The first majestic view of a prayag or confluence of tributaries Alaknanda and Bhagirati is at Devprayag and to express the divine view overlooking Sanskrit University there and gushing rivers making 2 different colours one turquoise green and other muddy brown adding up and giving the major hue to the ganges flowing down is truly an expression beyond words and worthwhile watching. All along with you flows the river Alaknanda now until at next stop Rudraprayag river Mandakini hurries to meet her friend river Alaknanda. We didnt stop furter at Karnaprayag where the river Pindar meets the lap of Alaknanda from amidst mountain and busy market road and we viewed it while crossing the bridge. And the next one was nandprayag which we must have missed or turned dark, where river Nandakini joins our Alaknanda all the way. 

the serpentine alaknanda

humbling majesty of Sunset views at the himalayan hills

          After that around 9pm we reached Joshimatt the place in news for Land subsidence environmental factor. And by 9 30pm reached our divine stay of Ganga homely stay which is walkable 100m away from the point where one leaves vehicles to proceed for phulna village next day.

 This Ganga resort was a much of a result of extensive search and raring reviews and as you step into the place and homestay and walk amidst the patches of flowers and fresh organic veggie garden you would look forward to their homely food which leaves your famished self from travel all nourished and at your best. The couple are most heartwarmingly welcoming and ghar ka khaana yaad aagaya types the food is and its in next day morning we were in for more scenic valley view.

 DAY 1: TRAVEL TO DEHRADUN AIRPORT,STAY AT RISHIKESH

Aug 23,2024 we chose to travel on a Friday, considering several factors like 10 days trip so 2 weekends coming in this and 1 public holiday Krishna Jayanti so kids got to take leave for 5 or 6 working days only with permission. And why 4th week of august was based on observing monsoon and flooding and landslides pattern in Uttarakhand over the years starting from 2013 Kedarnath disaster to till 2022 to 2023 flash floods situation. And even while we booked our flight tickets in July beginning the July 10th Joshimath landslide was quite a deterrent and we witnessed the massive boulder on the badri highways as we crossed through the gap created in the moved and broken boulder.

Flying from Tirupur for us and for anyone flying from rest of India, reaching Dehradun airport would be most feasible option to travel than driving from Delhi airport to avoid traffic and excess road travel. Chandigarh airport is also another option. We started for Coimbatore airport by early morning for a morning flight ,had a layoff at Delhi airport for lunch time and then we landed by 5pm and took self driving car for our family from a Chandigarh based travels( check all travel permits). If you have to go to the dhaams or teerth sthal or holy places while you climb hills at Rishikesh check post you show you show your permits, so get it before travel itself the chaar dham or panch dhaam yatra permit ( by submitting proofs on Uttarakand website and get for which dhaams you are visiting, we took for Badri and Hemkund sahib).

At Dehradun Airport

the ladies at Jolly Grant

majestic Ganga all through the
journey we travel beside her

Rishikesh is 25 mins ride away from Jolly Grant airport and we arrived at the hotel and immediately left for the Ganga aarti at Ram Jhoola( Lakshman Jhoola is up for renovations and closed while we went)

Hotel Clarks Inn with ample parking and bang on main road as we enter Rishikesh with great service and cleanliness and ambience was a perfect stay including the wonderful spread and sky lounge terrace restaurant which had wonderful spread and panoramic view of the Shivalik's, more on it on day 2.

We hurried for the evening aarti at the Triveni ghat and as we crossed along the Ram jhula witnessed the mystical Ganga Aarthi which we would all have seen over TV during the 6 30 pm show time on many bhakti channels. And there were temple and mutt on the other side , got tilak from little priest boy, and had locals suggested best restaurant food at Choti wala , and got pics with the choti wala too. Choti means plait in Hindi.

cozy stay at Clarks inn Rishikesh

choti wala ,rishikesh

wall decor at Restaurant

So watch out this space for the beginning of a travel which was one thrilling ride for us the next day.

 VALLEY OF FLOWER TREK PLAN

Have you ever dreamt of visiting a place after a chance reading of an article over a coffee mug (of milk drink in my case) at the dining table. yes, it happened to me circa 2019 when a Hindu Metro Plus article on valley of flowers and Hemkund Sahib trek in the Uttarakhand's Himalayan ranges excited me for this monsoon trek to dive upon. And i got to materialize it with lot of discussions and planning and charting our own unique customized itinerary since this summer 2024 and we embarked on this journey as family and friends as a group of 10 of us on Aug. 23rd Friday, 5 years hence.

say it with flowers,
 article 2019 in THE HINDU metro plus
(ignore screenshot, i don't know where i kept it)

Even selection of this 10 days travel trek needed much of data analysis, sampling and in depth online research ,per se, not just for choice of stay recommendations or chronology of visiting different places.

So here am sharing the itinerary that's the result of some in-depth online research and monsoon trek much to the irritation and despair of the entire elders in the family whose BPs peaked with us traversing through the picturesque tapestry of lesser Himalayas or Shivalik's some of the worlds most dangerous roads.

To muster up to write this blog to start with shows what all went into planning this trek and how much of pre requisites needed. So here will share some shopping, travel tips, pre trek regime that someone with minimal exercise routine can also incorporate to be ready for the trek ahead.

Kondarangi hill trek in Feb2024

Deceiving POV but doable

 We love as a family of 4 and so did our friends who came along , did small treks to hill temples in our Kongu belt since this year beginning,  Kondarangi malai at 3825 ft is a very steep hike pointed throughout and gets very windy, we did it and then Odi malai 2140ft had over 1770 steps and is a good place to start with, then we also did the adventurous Shollingur Narasimha temple climb amidst harassing monkeys which is at 750ft height and 1300 steps, so all of these with our 7 yr old keeping us all on our toes as he doesn't sweat or feel short of breath while we would definitely feel the heat. 

 Other than these 10k steps on average day and your gymming or home workout or yoga or pilates or any dance workouts or regular walks routine should work fine and i did some couple of 50km and 25km cycling rides that i do few months before event and some 10km marathon runs. Do it your way at your pace as trekking is about endurance and its never a race. 

Shopping pre requisites for a monsoon trek:

This is something that will add to budget the first time you go and later it can be reused every time so invest wise and for everything a to z there is decathlon. 

Active wear pants and tops( sweat absorbent you need even in those low temperatures) this is something most sportsperson or gym goers will have already.

Padded jacket ( underneath it fleeced sweat-shirt was recommended, but we ended up not using as it was higher Himalayas and monsoon season, and it was humid too, but the padded jacket was need for up the Hemkund Sahib trek higher heights) so bring both and use 1 

thermal wears 2 sets atleast( some chose not to wear, but those who get cold could use it to keep body warm especially kids)

head cap any kind to cover ears well(monkey cap will be sweaty not recommended), scarf(if you need),several pairs of woolen socks( cotton socks will get sweaty and many will catch cold)

the biggest investment would be good trekking shoes(ordinary shoes might make your leg bear the brunt)

trekking bag, good trekking water bottle or light metal bottles, bag would be your choice( any other bags also would work, and there are Bittu wala or basket lifting coolie , you can pool in luggage or use for kids too)

good poncho type rain coat or rain pant and top is a must for these monsoon treks

moisturizer balm, sunscreen lotion, other essentials

From hometown Tirupur to Tirupur 10 days of travel time it was will share more on day 1 to 10 in each of the days posts.

cya! Happy dreaming about your Valley of flowers trek☺☺

curated with love,

Rama