Literally, I was all alone in the Valley of Flowers (VoF). 25 June 2019 will remain etched in my memory forever. June is not usually a time one would visit the VoF. The peak time for visiting VoF is between July 15 and August 15 when the flowers are in full bloom and the valley is covered with a carpet of variety of colourful flowers. However, I could manage time only during the last week of June for this trip. On that day, as I reached the entry point, I found myself to be the fourth person entering the Nanda Devi National Park. Within the first kilometre itself, I crossed the other group and beyond this I was all alone. Visiting VoF in June, I must say, has its own advantages. You can enjoy this pristine beauty all to yourself, atleast for sometime. The VoF trail is well marked, passing through dense forest, crossing glaciers and streams before unveiling the valley with towering snow clad peaks on either side. I had all this to myself. Through the day, I met may be fifteen people in the entire valley and mostly while returning.
This was just one wonderful day of my 9 day Summer 2019 trip. I have written about it in detail on my blog DFickleMind.blogspot.com. Picture from the trip are on Instagram and National Geographic Your Shots.
My itinerary:
22 June 2019
- Reached Haridwar
- Stay at IRCTC retiring room (₹155/-)
- Sightseeing : Har ki Paudi
23 June 2019
- Haridwar to Joshimath : GMOU Ltd bus (₹400/-); starts 2.30am; travel time 13 hours
- Joshimath to Govindghat : Bolero (₹50/-); travel time 40 minutes
- Stay at Govindghat Gurudwara
24 June 2019
- Govindghat to Pulna : Sumo (₹40/-); travel time 30 minutes
- Pulna to Ghangaria : trek 10km; travel time 5.50 hours
- Stay at GMVNL tourist rest house dormitory (₹300/- per night)
- Sightseeing : Gurudwara
25 June 2019
- Ghangaria to Valley of Flowers and back; entry fee ₹150/-; 6km trek one way
27 June 2019
- Ghangaria to Govindghat via Pulna : 10km trek + 5km Sumo (₹40/-)
- Govindghat to Mana : Sumo (₹130/-)
- Sightseeing : Ganesh gufa, Vyas gufa, Bheem pul
- Mana to Badrinath : 3km walk
- Stay at GMVNL yatri niwas dormitory (₹300/- per night)
Sight seeing : Badrinath mandir
28 June 2019
- Badrinath to Haridwar : GMOU Ltd bus (₹460/-); leaves 5.30am
- Haridwar to Lucknow : Haridwar-Howrah Superfast Express (₹315/-); starts 11.50pm; travel time 8.20 hours
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