DIY Valley of Flowers

These days there are lots of trekking agencies that take trekkers to different routes in the Himalayas. While you can go with them for any of those treks, you could also do many of these treks on your own and solo quite easily provided you have prior information on what to expect.

Here I will try to describe the do's and don'ts of a Do It Yourself trek to the Valley of Flowers which is supposed to be one of the easiest beginners' treks. But before that let me give you a brief idea about the pros and cons of going with an agency. 

Going to VoF involves a long road trip through the Garhwal Himalaya in monsoon (there are fears of landslides and disruptions). Trek the Himalaya takes care of this part of the trek right from Rishikesh. That's a major advantage. If you do it on your own, you have to board the bus from Rishikesh bus stand very early in the morning. And it's a day long trip in an ordinary state bus. The TTH mini buses are much better. If you are in a small group hiring a taxi from Rishikesh would be a better option, albeit a little expensive. 

Agencies like India Hikes ask you to report straight to their base in Govindghat. Might as well walk on your own also. There is nothing special about walking with India Hikes or any such agency. I will explain why a little later. In fact after the trek I thought the most difficult part of the trip was getting in an out of Govindghat - because of the monsoon triggered landslides.

While TTH puts you up for the night at Pipalkoti, a couple of hours before Govindghat and even before Joshimath, the public bus will take you straight to Govindghat where you can stay for the night and start the trek early morning next day.

The other disadvantages of trekking with an agency is that they typically choose the cheapest possible hotels with very basic food. The rooms have to be shared with complete strangers if you are alone who might happily snore right next to you. I cannot sleep like this at all. 

Also, while walking, you have to keep pace with the team. You can neither walk too fast, nor can you be too slow. You don't have much personal time to take photographs on the way etc. My experience with India Hikes was really poor in this respect. They even make you exercise after reaching the destination :-) Too old for all that bull shit.

An advantage of being with an agency is that you have experienced trek leaders and guides. They know the route extremely well and can be of much help in any medical emergency. On certain risky sections they take care of the safety aspect.

However, Valley of Flower route being a pilgrim trail is full of porters and mules. Believe it or not, there are garden chairs all along the way. So there is no reason why you should not do it solo and without any guidance of anyone.

You don't need to camp anywhere. You walk on day 1 to Ghangaria where there are plenty of hotels. The next two days are day treks without any overnight stay. That is, you go to the destinations - VoF and Hemkund Sahib on two respective days - and come back the same day. No question of spending the night anywhere. So it is basically a hotel trek. Eminently doable for a novice.

Since many costs are shared, trekking with an agency is quite inexpensive. If you are going on your own there are certain costs that might seem expensive to many. 

So now on with the day by day break up of the journey.

Day 1 - Rishikesh to Govindghat

The day starts from Rishikesh early in the morning at 5.30 am or so. Arrive the evening before and check into a hotel near the bus stand so that the next morning you need not worry about getting there so early. The main hotel area of Rishikesh is Tapovan where there are literally hundreds of hotels. But it's not near the bus stand. The main taxi stand of Rishikesh is near Ram Jhula which is not very far from Tapovan.

The bus journey should take about 12 hours or so if there is no road block and disruption en route. Landslides are very frequent in this route so be mentally prepared for that. The road follows the river Alokananda through Devaprayag, Rudraprayag, Karnaprayag etc and then climbs down from Joshimath to reach Govindghat - the last town on the bank of Alokananda. 

A hotel in Govindghat

There is a large Gurudwara in Govindghat where they offer Langar (free food) to anyone, regardless of caste, creed or religion. There are several basic hotels in Govindghat where you can check in for the night. There is a small market around the Gurudwara selling mostly Sikh religious items. There are many eating joints too. I had veg momo for Rs 100 a plate. 

Incidentally this entire route is vegetarian. You will not find any restaurant selling anything remotely non-veg. Don't even mention non-veg food anywhere. They are deeply offended. 

Day 2 - Pulna to Ghangariya (Jeep for 4 km and trek for 11 km)

From Govindghat cross the small Army Green bridge over Alokananda and proceed towards a village 4 kms away called Pulna. You can take a shared jeep here for this journey that would otherwise take you less than a couple of hours on foot. It's a black top road in decent state of repair. Beyond Govindghat they don't allow any outside taxi as this route is controlled by vehicle owners from Pulna village only. 

Pulna is the last village on this route. While Ghangariya is almost like a town, all the buildings there are basically hotels. It doesn't have any residents living there. In fact these places are under deep snow for about six months a year and no one stays here round the year.

If you are ready to rough it out, you could perhaps walk the previous evening from Govindghat and spend the night at one of the small homestays in Pulna. These are not hotels but homestays in the true sense of the word. 

Important thing to know here is that, no one is allowed to proceed from Govindghat after 2 pm. This rule is very strictly enforced. We were not allowed to move as we reached Govindghat at 3 pm. But if you explained to them that you would go only as far as Pulna they might relent. Don't bank on it though. I didn't personally do this.

The Hindi notice at Govindghat about movement restriction after 2

At Pulna one has to register oneself at the small registration counter on the left hand side of the road. For Indians one has to show some official identity. Foreigners have to show their passport. You can have breakfast here also. There are plenty small dhabas on the roadside. 

There are many porters and mule drivers who will solicit for your business here. They charge Rs 1000 for the 11 km uphill journey. 

The walk is up the very well defined and broad trail with a railing. Nothing could be easier than that in the Himalayas. To top it all, it is a very pleasant walk through a forest with innumerable glacial streams flowing all around. There are water taps along the route and of course plenty of eateries. Tea is Rs 30 for a cup. 

The trail is a continuous and rasonably steep climb. If you are not used to panting, you will find it difficult. Take rest. Start walking again. There is no other challenge involved. It took me about 6 hours to complete this hike with couple of tea breaks. It might rain. Take adequate protection against it. 

In Ghangria 

Ghangariya from the Hemkund trail

First comes the helipad of Ghangaria. It's a wide spread out valley with plenty of tented accomodation. We didn't stay here but proceeded towards the small town of Ghangaria which is about a kilometer or so away. There is a GMVN accomodation with dormitories and rooms etc and plenty of small hotels on either side of the road. Each hotel has an eatery in the ground floor. There is a Gurudwara also where they have rooms available at reasonable rates. I stayed in a room for Rs 800. This was Holiday Inn opposite to the Gurudwara. There was another hotel that offered its room for Rs 2000. I have no clue if their room had jacuzzi or what but I thought it was an exorbitant rate. 

Two things are offered at every hotel it seemed. Foot massage and hot water. I took neither. 

Near the GMVN rest house, there is a place where they sell books on the VoF and a documentary film on the uniqe valley is shown there too. This is an NGO that employs the sweepers along the way who pick plastic trash and clear the poop of the mules (it could be disgusting for many).

Day 3 - Ghangaria to VoF and Back

VoF is not only a National Park it is also a UN declared World Heritage site. It has a formal gate that opens at 7 am. You have to pay an entry fee here of Rs 150 per head (I am not sure what it is for foreigners). Every entry and exit to the valley is noted in a register. Being a highly protected biosphere, they don't allow mules on this route but porters are available. They even lug humans on their backs in a basket.

If the weather is bad on a particular day the gate may not be opened at all. In that case you have to go to Hemkund Sahib and hope for better weather the next day.

After Ghangaria the road forks into two towards these two destinations just before the check point. The left one goes to VoF and  the right goes to Hemkund. The Hemkund trail, being a pilgrimage, is never closed rain or shine. 

The VoF trail is a relatively narrow stone paved one. It's perhaps steeper than the first day's trek. After about four kilometers from the town, up the steep trail, you enter the valley that is wide, flat and well spread out. The flowers start right from the gate and here the variety and numbers are a lot more. 

However, don't believe the exaggerated and photoshopped photographs that you see on the net. The valley is all green. Not purple or red or yellow etc as shown in those pictures. The flowers, being wild, are very small. The overwhelming colour is green and the bright flowers dot this greenery very beautifully. 

Contrary to popular perception this valley doesn't have Brahma Kamals. For that you have to go to Hemkund and that too in late August.