The 1200+ Km Bike Trip --- Day4- Govindghat To Valley of Flowers

Valley of Flowers:

Govindghat to Ghangharia:

On Day 4 we woke up early, freshened up and had some Tea & Snacks at the Gurudwara. We deposited our extra luggage at cloak room available at the Gurudwara. Deposited back the beddings, blankets, and room keys etc, gave some donation and were all set to start our journey.

The distance between Govindghat to Ghangharia is around 14 km. There is motorable road until Pulna which is around 4 km from Govindghat. One can drive till Pulna. There is no motorable road after Pulna. Hence one has to trek around 10 km from Pulna to reach Ghangharia.
Ponies are available at Govindghat for around Rs. 1000. They carry you from Govindghat to Ghangharia. You can gate Ponnies at Pulna as well for Rs. 800-900. Jeeps and shared conveyance is available between Govindghat and Pulna. Helicopter service has also been started between Govindghat and Ghangharia, one side fare is around Rs. 3000-3500.

We drove down to the bridge, got ourselves registered and started the journey towards Pulna on our bikes. The Plan was to drive till Pulna, park the bikes at Pulna and then trek to Ghangharia and further.
As per the plan we would trek to Ghangharia, take a small break at Ghangharia and then proceed to Valley of Flowers to explore the UNESCO World Heritage Site. We were carrying minimal luggage so as to avoid early tiredness on the Trek. We drove till Pulna, locked and parked our bikes there. You would find a few bike parking areas there, depending on the demand and your bargaining power they charge anywhere between Rs 25 to Rs 100 per day for parking your bikes.

As we started our journey towards Ghangharia, we felt that the first few km of the trek is a bit steep. It gradually smoothens down until you reach the bridge on the river Lakshman Ganga in the Bhyundar valley. Until you reach the bridge you would find makeshift shops on the way selling Tea, Biscuits, Maggi etc. You would also find shelters on the way, where you could take refuse from the heavy rains. We took refuse in one these shelters during our way back. On the way you keep getting milestones suggesting the distance left till the destination.

The trek offers soul nourishing views of unparalleled beauty of lush green mountains, gushing river and the sparkling waterfalls.

Govindghat to Ghangharia

After trekking for an hour or two we reached the bridge on Lakshman Ganga. The views are just stunning. The lush green mountains, the clouds at mountain peaks and the gushing river all just seem like a painting. We halted here and took some snaps before starting the uphill journey to Ghangharia.

The gradient of the trek after the Lakshman Ganga Bridge is more as compared to the trek before the bridge. This trek is steeper and you tend to get tired early as compared to the tiredness you feel on the trek before the Lakshman Ganga Bridge. Keep moving at your own pace with occasional stops for food and drinks etc. Be extra cautious in the rainy season while trekking on such a gradient, as it becomes slippery, you may slip or sprain your foot. Don't over burden or over stretch yourself and avoid any injury.
Depending on your trekking speed, the complete trek from Pulna to Ghangahria would take anywhere between 3-6 hours.
As we were reaching Ghangharia we inquired from the travelers going downhill (on their way back to Pulna) about the way to Valley of Flowers, as we intended to go there next, we were told that the entry gate to Valley of Flowers closes at 12 noon, i.e. no visitors are allowed to enter the Valley after noon.
What it meant was that we had to hurry to quickly reach Ghangharia and then get ourselves registered at the Valley of Flowers entry gate before noon. We increased our trekking speed. Taking occasional breaks for taking rest, snacks and fluids we finally arrived at Ghangharia.

Again it being a tourist season we could not get any hotels On our uphill journey and during our Internet research on Ghangharia, people had suggested to go to the "Gurudwara Sri Govind Dham" if we don't get any accommodation elsewhere. We headed to "Gurudwara Sri Govind Dham" had Langar* and Tea, deposited our luggage in the Cloak room and started our journey towards Valley of Flowers. as always the Langar, lodging, Cloak Room services etc are free of cost at the Gurudwara

*Langar- Langar is the term used in Sikhism for the community kitchen in a Gurudwara where a free meal is served to all the visitors, without distinction of religion, caste, gender, economic status or ethnicity.

Ghangharia to Valley of Flowers:

Valley of Flowers

Ghangharia to Valley of Flowers is a 5 km easy to moderate trek, which people cover on foot or porter's back. As you walk around 600-900 meters uphill the the Gurudwara at Ghangharia there is a diversion on the left that would take you to Valley of Flowers Registration gate. The national park entry gate opens at around 7 am and the registrations are done until noon (1200 hrs.). All visitors need to report back at the entry gate at 5pm. Registration / Entry Fee is Rs. 150 (For Indian) and Rs. 600 (For Foreigners). The entry pass is valid for 2-3 days. We reached at the Registration Desk well before 12, got ourselves registered, took the essentials we needed for the trek, deposited our bag at the registration counter and started our journey.

Valley of Flowers is an Indian National Park and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Its plush meadows of Endemic Alpine Flowers are known across the world. The Valley ranges from heights 3352 to 3658m. The Valley is home to rare alpine flowers including Bhramakamal, the Blue Poppy and the Cobra Lily. The Valley is conical in shape, rare and endangered animals including Asiatic Black Bear, Snow Leopard, Musk Deer, Red Fox and Blue Sheep are inhabitants of this alpine area.  The Valley is around 8km long and 2 km wide. High altitude birds including Himalayan Monal can be seen in the park. River Pushpavati flows through the valley. The valley presents a spectacular view and is blooming with innumerable varieties of flowers during monsoons (in July and August), this is the best time to visit the valley. 

For information on Valley of Flowers, its history, places to visit around Valley of Flowers and Photo Gallery visit my Blog on Valley of Flowers.

Valley of Flowers

The trek to Valley of Flowers offers views of extra ordinary beauty. Keep yourself hydrated and avoid any injuries on the trek especially during rains. As you trek for some time from the entrance gate you cross river Pushpavati which is roaring during the monsoons. The river just adds to the beauty of the valley. We trekked at normal pace taking ample fluids and rest during the trek. We reached the gateway to the Valley of Flowers in an hour or two. The Valley of Flowers is simply heaven with numerous species of flowers all around. The greenery, the mountains the river and the clouds all come together at this place to make the site Heaven. It is a site of paramount importance to Botanists and Nature Lovers.

Pushpawati River - Valley of Flowers

We spent ample time gazing the beauty of the place and capturing it in our cameras. After exploring the Valley to the hilt we started our return journey and reached the registration desk at around 4:30-4:45 pm. We collected our bag and started moving towards the Gurudwara. 

At the Gurudwara, we got ourselves registered. We were allocated a space in the dormitory. The place, the dormitory beds, the common toilets attached to the dormitory was all so clean. I was just spellbound to witness such a level of commitment of the people who take care of the place.
Anyways we collected our bag from the Cloak room and got settled in the dormitory. In the evening we had our Tea and Snacks at the Langar hall and then at night we had our Dinner as well there.

We were very tired as we had trekked around 30 km today. We put some muscle relaxants and went to bed early. The plan was to wake up early and start our Trek to Henkund Sahib.

As and advise we would suggest not to club the trek from Govindghat to Ghangharia and from Ghangharia to Valley of Flowers (and back to Ghangharia) in a day as it becomes very tiring.
An eventful day had come to an end now.

Our Journey:

Day 1: Gurgaon to Shivpuri-Rishikesh (Stay at Shivpuri)

Day 2: Rishikesh to Pakhi-Joshimath (Stay at Pakhi)

Day 3: Pakhi to Badrinath/Govindghat (Stay at Govindghat)

Day 4: Govindghat to Ghangharia & Valley of Flowers (Stay at Ghangharia)

Day 5: Rest at Ghangharia (Stay at Ghangharia)

Day 6: Ghangharia to Hemkund Sahib (Stay at Govindghat)

Day 7: Govindghat/Joshimath to Dev Prayag (Stay at Dev Prayag)

Day 8: Dev Prayag to Gurgaon

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The 1200+ Km Bike Trip --- Day5