Valley of Flowers : Trek Part -II

Day 3. Finally we will be heading for the place for which we had come this far – the Valley of Flowers. The weather looked good. Even though it was cloudy, it was not raining. Despite the pains in the limbs, we were ready for the 5 km trek. We had no other option but to climb as ponies are not allowed into the VOF. We were to climb to a max of 1500 feet over these 5 km.

Our bookings at the GMVN guest house at Ghangaria was getting over by 12 noon of the day. As per our initial plan, we were to look for other accommodation in case we stay there for the third day. But after taking opinion of locals, we understood that we can go down to Govindghat even after coming back from the VOF trek. This obviated the need for spending another costly night at Ghangaria. Accommodation and food at Govindghat is much cheaper. The check out time at the GMVN guest house is 12 noon. As we were unlikely to comeback by 12, we had checked out and left the luggage at their office.

We started off after breakfast at around 8:30 am. We had hired pithoos or (porters) for the kids @Rs.250/- per person for the round trip which was expected to take about 4 hours. We were not botany enthusiast to know the names of flowers and so we did not hire any guide. The only worry was that we should not get lost. Having the pithoos with us excluded this possibility. In fact once inside the park, we understood that one can not get lost as the trek was very distinct.

The initial one kilometer of the trek is same for both Hemkund and VOF. Around the 1 km mark from the village, the road bifurcates. One goes to Hemkund sahib and the other to the VOF. ‘Welcome to the Valley of Flowers National Park’ – the first signboard greeted us. Various other signposts at the gate provide useful information like flowers and their blooming season, and also what you are not expected to do inside the park. The entry fee at the gate is quite hefty. It was Rs.50/- per head plus Rs.100/- for still camera. We had to pay entry fee for the pithoos as well. After paying Rs.400/- as entry fee, we were allowed in. Our names got lodged in the entry registrar for ever.

A narrow strip led me into a fairly thick forest with tall trees. It was like walking inside a jungle without any fear of wild animals. Amazing! My mind got drifted into another world. I fall behind the pack by quite a distance. Left on my own on this unforgettable nature walk, I proceeded slowly clicking almost every flower on the way. After some time we got into an open area and crossed a makeshift bridge around a glacier. We had crossed another steel bridge on the way. One more bridge was found to be under construction deep inside the valley.

After about an hour of climbing up and down, we reached the open area of the valley. Most of the people were found to have taken a break by a fairly large glacier on the Pushpawati river. This vantage point also provides a magnificent view of the valley ahead and the hills around. Ecology of this area is preserved in a highly protected environment. It is still pristine. 11000 feet is not a very high altitude, yet you can see 3 glaciers (and touch) in the entire trip all round the year.

The trek continued along the Pushpawati river. The landscape was a sight to behold. The cloud was playing hide and seeks with the hills around the valley. Carpets of wild flowers covering the slopes up the mountains were a very soothing sight. However, after walking for about 2 kilometers we found the landscape a bit monotonous. It was still a sight to behold, but it was not changing anymore. One can continue walking ahead, but we had decided to call it a day. Some of the tourists were seen continuing ahead. Some tourists were seen taking packed lunches with them. These people are most likely to stay back at Ghangaria for the day. But we had to travel down to Govindghat as well.

Inside the park we saw even grown up peoples riding pithoo's back. Even though the allowed weight for pithoos is about 70 kilos, one fat fellow who was riding a pithoo looked much beyond that limit. One human torturing another compensating it by paying money. It looked so shameful. The guy also understood our scornful glances and avoided any further eye contact.

We had returned to Ghangaria by 2 pm. Had a quick lunch and got ready for the descend to Govindghat. The restaurant where we had all our meals had arranged for ponies. We hired 6 ponies this time, including one exclusively for luggage @Rs.250/- per pony. We did not see any organized way of booking ponies at Ghangaria though there is a counter at the entrance to the village. We had no option but to hire ponies as we would not be able to make it to Govindghat on foot before dark. In nay case we would have required at least 3 horses for luggage and kids.

I had mentioned earlier in my posts that descending on horse back is not fun. The horseman always remains ahead of the horses and keeps pulling the horses all the time. Because of this horse tends to slip at times on rocky slopes. We found that one gentleman broke his leg after his pony slipped and literally fall on him. The horses are plied in pairs. I was on the horse on the back which always tends to walk by the side of the trek away from the hill. The fear of the horse slipping and taking you down the hill was real and kept me on tenterhook all the time. On our way down we met people who had started from Govindghat as late as 5 pm. These people were either alone or in small groups of 2 or 3 persons. They had barely traveled 2 / 3 kilometers by 5:30 pm. How they could think of traveling rather trekking at night was beyond my understanding. Even though the trek is fairly well laid out, but there were stretches with landslide where it was difficult to maneuver even in daylight. There are no facilities for staying or sleeping on the entire stretch. May be the makeshifts food stalls provide some shelter. But it will be too cold to sleep in the open. This is sheer foolishness.

Anyway, we had reached back Govindghat by dusk. The descend to Govindghat took us about 3 hours with a break for tea. On arrival we had collected the Prasad at the Gurudwara for our offerings at Hemkund Sahib. This time we had preferred to stay at Hotel Kuber which probably is the most well maintained hotel at Govindghat. As it was almost dark, we got the rooms at good bargain.

My limbs were almost numb. Every step was a big torture. I had decided to have a massage of legs paying Rs.50 that night. Whether it provided any relief was doubtful. But we slept hard that night. Exhausted but satisfied that we had completed another memorable trip two exotic places. It certainly was a trip of lifetime.

Day 4 : We could contact the driver late in the night after our arrival at Govindghat the earlier night. Though the driver had a mobile, connectivity depends on availability of power. We had started off with the first gate at around 8 am. Till about Pipolkoti it was a smooth drive. But then we got stuck in landslides at two places. These blockades consumed about 2 hours time, but fortunately the road was cleared. There is serious possibility of getting blocked for an entire day or two on this stretch. We had expected this on our way up, but that did not occur then. But to complete our experience of the trip it occurred on the return trip.

Even when the debris was cleared and the road was opened to traffic, the long queue made it difficult to pick up speed. The delay had made us consider another change of plan. This was the seventh day since we have left Delhi. All were exhausted and wanted to reach back home as early as possible. Instead of going to Dehradun then stay there for the night, we had decided to continue our journey to Delhi via Rishikesh. We reached Rishikesh around 7 pm and headed straight for the government bus stand. A UTC deluxe bus was to leave at 8 pm. We booked our tickets and said goodbye to Honey, the cab driver. The guy was good; much better than the driver we had traveled with last time. We had reached back home around 5 am next morning. It was a non-stop journey by road of 550 km. A bit too much for the body which was already aching.

Anyway, we thanked God that we had reached back safely. My colleague Chandan had asked me as to how I could think of traveling on that dangerous route for a second time. I also do not know. May be because of the serious willingness to see the Valley of Flower? May be because we could not take the holy dip at Badrinath last time? May be something else? But this probably is the last time I had gone that route. But who knows!

Trek to the Valley of Flowers : Part -I

The trek starts at the hanging bridge over the river Alaknanda. The first destination is Ghangaria which is 13 km from this point. One is to climb 4000 feet over these 13 km of mostly mule trek inter spaced by concrete and rocky steps at some areas.

We had visited the area around the bridge the earlier evening to have an understanding of the trek. We learnt that one should hire Pithoo or horses from the counter located next to the bridge. The rates are fixed by some association of these horse owners. The rate at that time was Rs.365/- per horse for Ghangaria. You get many options there like horses for Govindghat – Ghangaria or Govindghat – Hemkund (same day) and also Govindghat – Ghangaria – Govindghat (same day). The last one will cost you Rs.1400/-. But it will not only be too much cruelty on the beast, but also to your back and buttock. We are not ancient soldiers who can ride horses for 10 hours. If you take that kind of one day whirlwind trip, you will probably not be able stand up next day. More importantly you will miss the enjoyment of being with un-spoilt nature. If you do not have time, then why do you go there?

I was determined to trek to Ghangaria. So was Mono, my better half. I had no idea on what was on Chandan’s mind. Both the families had two small kids and thus decided to hire two horses for them. We also had carried one bag plus two back packs which we had planned to put on the horses. Despite my talk, Chandan took two bags with him. He was to face the music for that later. My advice is to travel as light as possible and carry only essential things to cover 3 days stay. We had deposited extra luggage at the cloak room facility of the hotel we had stayed at Govindghat. The charges per luggage are Rs.30/- till return.

We walked up to the point where horses are stationed, carrying the bags on our own. We thought they will load the horses with one kid and one bag each. But citing balancing problem, they had loaded one horse with luggage and then put the two kids on the other. We had started the trek with great enthusiasm. Just imagine my condition. Exactly 17 days back I was not able to stand up or even sit because of a recurrence of slip disc problem. And now I had the audacity of a fool to trek 13 km. I had the waist belt on and more then me, my wife was worried and kept enquiring whether I am OK. I was determined to make it to VOF. When there is a will there is way!

It was around 7:45 when we had started. People start off very early. In fact when we got up in the morning at around 5 O’clock, we could see the beeline of people going up the trek in complete darkness using torch lights. However, there is no time frame to start off as it takes about 6 to 7 hours to reach Ghagaria. People keep going up all the day starting off at their own time. We saw even people starting off at 3 pm as well. But starting off at 3 pm is a bit scary. Trekking at night! Only a sardar can think of doing that. In daylight, you can see the trek ahead and decide how safely to negotiate it, and also enjoy the beauty of the nature. But in the darkness of night, you can not be even be sure that you are on the right path. I feel that staring off between 8 to 9 am is the best time, provided you have confirmed accommodation at Ghangaria. This will ensure that you reach Ghangaria by 3 pm. We had confirmed booking at GMVN Guest House at Ghangaria. So starting off a little late was not a problem. But if you do not have booking, you should start a bit early, so that you reach Ghangaira early to have a better option of finding decent accommodation.

Many brave people started off on foot, like we did. But the braveness started to falter barely half a kilometer up the hill. You will find horses cleverly placed at strategic positions on the initial stretch of the trek. It takes hardly half an hour’s climb for one to understand whether he or she will be able to continue climbing for another 12 kilometer. After about an hours walking, we had stopped for breakfast. In that hour we had climbed just 3 km. Numerous snack stalls dots the entire stretch of the trek. But they sell everything for a hefty premium. We had ordered Maggi noodles. The small pack of rs.5/- was sold and served at Rs.25/-.

Meanwhile my daughter had started complaining about the difficulty in riding the horse with another kid. The problem was that other kid was a little young and she had let her weight to fall back on Tiko, making it painful for her. We also had observed the problem on the way. The other issue was that we could not keep pace with the horses. Therefore we had to hire an additional horse. But the charges remained same. No discount for 3 km less. So one has to take a prudent decision about hiring horses right at Govindghat. It is one thing to want to trek 13 km and another to practically do it. Here we had paid the same amount we had paid at Govindghat for the horse. One of us could have the luxury of riding the horse for 3 km that he had to climb. Anyway both the ladies were put on the horse with one kid each. The third one was carrying our luggage. I and Chandan resumed our trek on foot.

As the climb continued and our energies started sapping, the average speed reduced from 3 km per hour to about 2 km per hour. We continued our journey with the Sikh pilgrims chanting ‘Bole So Nihal…Sat Sri Akaal’ and ‘Wahe Guru’. In fact we had wondered as to whether anybody else was going to VOF. The entire crowd appears to be heading for Hemkund Sahib. We had another break at around 6 km mark. My wife had found sitting on the horse a bit uneasy and so had decided to get off. Tiko was too happy to ride the horse alone. Horses are plied in pairs. A Punjabi lady was on the other horse accompanying Tiko’s horse. The lady told us not to worry and assured us to take care of her.

Chandan sped off. He was walking faster than me and waited for me while taking small breaks en-route. I was walking slowly to avoid injury to my back. As my wife has joined me, he decided to continue at his speed without the need to wait for me.

Few scenes that left an imprint on our mind :

Scene 1: Three ladies were walking barefoot doing symbolic ritual of kar-seva by cleaning the road with brooms while continue the climb up. It was tough to walk, leave alone doing something else. The weight of 1 kilo of my camera on my neck seemed a bit too much. This is the sheer power of devotion.

Scene 2 : An old lady, should be well past 60, was walking very slowly. She had a small bag on her head. I and my wife were taking a break every five or ten minutes of climb. Each time we had a break, the old lady goes past us. Then we start again and easily go past her. We sit again for a break. The old lady goes past us again. It was like the story of the tortoise and the hare. The old lady just kept walking, though very slowly, without stopping at all. It was incredible. This continued for about half an hour when we finally left her behind on a relatively easy stretch.

Our journey continued up the hill. After a tough stretch of climb we finally reached an open area with a gentle slope down. This is where the helipad was built. Ghangaria is another 2 km real stiff climb from this point. The sign of two kilometer infused some fresh energy into our tired legs. But that 2 km’s climb seemed never ending. The final climb was really very stiff. Our average speed has come down to 1.5 km because of the stiffness of the trek in the last 5 kilometers. Finally we had reached Ghangaria at 2:30 pm. It took us 6 and ½ hours to trek 13 kilometers. But I was happy that I had made it on foot. In fact it turned out that the most unfit person in the group, i.e. me who had a question mark for his slip disc condition, was the only person to have walked the entire 13 km. My wife had a brief horse ride in between for 3 km. Later we found that Chandan also rode the last 4 km of the trek. Out of love for him, his dear wife had decided to get off the horse and asked him to ride the horse at around 9 km mark. The horse sped off, leaving his wife to scale the stiff climb of final 4 km on foot. She later repented that it was all the way up from the point she got off the horse.

After having lunch, we eased into our rooms at the GMVN guest house. I found that there is plenty of accommodation at Ghangaria. In fact, every shop or building there doubles up as hotels and has some kind of accommodation to offer. GMVN was the costliest option. But it is the only place which offer advance booking through their website. So it always remains full. The conditions of the rooms were not good. But the clean bed sheet and towels were the welcome sight. I am sure that no other place will provide you such clean bed sheets. The climate there is so damp that cloths will take days to dry. September is kind of shoulder season for yatra to Hemkund, the peak being in June. Yet at least 1000 people reach Ghangaria daily. Imagine what will be rush in June. The place will close down for tourist and pilgrims in October.

Even though we had stayed at the GMVN guest house, we had our meals at the restaurant cum hotel located exactly opposite it across the road. The guest house staffs were slow, even in providing hot waters. Each bucket of hot water will cost you about 20 to 30 rupees. Further, having food at the guest house will attract taxes because they will bill you. Things are 3 times costlier to its MRP at Ghagaria. So having food outside will save you some bucks.

Despite the 13 km trek, our legs were not that tired. But we took combiflam tablets to kill whatever muscle spasm we had. When we had arrived at Ghagaria, we did not feel the cold because of the heat body had generated during the climb. In fact we were surprised to see people moving around in warm clothes. But as the body heat subsided, we felt the cold and the chilly wind a little bit more biting than desired. Once we were inside blankets, it was tough to think about getting out.

In the evening we visited the Gurudwara. There were people sleeping everywhere in the Gurudwara, including the sanctum santorum. Probably more than 50% of people arriving at Ghangaria had put up at the Gurudwara. We could be easily identified as non piligrims or non – Sikhs among the hundreds of people in the Gurudwara complex. Sikhs who are not so rich are very good people. Two such Samaritan volunteered to explain the importance of the both the Guruwara at Ghangaria and Hemkund Sahib and also about things within the Gurudwara complex. We were shown a tree which has a hollow cave type structure at its base. We were told that when the worshiping started at Hemkund Sahib some 70 years back, the priests used to go there every morning and then come back in the evening. As there was no place to stay at Ghangaria at that point of time, they slept at the natural tent formed at the base of this tree. The Gurudwara at Ghagaria was later built at this place.

I had mentioned earlier about the affable nature of the not so rich Sikh people. The lady who rode the other horse with our little daughter in fact came in the evening to enquire about us. Tiko had started crying when we had not arrived even after half an hour. Though the lady left when Chandan arrived, she was worried and so had come in the evening to enquire. Tiko was so happy when she saw us arriving.

We had a meeting in the evening. Because a change of plan was in the offing. We were to go to the VOF on day 2 as per original plan. I had a plan to attempt to reach Hemkund as well, provided my back holds after two days of trekking. But Chandan was not sure because around 11 pilgrims had died there in Aug 2007 for lack of Oxygen. However, on arriving at Ghangaria, he also had a change of mind. The sea of crowd going there had made him changed his mind. If so many people, including old ones can dare to go there, why can not us. Further, the likelihood of coming back here again is remote. So instead of VOF, trip to the Hemkund Sahib took priority.

First few photos from VOF uploaded

First few photos from VOF have been uploaded to my flickr album. here is one of the appreciated shot. I am unable to find time to complete the travelogue and upload the photos from the entire trip. Hope to complete it by next week.

Meanwhile you can see other uploaded photos by clicking on the flickr badge on the sidebar.

Back from VOF

Reached Delhi early this morning after travelling nearly 500 kms by road. It was really tiring. Got stuck in landslides at copuple of places on the way back. But overall it was a wonderful trip. We even made it to the sikh holy shrine of Hemkund Sahib located at 14000 feet. I also took a holy dip at the icy cold water of the hemkund lake. I walked for a total of 32 km over 3 days. Our legs are in bad shape and can barly walk.

The bad news is that it is still raining on the high areas of Garhwal. Landslides has ravaged the road at many palces. At some places the road is in such bad shape that the tense face of our driver made us realise the danger. The driver admited that while we were up in the hills trekking, he prayed that one stretch of the road between Pipolkoti and Jsohimath, which is sinking do not give way. Had it gave in, then we could have got stcuck for 10 / 15 days. Futher, on 5th Sept, a driver of a GMVN cab got killed on the spot when his vehcile was hit by a falling rock near Pandukesawar, halfway between Joshimath and Badrinath. That stretch of the road had also become very dangerous. Miraculously, other passengers of that Tata Sumo escaped unhurt as somehow the vehicle got into neutral while the driver got killed. This driver had been driving in the hills for more than 20 years. But who knows when death comes! Our driver was staying at Pandukeshwar and was witness to this incident. This had affected his morale.

I thanked god to have come back safely. I will not go that side again in near future.

Details on Valley of Flowers (VOF) in Uttaranchal

What is Valley of Flowers (VOF) :

A Google search produced nearly 40 lakh results. Although all of them may not be referring to the VOF I am looking for, yet it gives an indication that the location is well documented. So I am not harping on them. Some well documented site are as under --

Flowers of India
Garhwal Tourism
UNESCO World Heritage Official Site

In few words, it is a gently inclined basin of some 1,000 hectares of alpine meadows located at an average altitude of 11500 in the Zanskar range of Himalayas in the state of Uttaranchal. With more than 600 species of flora, some of which are unique to it, the palce is a nature lover’s paradise. It was discovered in 1931 by British mountaineer, explorer and botanist Frank S. Smith. Miss Margarate Legge, a botanist deputed by the botanical gardens of Edinburgh in 1939 lost her life while doing research work in the valley and was laid to rest in the gardens of the valley.

It was declared as a National Park in 1982 and an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.

Can you go there :

It is 19 km climb / trek one way with an overnight break at Ghangaria. You will have to climb 5500 feet over these 19 km. So you need to ask : Am I fit enough ? Same is applicable to people accompanying you. I thought of going there 2 years back. But age of my daughter put paid to all such plans. She is 5 years now and can walk 2 kms or so easily. Thus I am going this year. But as part of my preparation I had started regular mild exercises like jogging to loosen up my body. I do not recall walking 14 km on a single day in my life. Now I am daring to do that going uphill!!!

The trek starts at Govindghat at 5996 feet. On day 1 you will trek to Ghangaria at 9997 feet, i.e., 4000 feet over 14 km. Day 2 will involve trekking to about 11500 feet over 5 km and then come back that 5 km.

If your body permits and God wills, then you can think of going the Sikh holy shrine of Hemkund Sahib which is located at about 14000 feet. This is 6 km stiff trek from Ghangaria. I am keeping my fingers crossed. But somewhere in the back of my mind an attempt to go to Hemkund is tinkering. But importatnly, I have started regular jogging / running for about half an hour to loosen up the stiffness.


How to reach :

Nearest motor head is Govindghat and the nearest town is Joshimath, located some 255 km from Rishikesh. Govindghat lies some 22 km on the Joshimath to Badrinath road. This is almost the end of the NH58. Badrinath is further 23 km from Govindghat. The road between Rishikesh and Joshimath is reasonably good. But between Joshimath and Govindghat (and also Badrinath), it is terrible.

One has following options for a trip to VOF :
a) Take a GMVN tour. Trip by buses starts from Rishikesh. Travelling by bus will be tiring. You can also opt to travel by car offered by GMVN by paying a good amount.

b) If you are 3 people, then you can hire a small car like Indica. I did a cost comparison and found that hiring a cab from Dehradun or Rishikesh will be cheaper by about 1000 rupees than hiring it from Delhi. So hiring from Delhi is not a bad option as you need to think about traveling to Dehradun or Rishikesh. Only difference is that if you hire from Rishikesh or Dehradun, you are assured of a driver who knows the hills.

c) If you are more than 3 people, then take a bigger vehicle like Qualis or Tavera from Delhi. Cost wise it is much cheaper than hiring it from Dehradun or Rishikesh. All you need to ensure is to get a driver from the hills. Many agencies offer such drivers.

d) The last option is to engage a travel agency. They will book hotels for you, take you there by car, will arrange porters and for meals. But the charges are very high. The quote I got for 4 persons is @8000/- per person ex-Dehradun, which is almost 40% higher than the cost I had worked out. Not recomended.


Accommodation :

If you are traveling from Delhi, you will need accommodation at following places –

1) Rishikesh / Dehradun / Haridwar : Depending on where you prefer to stay. Rishikesh is 34 km from both Dehradun and Haridwar. Accommodation is easily available at these places. No prior booking required.

2) Joshimath / Badrinath : These are overnight halts on this route. So hotels tend to egts filled in the afternoon and gets vacated early next morning. So if you reach Joshimath around 5 pm, you will easily get accommodation at bargain price. As time passes, you losses bargaining power and will have to pay more the same accommodation. Do not waste time on Rishikesh - Joshimath part of the trip. You can also book GMVN guest house online.

3) Ghangaria : The situation is same as that of Joshimath. People who catches the first gate at Joshimath in the morning reaches Govindghat at around 7 am. After breakfast etc. they set out for Govindghat. If you take too much time to climb, then you may not good decent accommodation for first night. Next morning you have lot options. If you do not want this headache, then try to book GMVN guest house accommodation. But they are very few and this should not deter you from traveling. (I will update the availaibility of accomodation and type of accomodation on my return).

Now fly to Valley of Flowers

If you are willing to shell out 10000 bucks, you can forget about the 40 Kms scenic but tiresome trek between Govindghat and Ghangria. You can now fly between these places in just 10 minutes. Delhi based Prabhatam Aviation will be starting helicopter services between Govindghat and Ghangria from 1st June, 2007.

This means that one day's trek of 20 km one way can now be covered in just 10 minutes. I had enquired with the company for rates. It is not cheap, but may be worth. Rates are as under:

Both way trip : Rs.9900
One way trip : Rs.5500 (rate same for both up and down trip)
Capacity of the helicopter is 6 persons. No discounts for Child or Senior Citizens.

This means that, for going to Valley of Flowers, you will have to trek only the 5 km distance from Govindghat to Valley of Flowers. The climb to Hemkund Sahib is mich steeper. If you take both ways trip, you may be able to save two days.

Here are the phone nos of Prabhatam Aviation in Delhi :

Office and booking: 011-23516803
Mobiles: 9312233234 and 9313818979

Prabhatam Aviation had already started similar service between Phata and Kedarnath shrine. However, there were protests by local political groups against this service as it will affect the livlihood of many local who depends on visitors. Even this one may face protests at the begining.