How to reach valley of flowers from Delhi, Haridwar, Rishikesh and Dehradoon.
- Reach Delhi to Haridwar.You can reach Haridwar from Delhi using Private taxi, AC Volvo bus, train or by air. To reach by air you need to reach up to Dehradoon airport first and then drive to Haridwar.
- Haridwar to Auli / Joshimath / Govindghat.From Haridwar you need to drive to Auli / Joshimath / Govindghat. You can stay at any of these places as they are nearby. Total distance from Joshimath to ghangaria distance 275kms – 300 km time taken will be 10-12 hours.
- Auli / Joshimath / Govindghat to Ghangaria.You need to first drive to Govindghat if you are not staying there. From Govindghat drive to Pulna Village for 4 kms in separate vehicle, your vehicle is not allowed. From pulna to ghangaria distance it’s a moderate trek to Ghangaria for 10 km. You can get a Helicopter or Pony or Porters from Govindghat to Ghangaria.
- Ghangaria to Valley of flowers and back to Ghangaria.Full day trek of 10- 20 kms depending upon how deep you go. Start early to explore deepest parts of the valley of flowers. You need to be back by 5 pm as per forest department rules.
How to reach Valley of flowers from New Delhi:-
Reaching Valley of flowers from Delhi requires 7 days and 6 nights in total and we can divide it into following segments.
Reaching from New Delhi to Haridwar:
Distance 200 kilometers.
You can reach Haridwar from New Delhi by road or by train. Air-conditioned Volvo buses are available from New Delhi to Haridwar. You can take bus from Anand Vihar Inter State Bus Terminus at New Delhi. If you are not so particular about Air-conditioned buses then you may get a bus every ten minutes from New Delhi. It takes almost 5-6 hours from Delhi to valley of flowers by bus.
The second option is you hire a taxi from New Delhi to Haridwar. It is a bit costly affair as they charge both ways for dropping only. But if you 3-4 people minimum this is also a good idea.
The last option is going by train. If you are starting from New Delhi you can get a train easily from New Delhi but bookings are to be done well in Advance. You can check train availability from New Delhi to Haridwar by clicking here. But if you are coming from other parts of India kindly try to book your tickets for a direct Delhi to valley of flowers by train.
You should reach Haridwar by evening as you need to start early (not later than 5.30 AM) the next day for the trip. Train is the best option but if you did not have train reservation you can go in for air-conditioned Volvo bus.
Haridwar to Valley of flowers
Reaching from Haridwar to Govindghat.
Distance 300 kilometers.
This is the day when you have option of going by road only. The whole day you will be traveling along Alaknanda River and the whole journey will be in hills. So take a tablet for vomiting if you are prone to that. Public transport is not so good in this region and since you need to travel for at least 10-12 hrs by road you need to have a comfortable vehicle from Haridwar to Govind ghat distance. Hiring a vehicle from Haridwar is a good idea and they charge for the whole trip of 6 days. Getting dropped and sending them back is not a good idea as while coming back it would be difficult to get a taxi from Govindghat or Badrinath.
The best idea is to go in for an organized trip by a professional organizer or hire a taxi for the trip. (You can contact us for any of the need). Reach Govindghat by evening. And prepare yourself for tomorrow’s trek. Sleep early and divide your luggage in to two parts. You can leave some luggage at Govindghat which you dont need at Ghangaria.
How to reach from Govindghat to Ghangaria.
Total Distance 14 kilometers.
The motor-able road ends at Govindghat. Ghangaria is the common base camp for trek to Valley of flowers and Hemkund Sahib. It is a small village where there are some basic hotels. In 2012 the electricity reached this village and now you can expect some electric charging facility for your camera cells in Ghangaria.
From Govindghat you have got four options to reach Ghangaria. They are:-
- Trekking
- Taking pony.
- Hiring porter/porters.
- Take Helicopter.
Reaching Govindghat to Ghangaria by trekking.
To reach Ghangaria from Govindghat by trekking you should start your trek as early as possible but not later than 8:00 AM. Have a good breakfast before starting and carry fewer luggage or hire a porter. If you are hiring a porter kindly make sure to be with him all the time for your own benefit. You may need things on the way like umbrella, eatables or camera on the way. Do not put any valuable in luggage with porter. Do not be in haste to reach Ghangaria as you will more tired, just enjoy the beauty of nature and keep clicking photographs. You will reach Ghangaria by evening. Stay in a pre-booked hotel. (Contact us to book a hotel in Ghangaria). Please read our full page on
Govindghat to Ghangaria trek
Reaching Ghangaria from Govindghat by Pony.
Ponies take approximately four hours to reach Ghangaria. So can have a luxury to start by 9.00 AM from Govindghat. But we recommend you to start early and reach Ghangaria by 12.00 noon and enter Valley of flowers today only to finish the micro level photography of the first kilometer inside the valley. This step will give you more time for tomorrow for valley of flowers when you will explore the deeper parts. The entry to the valley closes at 2.00 PM so be there at the entrance before that.
The entry ticket costs Rs. 150 for Indian nationals and Rs. 600 for foreigners. But good news is that this ticket is valid for three days, so don’t need to take a ticket tomorrow. Come out of the gate before 5.00 PM.
Reaching Ghangaria from Govindghat by Porter/Porters.
If you a senior citizen or an old age person you don’t want to trek for any reason and the Helicopter is not flying due to bad weather you can hire a porter or group of four porters who can carry a person. Single porter is recommended for a light weight person upto a weight of 50 kilograms. The pictures will explain the facility in a better way. Even you can hire single porter for children with you. Reach Govindghat by evening and stay in a pre-booked hotel. (Contact us to book a hotel in Ghangaria).
Reaching Ghangaria from Govindghat by Helicopter.
This is the fastest way to reach Ghangaria from Govindghat. But in the month of July and August the flying of the Helicopter is very uncertain due to bad weather. So the availability of helicopter is very uncertain. You can not plan your self accordingly. But if you can get a helicopter you can save both time and energy but you will be deprived of the beauty of nature from Govindghat to Ghangaria. We dont recommend this mode as you have come to this place for nature and not for luxury.
Now you have reached the base camp Ghangaria, for the trek to Valley of flowers.
Reaching Valley of flowers from Ghangaria :
Basically you need to trek from Govindghat to Ghangaria. But for older, physically weak and children porters are available. Ponies are not allowed in the Valley of flowers.
Get up early in the morning the day and get ready for breakfast by 6.00 AM and finish your breakfast by 6.30 AM so as to reach the entry gate before 7.00 AM. The entry gate opens at 7.00 AM and you need to be back by 5.00 PM. Today be punctual so as to explore as much as possible. This is the most crucial day of the trip. You should explore the maximum area . Even local guides are not interested in taking you to core and the most beautiful parts. Since you are spending a lot of time and taking lot of pain to reach Valley of flowers, you should not miss its main beauty. We take you to the core area of the valley (Provided you have enough stamina and speed). Kindly contact us to book your seat with us at a reasonable price. As this is our hobby turned into profession. We love our job and you can expect the best of the services.
Check the trek difficulty level on How difficult is Valley of flowers trek.
Check the minimum age to visit Valley of flowers.
Check the best time to visit Valley of Flowers.