Trip planning
Minimum Age to Visit the Valley of Flowers
Watch · Devkant on the trail, July 2025
बच्चों की कम से कम उम्र
Minimum age for children
“When you come to the valley with children, the big question is: what is the minimum age to visit? How old should your child be to bring them here? Look — if the child walks well on their own, like 6–7 years old, that's great —…”
1:21 · Hindi with English captions · full screen
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This is a common question from couples with children who want to visit the Valley of Flowers. The answer is yes — they can come, but not infants. A child should be old enough to actually enjoy it.
What is the minimum age?
In my opinion the minimum age for a child to visit the Valley of Flowers is 5 years. If your children are under 5, we recommend not taking them on the trek. I have seen Sikh families take even infants to Hemkund Sahib for religious reasons — the decision is entirely yours.
The trekking is not the problem
Porters are available throughout the trek to carry children. A porter costs about ₹3,000 a day, depending on demand and on the child's weight. As you can see in the picture, children actually enjoy the ride; some of them even fall asleep on the way.
Children aged 10–15 often trek more efficiently than the adults — they have more energy.
What to take care of
- Warm clothes: nights in Ghangaria are very cold. Pack plenty of warm clothing for your child.
- Medicines and essentials: bring basic medicines and anything else your child needs. Ghangaria is very remote, and these things are hard to find there.
- Hemkund Sahib: I recommend not taking younger children to Hemkund Sahib on foot. It is a tough trek, and the gurudwara is at about 14,000 feet.
Read what children wrote about their trek
Two young trekkers who came with their father wrote about their experience in their own words:
- Valley of Flowers trek travelogue by Aditya Chinchewadi (aged 12)
- Valley of Flowers trek travelogue by Sanskruti Chinchewadi (aged 10)
Travelling with your family
We organise Valley of Flowers treks from Haridwar with fixed departures every weekend. See our tour packages or send us your dates.
What travellers say about trekking with us
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★★★★★
Blue Poppy Holidays – Where Passionate Ownership Meets Professionalism Blue Poppy Holidays is where passionate ownership truly meets professionalism. Our experience was simply unimaginable and far beyond our expectations. The hospitality extended by the entire team, led personally by Mrs. Seema Sangwan, the owner herself, sets an exceptionally high standard. The property at…
Read the full review
Blue Poppy Holidays – Where Passionate Ownership Meets Professionalism
Blue Poppy Holidays is where passionate ownership truly meets professionalism.
Our experience was simply unimaginable and far beyond our expectations. The hospitality extended by the entire team, led personally by Mrs. Seema Sangwan, the owner herself, sets an exceptionally high standard.
The property at Joshimath is an absolute pristine beauty. The variety of plants and flowers nurtured there is so incredible that it almost feels like having a little Valley of Flowers within the property itself. Mr. Devkant Sangwan, the owner, takes genuine pride in his garden and personally showed us each and every plant during our visit. His passion and knowledge make the experience even more special.
And then comes the organic food — freshly prepared, delicious, and served with a smile every single time. The cooking is excellent, and the warmth with which everything is served makes you feel less like a guest and more like family. Special mention to Mr. Anuj - Manager & Ajay leading the team.
The staff behaviour is simply beyond excellent — courteous, caring, attentive and always ready to help.
Our experience at Ghangharia was equally wonderful. The tent accommodation was arguably the best one could expect at such an altitude, complemented by excellent service lead by Mr. Shankar and a wonderful team.
A special mention for our guide, Mr. Pramod, who was extremely caring and supportive throughout the trek. He took complete care of our 7-year-old throughout the journey, giving us immense confidence and peace of mind.
We had visited Blue Poppy Holidays almost 10 years ago, in 2016, and returning after such a long gap was an equally memorable experience. It is rare to find a place where the hospitality, people, property, food and attention to detail come together so beautifully.
We will definitely be visiting again — and if you are planning a trip to the Valley of Flowers with your family, we would blindly recommend Blue Poppy Holidays.
Your family deserves nothing less. ❤️
Thank you, Team Blue Poppy, for making our journey so beautiful, comfortable and memorable.
Vishal, Keshani & Arjun 🫶Vishal V. · August 2026
Google review of Blue Poppy Premier, Jyotirmath (Joshimath) -
★★★★★
I stayed in Blue Poppy Resort Auli Branch for about 8 days after trekking to Valley of Flowers and Hemkund Sahib. I was travelling solo since a couple and a friend who were supposed to travel with me backed out at the last moment. I am 63 and a retired Wg Cdr from Indian Air Force. I had some apprehension of being a bit lonely during my trek and travel and was unaware of my…
Read the full review
I stayed in Blue Poppy Resort Auli Branch for about 8 days after trekking to Valley of Flowers and Hemkund Sahib. I was travelling solo since a couple and a friend who were supposed to travel with me backed out at the last moment.
I am 63 and a retired Wg Cdr from Indian Air Force. I had some apprehension of being a bit lonely during my trek and travel and was unaware of my fitness level etc. All these turned out to be absolutely unfounded. I immediately made really great friends and the smiles and politeness shown by the youngsters who looked after the guests made the experience very pleasant. Devkant and Seema look after the guests like family. Devkant is huge in his knowledge of the flora and fauna… he is enthusiastic and protective about all environment….. he is an ideal guide who connects with all the participants and educates them. I learnt a lot from him and Seema.. I think they provide excellent hands on service in a clean and natural environment.
The accommodation and food were top class while requiring participants to refrain from wastage and leaving the area cleaner then before they came.
I did a few treks around Auli to Gordon Bugyal and could not go for the 3 day camping trip. Maybe next time when I bring my children and their families.
I had an extremely spiritual experience far away from the hustle and bustle of Mumbai.
There’s excellent mobile coverage and one can keep in touch with family at all times.
There’s excellent views of the majestic Himalayas all around and Nanda Devi is visible quite often.
Thanks Devkant and Seema. I learnt a lot and relaxed at the same time. Will see you again with family in the next few years when my granddaughter is a little older.
Keep up the good work!Uday K. · August 2021
Google review of Blue Poppy Resort, Auli -
★★★★★
We were picked up from Haridwar by Mr Mukesh and taken by Tempo traveller. Due to landslides we were delayed by two days initially at Kodiyala and then near Chamoli, hence we went direct from Chamoli to Pulna via Gobindhghat. Mr Mukesh is an expert driver and helped us to reach Gobindhghat safely. From here we were transferred to a local transport to climb up to Pulna. Inspire…
Read the full review
We were picked up from Haridwar by Mr Mukesh and taken by Tempo traveller. Due to landslides we were delayed by two days initially at Kodiyala and then near Chamoli, hence we went direct from Chamoli to Pulna via Gobindhghat. Mr Mukesh is an expert driver and helped us to reach Gobindhghat safely. From here we were transferred to a local transport to climb up to Pulna. Inspire of these delays we forged great friendships on the way and I was entertained by the spirit of my companions especially the group from Surat. We had to trek or travel by pony to Ghangria. abhishek our guide joined us at Joshimath and helped us through our trip to Ghangria. Especially the odd straggler.
Rooms at the Swiss cottage Gangaria were good and bathrooms were hygienic and food was excellent .we really had diff foods in each meal. The staff of 4 Ashok Anuj and others were ever smiling and helpful.
Our tour guide Mr Abhishek helped us a lot ,took care of every member in the group .He is really helpful . He really helped anyone feeling unwell or tired.
Last but not the least hot water facility and leg massages after the trek was awesome. Subsequently I extended my stay and spent some great days trekking around Auli branch of Blue Poppy resorts. I will cover this in more detail in a separate review. Mr Devkant and Seema were especially friendly and treated us like guests in his own home.Uday K. · August 2021
Google review of Blue Poppy Swiss Cottage Camps, Ghangaria