In this Valley of Flowers trek, you'll embark on a journey from Rishikesh to Joshimath/Pipalkoti, with the latter located at an altitude of 6,200 ft. The scenic drive on the Badrinath Highway lets you witness the beauty of the Panch Prayags, along with the picturesque Chamoli and Srinagar districts of Uttarakhand unfolding with every turn. You'll be spending a night in Joshimath/Pipalkoti before starting the trek. The next day, you'll drive to Pulna village, which is the starting point for the Valley of Flower trek. The gradual ascent on rocky paths will lead you to Ghangaria village after almost 5 hours of trekking, during which you will attain an altitude of 10,000ft. All along the Pushpawati River will be flowing alongside you on the 9-kilometer uphill route. As this trek route has many shops and dhabas, you'll have plenty of resources to get refreshments from and rest between treks. There are stairs for convenience as many pilgrims take this route to go to the Hemkund Sahib. Upon reaching the village, you can stay at guest houses.

The distance from Ghangaria to the Valley of Flowers is 4 Kilometers, and this part of the trail in the Valley of Flowers trek is easy because of the flat walk towards and through the valley. In this itinerary of the Valley Of Flowers trek, you'll attain an altitude of 15,200 ft spread across a stretch of 42 km. During the course of five days, your trekking hours last up to 6 hours, and you gain an average altitude of 2000ft every day. The valley stretches like a colorful carpet that is a blend of different hues, with green, yellow, and pink being the most prominent ones. The mountains overlook the valley, adding more charm to the picturesque scenery in front of you. Colorful blossoms of more than 300 species spread across the valley, ending only after 5 kilometers at a glacial point. The Valley of Flowers trek is an easy to moderate trek that offers rare access to the Himalayan ranges in Uttarakhand. The valley itself is about 2 km wide and 8 km long. The temperature on the Valley of Flowers trek usually stays somewhere between 5 to 20 degrees Celsius, with chances of rainfall while trekking as the clouds are almost thick over the valley. The trek from Ghangaria to Hemkund Sahib is the hardest part of the trek, making the difficulty level of the Valley of Flower trek increase from easy to moderate because of the altitude gain and steep ascents. However, the peaceful chants at Hemkund Sahib make all the efforts more worth it. The beauty of the Valley of Flowers treks lies not just in the flowers but also in the fact that it attracts women from all over the world. The best time to do the Valley of Flowers trek is when spring arrives because only then do you get to see most of the flowers that adorn the vast expanse of Greenlands, making the trekking experience worth it.

The valley of flowers trek comes under the easy to moderate category when it comes to grading the difficulty level and is considered to be a perfect trek for beginners and even a great trek for families. The hardest climb is the one to Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara which is the highest Gurudwara in the world and one of the most important pilgrim sites in Uttarakhand.  The valley itself stretches to a length of almost 10 kilometers, with colors of rainbows speckled across the patchwork of grass, compelling you to stop and look at them closely. The scent of flora lingers in the air and is hard to miss as you keep traversing through the valley, walking on the narrow path that cuts across the flower beds to make way.  

In this Valley of Flower trek itinerary, we start our journey with an 8-hour drive from Rishikesh to Joshimath which is the base camp for the Valley of flowers trek. Though the drive can seem strenuous, the beautiful scenery that accompanies you provides you a glimpse at four of the Panch Prayag which are five holy sites of the confluence of the river Ganga namely - Devprayag, Rudraprayag, Karnaprayag, and Nand Prayag will surely this drive a visual treat for your eyes. Upon reaching Joshimath, we will check into our lodgings and retire for the night. The next day, we drive from Joshimath to Pulna village which is the starting point for the valley of flower trek. Upon reaching there, we start trekking to Ghangaria. We gradually ascend on a stretch of a 9-kilometer route with the Pushpawati river flowing alongside. The trek is considered to be of the easy to moderate category with the uphill route consisting of stone-carved paths and steep ascents testing your endurance slightly as you walk up to your next campsite, Ghangaria village which is located at an altitude of 10,000ft. The trail is lined with many small dhabas so you will have plenty of resources to refill your water bottles and get snacks as you move forward. After walking for almost half of the distance, you will be able to see the Hathi Parvat ranges in front of you. From there on the climb is steep and you’ll be required to maintain proper footing until you reach your campsite.

The next day you will be able to traverse through the valley of flowers. But before that, you have to cover at least a stretch of 4 kilometers of land. As you keep walking for at least 10 minutes, you will stumble upon the Laxman waterfall which gushes streams of sparkling water, the sight of which will surely refresh you. After a few minutes, you will reach the forest check post, from where you can buy tickets. The check post signifies your proximity to another marvel of nature in the form of a wooden bridge that is perched upon the Pushpavati river. No sooner after you have crossed the bridge, mountains will start peeking from behind. Every direction that you take will seem like a natural paradise because all colors of the rainbow are now on the ground in the form of blooming flowers. The difficulty level of the valley of flowers trek becomes easier here as you have to walk flatly throughout the valley.  Adorning the Himalayan peaks with different hues belonging to native flowers like poppies, Himalayan roses, geraniums, etc. The flowery carpet will end after a 5-kilometer stretch at a glacier but the sight of the majestic Himalayan peaks of Nilgiri Parvat, Bhyundar Khal, Rattan, Gauri Parvat, etc still make the view picturesque with a cold stream of water flowing throughout. Eating and camping in the valley aren’t allowed so you will have to head back to Ghangaria and retire for the night.

The hardest part of the valley of flowers trek commences the next day as you head out for Gurudwara Hemkund Sahib, nestled at an altitude of 14,107 ft, it is the highest Gurudwara in the world. The six-hour-long trek from Ghangaria to Hemkund Sahib is challenging in more than one way, the first one being that in a matter of a few hours, you gain an altitude of 5,000ft and the scenic views are replaced by steep descents making the climb rather strenuous. As you keep walking, you will be able to look over the entire valley of flowers and soon a cascading waterfall will come into view. You’d be able to feel the low oxygen levels as you gradually ascend, and that is your cue to keep drinking water as much as you can. After traversing on stone-paved pathways and stumbling upon melting glaciers, Gurudwara Hemkund Sahib will bless you with the Hemkund lake right by its side, mirroring its pristine beauty. All your efforts will feel worth it once you have a cup of hot piping chai and a mouthful of khichdi that is distributed during the Langar.

As you stroll on the premise, you’d feel a sense of peace that you won’t find anywhere else. The lake, which is formed by the melting glaciers of Hathi Parvat and Saptarishi peaks, reflects the grandeur of the mountain as well. When the skies are crystal clear, you get a view of the Saptarishis peaks beckoning you closer while on the lakeside, rare flowers like the Brahma Kamal add more charm to the beauty of Hemkund lake. On a clear day, you will be able to glimpse at the Himalayan peaks of Nilgiri Parvat, Bhyundar Khal, and Gauri Parvat as well.  A temple dedicated to Laxman, Lord Rama’s brother is also situated near the lake and you can pay your respects there as well. You will soon have to descend and the 7-kilometer walk can put a strain on your muscles.  The next day is relatively easier as the descent to Pulna village would feel easier than the steep uphill climbing of the previous day. The trail is lined with enough dhabas and snack shops making it even easier to descend and in no time you’d have reached the base from where we’d be driving to Joshimath commencing our valley of flowers trek. Being one of the most well-known treks in the Indian Himalayas, the Valley of Flowers trek is quite safe. It has well-laid trails frequented by pilgrims. However, one needs to be careful on the slippery sections of the trail, especially during the rainy season.