Trek to Valley of Flowers/ Hemkund Sahib August 2010

Part 1 – Reaching the Base

Valley of Flowers National Park is an Indian national park, Nestled high in West Himalaya, is renowned for its meadows of endemic alpine flowers and outstanding natural beauty. It is located in Uttarakhand state. The gentle landscape of the Valley of Flowers National Park complements the rugged mountain wilderness of Nanda Devi National Park. Together they encompass a unique transition zone between the mountain ranges of the Zanskar and Great Himalaya. The park stretches over an expanse of 87.50 km.

Valley of flower is splashed with colour as it bloomed with hundreds different beautiful flowers, taking on various shades of colours as time progressed. Valley was declared a national park in 1982, and now it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This area is inaccessible throughout the year and is open from May to September only. The valley is home to many celebrated flowers like the Brahmakamal, the Blue Poppy and the Cobra Lily. It is a much sought after haunt for flower-lovers, botanists and of course trekkers, for whom a sufficient excuse to embark on a mission to reach a place, is that it exists!

Team Members who undertook this trek:

Raghu Iyer

Ajanta Iyer

Siddhartha Iyer

The route undertaken:

One way:

Mumbai – Delhi – Haridwar – Rishikesh – Joshimath – Gobindghat – Ghangharia – Valley of Flowers/ Hemkund

Return:

Valley of Flowers/ Hemkund – Ghangharia – Gobindghat – Badrinath – Joshimath – Rudraprayag – Rishikesh – Delhi – Mumbai

The Journey:

We flew from Mumbai to Delhi before progressing to Hardiwar.

9^th August 2010 – Haridwar

We boarded the Shatabdi Express at 6.50 am from New Delhi station. Boasting of one of the best train services, it surely did not disappoint us! The breakfast is included in the train fare. The meal was simple and filling, not too grandiose! We touched Haridwar at 12.00 pm.

Haridwar is the gateway to the four pilgrimages of Uttarakhand. It’s also your starting point on the journey to the sacred sources of the rivers Ganga and the Yamuna. According to legend, Prince Bhagirath performed penance here to salvage the souls of his ancestors who had perished due to sage Kapil’s curse. The penance was answered and the river Ganga trickled forth from Lord Shiva's locks and its bountiful water revived the sons of King Sagara. In the tradition of Bhagirath, devout Hindus stand in the sacred waters here, praying for salvation of their ancestors. Considered as one of the holiest places in the country, Haridwar is a small town brimming with temples and pilgrims!

We checked into Ginger Hotel, (www.gingerhotels.com) a self service hotel run by the Tata group. It is a budget hotel with good facilities. I definitely would recommend staying here if you want to save some dough and don’t mind managing on the bare minimum. The room was decent and spacious. However, the food options here are limited. The hotel across the street- Dosa Plaza was a much better option where we savored some pretty decent South Indian dishes! The dosas here definitely rocked (this is the rating of a dosa freak. so trust me here!). Overall, our stay at Ginger would be rated at 8 on a scale of 1 to 10. The staff here is excellent, honest and efficient!

In the evening, we visited the Mansa Devi Temple via ropeway. Mansa Devi Temple, is a Hindu temple dedicated to goddess Mansa in the holy city of Haridwar in the Uttarakhand state of India. The temple is located atop the Bilwa Parvat on the Sivalik Hills, the southernmost mountain chain of the Himalayas. The temple also known as Bilwa Tirth is one of the Panch Tirth (Five Pilgrimages) within Haridwar.

It was a pleasant experience with us getting a hawk eye view of Haridwar during the ride. After retuning from the temple, we went to the banks of the holiest river in India, the Ganga. We prayed for our ancestors before attending the evening aarti on the banks of the Ganges, which is one of the most beautiful and spiritual sights I have experienced. It was amazing looking at the Ganges adorned with hundreds of lamps. We enjoyed this spiritual experience at Hari Ki Pauri, a famous ghat on the banks of the Ganges!

10^th August 2010 – Rishikesh

Following breakfast, we headed to Rishikesh, located an hours ride away. We opted for a fun tuk-tuk ride through the forests of Rajaji National Park.

Rishikesh, is another prominent pilgrim spot in India. Considered a white water rafting haven, it provides one of the most beautiful glimpses of the Ganges! It is also known as the Gateway to the Himlayas. Crossing the Ram Jhula, we checked into Hotel Green View (www.hotelgreen.com). The rooms & service at this hotel is great. A recommended spot for future travelers!

Our next halt was at the 50 year old Chotiwala Restaurant for brunch. Well, the food definitely did not live up to its reputation and was a disappointment. We then walked across towards Laxman Jhula. As you head towards the

famed Laxman Jhula, one must cross over and visit the famed German Bakery! The food here is great!

Similar to Haridawar, we made it a point to attend the evening aarti on the banks of the Ganga. It is one of the most amazing experiences and I definitely recommend all visitors to attend it irrespective of caste, religion or nationality! It was celestial looking at the mist pass over the Ganges, the play of temple lights, devotes releasing lamps in the river with the peaceful bhajans in the background! Truly an experience of a lifetime!

We had dinner at Topiwala restaurant, relatively new, but the food was great. Please do visit the place for some simple yet appetizing food! The smiling waiters added to the charm of the place! The dinner was topped with a glass of hot milk from a nearby sweet shop!

11^th August 2010 – Joshimath

At 8 am, we started our journey to Joshimath, the taxi costing us ` 4000/-. A popular centre of pilgrimage, Joshimath is the base for trekking to the Valley of Flowers. It is at a height of 2100 m. Joshimath is the place where Adi Shankaracharya set up a 'mutt' in the 8th century. During the winter season, when Badrinath is snowed in, the idol from the main temple is brough down to Joshimath.

As we started our journey, we looked back at one of the most beautiful mountain sights till date- the heavy mist covering the Ganges! We took our breakfast halt at a small town enroute called Byasi. Breakfast consisted of delicious parathas wit chole, aloo sabzi, curd and pickles at a simple dhaba. Driving through the mist throughout the journey was one of the most memorable Himalayan experiences. As we drove on, we were met with heavy rains at Devprayag. We halted briefly at Kirtinagar bridge over the majestic Alakhnanda River. Our next halt was at Rudralok Hotel at Khankri, decent food!

During this journey, we saw a sight which would be a constant part of our journey heron – Turban Clad Sardarjis on bikes, travelling all the way from Punjab in the simplest of clothing and gear! As we drove on to Joshimath, we passed the holy towns of Karnaprayag and Rudraprayag. The small towns of Gauchar and Chamoli attracted us as we passed by. We had a close shave at Chamoli, where we had to get off the car and run as rocks fell from the top! One of the craziest moments ever! This was the first of the many landslides and road cave ins we experienced during the trip! As we entered Joshimath, we were greeted by misty and cool weather. We checked in at Hotel Snow Crest (www.snowcrest.co.in), a decent lodge located on the Cable Car route.

Post our check-in, we took a short walk in the markets of Joshimath before having to return due to heavy rains. We had dinner at New Khanduri Restaurant, 5 mins from our hotel. Dinner was simple yet delicious. We recommend having a bite at this place.

12^th August 2010 – Govindghat

Waking up to the sound of rains, would be something we would get used to in the coming days as we proceeded on our journey. We arranged for a Sumo to drop us to Govindghat (an hour’s drive away – 22 km) for ` 600/-. Govindghat is the roadhead and starting point fro trekking to Hemkund Sahib and Valley of Flowers. The Gurudwara located right on the bank of river Lakshman Ganga is the most important landmark in the area. All essential stuffs, which one may require for trekking, is available in the local market. Mules and porters are available here for trekking to Ghangaria about 13k.m, which is the base camp for visiting Hemkund Sahib and Valley of Flowers. The cell phone network here is non-existent (at times BSNL works)!

The drive from Joshimath to Govindghat was lovely as we drove through the rains. The scenic beauty was breath taking. We passed a number of waterfalls and landslides (our constant companions during the journey). We drove into the town of Govindghat at 9 am and we immediately fell in love with this quaint little place. We checked into a small little lodge called Kuber Lodge (Tel: 226204). For ` 900/- it was a comfortable and decent room we got. The USP of this place was it having a geyser, a luxury in these areas! The room service could be better though. At this place, we saw one of the most gigantic beetles I have ever seen! We had breakfast at Nany’s restaurant, a min away from the lodge. The meal consisting of bread-butter toast, egg bhurji, bread pakoda and masala chai was great! We do recommend having a bite her, quite a popular place.

While in Govindghat, one must take time to walk through the little market, visit the Gurudwara and observe the Lakshman Ganga at its most ferocious speed. We did just that before heading back to Nany’s for some lunch. We had dinner at the Lodge itself, a simple fare of rajma and chawal. We then fell asleep to the sound of the Lakshman Ganga roaring past!