Overview
The Valley of Flowers is a high-altitude national park in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand. The trek starts at Govindghat, follows the Lakshman Ganga to the village of Ghangaria, and then climbs about 3 to 4 km to the valley, where meadows flower from July to August. Most visitors treat Ghangaria as a base and make a day walk into the valley, often adding a separate climb to Hemkund Sahib.
The park is open only for part of the year and has entry rules, including no overnight stays inside. Fees and timings have been reported differently by different sources, and we say where we could not settle them.
Why do this trek?
- Flowers in season. Peak bloom is reported as mid-July to mid-August.
- A gentle base. You sleep at Ghangaria and walk into the valley with a day pack.
- Accessible for first-timers. Published guides rate it Easy to Moderate.
- An option for Hemkund Sahib. The sacred lake is a separate, steep climb from Ghangaria.
Who is it for?
First-time Himalayan trekkers and families who are comfortable with a steady uphill walk. The Ghangaria climb is the main effort, and the valley itself is a gentler walk.
Who should think twice?
Anyone who wants solitude, a camping trek or reliable mobile coverage. The monsoon season brings landslide risk on the road to Govindghat.
How we rate the difficulty
We rate the Valley of Flowers Easy to Moderate using our difficulty method.
- Altitude: the valley floor is about 3,600 m. Hemkund Sahib is about 4,300 m.
- Effort: the valley day is about 8 to 10 km round trip from Ghangaria. The approach from Govindghat is about 9 to 13 km uphill, depending on where the jeep stops.
- Terrain: stone path and steps, with mule traffic on the approach.
- Monsoon: rain is regular in July and August and the road can be cut by landslides.
- Remoteness: limited mobile coverage beyond Joshimath, with patchy signal in Ghangaria.
Altitude and acclimatisation
We rate AMS risk low for the valley because you sleep at Ghangaria and the valley adds only a few hundred metres. The Hemkund Sahib climb is a larger day gain. See our altitude sickness guide.
Entry fees: conflicting information
Sources disagree. One 2026 report gives INR 150 for Indian nationals and INR 600 for foreign nationals, while another gives INR 200 and INR 800. A third says the fee is approximately INR 150 to 200 and INR 600 to 800. Permits are reported as valid for three days. We could not confirm the current fee from an official source, so we do not state one.
Rules reported for visitors
- Permits are required for all visitors and can be bought at the forest counter near Ghangaria.
- Overnight stays and camping inside the valley are not allowed.
- Drones are not allowed.
- One report gives the entry window as 7 am to 2 pm, with all visitors out of the park by 5 pm. We could not confirm this from an official source.
Season
The park is reported as open from about 1 June to 31 October in 2026, subject to official confirmation. Plan around the dates your operator or the forest department confirms.
Plan alongside other tools
Use Find My Trek or compare treks. Related: Kuari Pass and trekking in Uttarakhand. Season: July and August.