Valley of Flowers and Hemkund Sahib Trek

The Valley of Flowers and Hemkund Sahib trek is an easy 6-day, 5-night walk from Auli to Ghangaria, with a full day in the Valley of Flowers National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a climb to the Hemkund Sahib gurudwara at 4,161 m.

The first day is a long drive up the Badrinath highway, past the river confluences of Uttarakhand, to a calm night at Auli. Next morning a short drive takes you to Pulna, and a well-kept pilgrim path leads on through green slopes and the village of Bhyundar to Ghangaria at 3,094 m. Near Bhyundar the Bhyunder Ganga and the Pushpawati meet, and the path follows them up, with the Laxman Ganga below. It is a pilgrim route, so the trail is clear and the gradient steady.

The valley is known for the blue primula, the Brahma Kamal and more than 500 species of high-altitude wildflowers. Hathi Parbat (6,727 m) and Gauri Parbat (6,708 m) stand over the Bhyundar country, and Frank S. Smythe found this valley while coming down from Kamet.

Ghangaria is your base for three nights. One day goes into the Valley of Flowers: you walk in early with a packed lunch, the Pushpawati beside you, flowers across the floor and green walls rising on both sides. The next day is the steep climb to Hemkund Sahib, above 4,000 m, with lunch at the gurudwara. Then you walk out and drive back to Auli and Rishikesh.

• Days: 6 days, 5 nights
• Highest point: Hemkund Sahib, 4,161 m
• Grade: easy; walking days of 5 to 7 hours
• Getting there: from Dehradun airport and back, pickup and drop included
• Best months: August and September, for the flowers

Your own private group, usually 2 to 10, with a local team. We arrange the permits.

• A full day in the Valley of Flowers: A UNESCO World Heritage Site with the Pushpawati flowing through it and green mountain walls on both sides. You go in early and have your own time in it.
• Hemkund Sahib at 4,161 m: A steep climb above 4,000 m from Ghangaria to the gurudwara and the lake, one of the most sacred places for Sikhs and Hindus, with lunch at the gurudwara.
• The pilgrim path to Ghangaria: A well-kept trail from Pulna through Bhyundar village and green slopes, to Ghangaria at 3,094 m.
• Where two rivers meet: Near Bhyundar the Bhyunder Ganga, from Hathi Taal, joins the Pushpawati. Both feed the Laxman Ganga, a tributary of the Alakananda.
• Flowers in August and September: The valley is known for the blue primula and the Brahma Kamal, among more than 500 species of wildflowers.
• Hathi Parbat and Gauri Parbat: The 6,727 m and 6,708 m peaks stand over the Bhyundar valley.
• Three nights in one place: Ghangaria is your base for both big days, so you walk light and unpack once.
• The Prayags on the drive: The road from Rishikesh climbs along the Alakananda past the confluences that form the Ganga.
• Smythe's valley: The Bhyundar valley was brought to the wider world by the mountaineer Frank S. Smythe, after his Kamet expedition.
• Private and unhurried: Your own group, usually 2 to 10, at your own pace, with a night in Auli at each end.

The Valley of Flowers is a single day on this trek, and it is an easy one: about 8 km, 5 to 7 hours, from Ghangaria at 3,094 m up to the valley at 3,531 m and back. The trail is well laid, and the walking is gentle.

Starting early. We leave soon after breakfast. About 30 minutes out you reach the entry gate to the National Park, where the entry formalities are done; we arrange the permit side for you. Beyond it there is no food to buy, so you carry a packed lunch.

Inside the valley. Once you are in, there is no hurry. The Pushpawati river runs through the valley, the flowers cover the floor, and green mountain walls rise on both sides. Take your own time, stop where you like, and walk as far as the day allows.

We plan to turn back around 2 to 3 PM so that you reach Ghangaria in good time.

What you will see. The valley is known for the blue primula, the Brahma Kamal and more than 500 species of high-altitude wildflowers. What is in bloom depends on the week, so go in August or September, the months we run it, and keep your expectations to the season rather than a single flower.

Who it suits. The grade is easy, and the trek works for first-time Himalayan walkers, families with children above 10 and anyone who wants a flower valley without a pass. Your sleeping altitude stays at 3,094 m, which makes it a gentle first high-altitude trek.

If you want the same valley as the start of something bigger, the Bhyundar Khal trek walks on through it and over a high pass.

Hemkund Sahib is the high point of this trek at 4,161 m, and it is the harder of the two big days. The distance is about 12 km and the day takes 5 to 7 hours, mostly on a steep trail that climbs from Ghangaria at 3,094 m, which is a rise of about 1,000 m.

The path. It is a pilgrim route, so the trail is clear and busy with pilgrims walking up. The climb is steep from the moment you leave Ghangaria, and the views around keep you going. Above 4,000 m the air is thinner, and the pace that suits you is a slow, even one.

At the top. Hemkund Sahib is a gurudwara beside a glacial lake, and it is among the most sacred places for the Sikhs and also for Hindus. We have lunch at the gurudwara. It is a place of worship, so keep voices low and follow what the pilgrims around you do.

We start the descent soon after 2 PM, so you are back at Ghangaria well before evening.

Why the order works. The Valley of Flowers comes first, on gentle ground, and Hemkund comes on the day after. By then you have slept two nights at 3,094 m, which is the acclimatisation built into the plan. The first night at Auli, at about 2,600 m, is gentle as well: you drive up from Rishikesh at 372 m in a single day, so take the evening easily and drink plenty of water.

If the weather turns. Cloud and rain are common in the flower season. We make the call on the morning, at Ghangaria, and we turn back when it is right.

The Valley of Flowers is the Bhyundar valley, and its story is a mountaineer's accident. Frank S. Smythe was coming down from the Kamet expedition by way of the high Bhyunder Khal when he found a valley full of flowers. He wrote that he had not seen a more beautiful flower in all his mountain wanderings. The valley was later made a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The rivers. The walk to Ghangaria follows a small river system, and it helps to know it. Just after the village of Bhyundar, the Bhyunder Ganga meets the Pushpawati. The Bhyunder Ganga comes down from Hathi Taal, at the base of Kankul Pass and Hathi Parbat. The Pushpawati is the river that flows through the Valley of Flowers itself. Both are tributaries of the Laxman Ganga, which joins the Alakananda.

The peaks. Hathi Parbat (6,727 m) and Gauri Parbat (6,708 m) stand over the Bhyundar valley, and Mandir Parbat (6,559 m) and Nilgiri Parbat (6,474 m) are mapped around it. On the clear mornings you see them over the flowers.

The flowers. The valley is known for the blue primula and the Brahma Kamal, and for more than 500 species of wildflowers. Many are small. The valley is large, but the flowers sit low.

Where this connects. Smythe's way over the Bhyunder Khal is still walkable. Our Bhyundar Khal trek follows it from this valley over the pass, and our Kagbhushandi Tal trek is another route out of the same country. They are serious treks. This one is the easy, well-trodden way into the valley, and a good way to see where those routes begin.

The Valley of Flowers is at its best in August and September, and that is why the trek runs then. It is also the rainy season in the mountains, and it helps to plan for that.

Rain and mist. The valley is often in cloud in July and August. The mist suits photographs, because it gives soft light without hard midday shadows, and the best light often comes just after a shower, when the clouds break. Temperatures on this trek run from about 8 to 22 degrees Celsius.

Photographing the flowers. Most flowers are small and sit low, so a macro lens, or a phone with a good macro mode, makes the biggest difference. A wide lens held low puts the flowers in the front and the peaks behind them. To show scale, put a trekker in the middle of the frame. A circular polariser removes the shine from wet leaves and petals, so the greens look as they are. Look for the blue poppy against grey rock, and pink stonecrop against the dark wet boulders of the Pushpawati.

Protecting the camera. Humidity is high. Silica gel in the camera bag and a dry bag for sudden downpours are worth having. Light is often low, and a light tripod helps for sharp macro shots when the wind drops.

The road. The Badrinath highway has no high pass, but landslides can block it for hours in the monsoon, from late June to September. We start the drives early and avoid driving after dark. If you have a long-haul flight home, keep a spare day after the trek.

We arrange the permits and the park entry. You carry your camera, and the rest is on us.

If you have your own dates and photography plans, tell us and we will shape the days around the light.

This is a 6-day, 5-night trek, from Dehradun airport and back, with pickup and drop included. The plan is simple, and the logic behind each day is worth knowing.

Day 1, the long drive. The Badrinath highway from Rishikesh to Auli is about 270 km and 8 to 10 hours with stops, climbing along the Ganga and then the Alakananda past the Prayags, through Karnaprayag and Joshimath. It is a long day, and it is part of the trek. We sleep in Auli, a quiet meadow above Joshimath with views of Nanda Devi, Kamet and Dunagiri, and we do not stay in Joshimath because of the pilgrim crowds.

Day 2. A morning drive to Pulna, then a 5 to 6 hour walk to Ghangaria through the villages of Pulna and Bhyundar. You arrive in good time and rest.

Days 3 and 4. The Valley of Flowers one day and Hemkund Sahib the next, both from Ghangaria. You walk light, and sleep in the same place both nights.

Day 5. You walk back down the same way, then drive to Auli. We stay in Auli for the calm, and if you prefer a shorter drive the next day, Joshimath is the alternative.

Day 6. An early drive to Rishikesh, so you can make your onward journey or flight from Dehradun.

Why private. The trail to Ghangaria is a pilgrim route, and it is busy in the season. Your own group, usually 2 to 10, with a local team, means you set the pace for the valley and for the Hemkund climb, and leave when you want to.

A longer version. If you want more time, there is a 9-day version that adds Gorson, Badrinath and Mana. Ask us.

Tell us your dates, your experience and your pace, and we will shape the days.