Around 3 hrs of flight journey from Chennai to New Delhi and 4 hours of journey from New Delhi through Nanda Devi express , We reached Haridwar around 4 a.m. and had some time to roam around the streets of Haridwar and take a look at the mighty Ganga for the first time. By 8 a.m. me and my friends started our journey to the Land of God's. Around 7 p.m. we reached Govind Ghat near Joshimath and spent our first night at mountains.We booked our trip with Renok Adventures to make it even more easier. Booking flight tickets in advance and good negotiation with tour operators may save some extra money.
By 7 a.m. after a speedy breakfast we started our journey on a pleasant morning to our main base camp at Ghangaria, a tiny village in between alpine forest and mountains. Trip to Ghangaria consists of 5 km in jeep costing around 500 for 7-8 people and 9 km of easy trekking. Persons who cannot trek that long can either take a mule or helicopter service available from Govind Ghat. Make sure that you take less things along with you in back pack or else it may turn difficult while traveling. Around 12 p.m. we had lunch along the banks of Laxman Ganga and for sure the best place anyone can have his food. We reached Ghangaria by 4 p.m. in the evening and had some time before dusk and where happy to see some hotels offering south indian food as we were basically from the south. Mule services are also available for luggages at 500-600 upto six bags.
After a very chill night along with some good sleep we started our trek on a rainy morning to valley of flowers(VOF) at 12000 ft on the third day of our trip. Outskirts of Ghangaria consists of a beautiful waterfall welcoming us.As we made some arrangements through operators already, we were not to spend extra time in getting permission from forest department to trek as it was a national park area. Trek to VOF was easier as it was almost plain throughout the route except some steep paths across woods. Since it was early season we were not able to see many flowers which only bloom during late July or early August. Distance was another factor because it was around 12 kms of trekking totally. Those who feel difficult to walk so long can opt palanquins.
Early in the morning we started our trek to Hemakunt Sahib Gurudwara(HSG) located at around 14,000 ft from sea level. Unlike the other two days many of our friends opted out of the trek since it was bit steep all the way and due to tiredness , so only some of us made it to HSG. After some time of trekking we literally started to walk through clouds ( Steps to Heaven)and above them at places. So finally on reaching the hill top we had a huge structure in between the clouds. Hemakunt Sahib along its beautiful lake with tiny drizzle and cool weather took all of us to another world. After some time in Gurudwara we were provided with some hot food at langar making us even more comfortable.Later we started our way back Ghangaria in the late afternoon.
With strong heart we packed our bags and started our journey back to Govind Ghat and reached there before 12 p.m. After a brief lunch we planned to go Badrinath , to our luck the route was clear as it was highly landslide prone area and that we went during monsoon season. Getting glimpses of nature's beauty along with varied Fauna present at the high altitude..we had blissful dharshan of Lord Badrinath and bought some articrafts sold along the temple shrine and River Alaknandha. Down the night we were forced to start our journey earlier than our actual plan due to some strike.
Around 1 a.m. in the night we were stopped at Srinagar, Uttarakhand by the police since night travel was prohibited further so eventually we ended up staying in a nearby Gurudwara. Again early in the morning we started our travel and reached Haridwar around 12 p.m. . Stayed in a hotel near River Ganga since our train was only by midnight. So we planned to go the famous Ganga Aarthi on the banks of river Ganga. Please reach well before to get a closer look of the ceremony. So with lots and lots of happiness and memories we ended our beautiful experience.
