The story starts with one ordinary couple planning their first trek from the time when they didn’t even start earning money and Finally after few trips the time came when both agreed to go for their long waited and planned trek for Valley of flowers and Hemkund Sahib.
Trek Details:
Its known as one of the easiest treks in India and believe me it is. You don’t have to try your own easy tricky path, you don't have to put any landmark to make sure you come back to the same point. It's all well defined and maintained trail. What you have to do is to follow the trail with small steps throughout the trek to keep your breathing normal. According to me one can actually and very easily conduct this trip or trek on his / her own, the only responsibility you have to take is to book hotels and train, bus tickets which can now be easily done online.
Duration :
If you go for exact number of days to complete the journey Haridwar to Haridwar are 6 days. Based on your choice of exploring Haridwar Rishikesh and some other places you can extend your trip.
Day 1: Board bus which is going to Badrinath from Haridwar at 5am and reach Govindghat by 5p.m Stay.
Day 2 : Early in the morning ( As soon as your body permits ) start journey for Ghangria, the base camp we must say.
Day 3 : Start journey for Valley of flower and come back to Ghangria.
Day 4 : Start journey for Hemkund Sahib and come back to Ghangria.
Day 5 : Start preparing to come down to Govindghat . Stay.
Day 6 : Board early morning bus that reaches directly to Haridwar.
The train | Journey started from Delhi to where the Gods Live . It was 9th August’18 Thursday we boarded the train Haridwar Express from Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station at 11 a.m. We two happy puppies were too happy and excited that finally along with our several trips throughout the year we started trekking. We packed as much lunch as possible to have them during the journey. We booked one lower and middle berth but seemed the Gods were also so happy to meet us, we got the full coupe for ourselves!! Yay!
And the best part of train journey is I get to see the landscape clearly and spot the differences how it changes gradually as we keep moving to some other region. On the Way we met the TT and got to know more about Haridwar and its culture.
After 5 hours of pleasant train journey we reached Haridwar. After reaching Hotel Trishul which we already booked via booking.com, we got freshened up and went out to book the bus ticket for Govindghat. You can take Rikshaw 10 per sawari(Person) and in the peak season 20 per sawari to Rahi hotel. They will drop you on the main road in front of the Rahi Hotel. Along the foot onlyyou will get three four Bus ticket booking agencies. Ask them for ticket directly to Govindghat. If they offer you tickets for Joshimath and if you have no plan to stay or explore Joshimath don't buy that rather ask for the bus tickets which go directly to Badrinath and get down at Govindghat. Because, if you get down at Joshimath and for any reason if the bus reaches Joshimath by 5 or 6 p.m it would be hard for you to find another bus or Jeep which would take you to Govindghat and you won’t have any other option rather staying in JoshiMath that day.
Hotels : In Haridwar you will get a huge range of hotels and dharmshala. Hotels may charge you from 500 per day ( Non AC ) to 1000 per day ( AC ) or more depending on your taste.
Govindghat | Starting of the tale :
We reached Govindghat by 5:30 p.m and we took room near bus stop at 450 per night. It was a very ordinary room and charged extra for hot water. They will charge you 50 per bucket on peak seasonor else 20 - 30 in normal days. Govindghat Gurudwara iswalking distance from bus stop and that is the same way that leads you to the starting point of your next day trek.
After we got freshened up we went to the Gurudwara. It is and will be always one of the top most places which we would like to visit again and again. Their prayer will make your heart quiet and mind peaceful. It soothes your soul. After that we took a round in the market. One can buy any required necessary things that was forgotten to get packed or any souvenirs to take backhome. You will find the price a bit high in the main market. One can easily notice an ATM just beside the Gurudwara gate, to be mentioned that would be the last ATM in your journey. So take out money as much as required. In Ghangaria there is no network and no online payments, so for the people who already get used to online payment change your habit for coming 5 days and keep cash handy. Back to the point, just beside the ATM there is one stair, climb that up and the first shop that you see is the cheapest among all. He still sells 10 rs stick which lasts whole 6 days, bear your torture, pressure without a single crack and choose your stick wisely. In Govindghat from water bottles to biscuit packets every packed item except the prepared food is here according to mrp i.e same as plane. On the way back to hotel we had crispy veg Pakodas with Hot chae ( Tea ) . Nothing can beat this on a chilly evening when you have a mighty river flowing in front of you as an addition to the scenic beauty and nature starts drizzling to accompany you. We went to sleep with a lot of happiness and excitement for starting the trek next day.
Hotels : you can book online but you will get very less option there as no network works there except BSNL. So better get down at Govindghat and get a hotel near the bus stop or for cheaper rate get hotels near Gurudwara. If you want you can stay in Gurudwara VIP rooms with minimal room rate. Hotel rooms near Gurudwara may charge you 300 per night ( min. Rate for double sharing ) and do always bargain.
Points to remember :
I. ATM beside the Gurudwara gate is the last point to collect cash. Though it is advisable not to wait for the last one, there might always be a chance for that ATM to go out of cash ( Though it didn’t happen ) as that is the only one ATM in Govindghat. So collect cash beforehand from Haridwar ATMs ( a plenty of them ) and for further emergency there is always the savior -> Govindghat ATM.
II. If you want to leave your part of luggage and start your journey with less heavy rucksack, you can leave it in Gurdwara which provides free service to keep the luggage for 3 4 days and collect when you return.
III. If you wish to send luggage with mule give them a reference of any hotel in ghangaria , they would drop your luggage safely there. Later on reaching ghangaria you can collect the luggage from there.
IV. If you are not carrying proper trekking sticks and raincoats you can rely on the sticks ( As min as 10 )and Poncho( As min as 20 )bought from Govindghat.
V. Make sure to have two three ponchos from Govindghat which will cost you 2o per piece. As they are not that much durable and can last max 2 days.
VI. The most important point is always carry a BSNL sim as this is the only network available in Ghangria.
Long way to Go | Ghangria
On the next day we woke up and got utterly disappointed seeing it was raining heavily outside. Anyways we started our journey and sent our two bags which we couldn't be left behind for 400 total and started walking towards Gurdwara with our day packs and ponchos on after having breakfast and garmagaram Chae ( Hot Tea ). After crossing the Gurdwara you will reach a point where there will be bridge and that is the starting point. You can start walking from there which is total 14KM till Ghangaria or you can take shared sumo. One sumo costs 350 till Pulna and can accomodate 10 people. If you pay 350 all alone it starts moving with you only ;) . After few sharp turns we reached Pulna and started walking for the rest of the 10 KM with our strong 10 rs stick and 20 rs Poncho on to protect us from rain and with fully excited mind.
On the way to Ghangria there you can see a lot of fellow trekkers of different age. It is totally inspiring seeing some of the senior aged trekkers accompanying you. So much fit and enthusiasts. On the way you will meet a lot different travelers. Their stories, experiences are worth to share. As a beginner it actually encouraged us a lot and got to learn a lot new tips & tricks which will surely gonna come handy in future.
First 5.5 KM will be mixed of ups and downs and you will get a plenty of food stalls along the road to make your tummy happy and see a lot of horses ( which is actually a mixed breed of Ass and Horse, known as khacchar ) and their shits ;) through out the way.
There is another trail for Kagvushandi Taal Trek starting from the point we completed first 5.5km, we will discuss about this in our next blog someday.
For the last 4.5 KM it is kinda steep. To be honest compared to last 5.5 it is quite steep. You wont get food stalls for the last 4.5 KM rather you will be able to enjoy and get lost amidst the beauty of the nature and rhythmic tone of the mighty river. We completed the trek in around 7 hour and now the struggle starts to get a room to stay for the next 3 nights. After finalizing the room and freshening up we went out to explore the village. Its hardly half KM long Village full of hotels, but the number of rooms are very limited. We went to see the 6pm Documentary show which was shown in the Documentary hall and costed 30 rs per head. The documentary was fully on Valley of flowers. How it was discovered, what kind of flowers are available and which are in the way of extinction, the culture and ritual of the people of the village and how the valley is getting affected due to the trekkers’ carelessness.
One must see the show before visiting the valley. The day ended with yummy matar paneer and Tandoori roti.
Hotels : As we went in highly crowded time all the hotel rooms were already booked by the trekker agencies. Luckily after got refused by 10 other hotels we got a four bedded room in 600 per night for only one day. Having no other choice we stayed there for that day. They charged 50 for a bucket of hot water. If you don't want to go for this hustle you can book one of the two hotels of Ghangaria available online one is Hotel Kuber and another is Hotel Nandalok and the price is quite in higher end.
Points to remember :
I. Cost of everything in Ghangria is double. You will get 10 rs packed biscuit in 20 and 80 for anything that costs you 40 in plane.
II. Do carry a hair dryer which will come handy if you are going to the valley in Monsoon. You gonna thank me later.
III. It was freezing cold at night in Ghangria so it is always advisable to carry woolen inners to keep yourself warm.
III. Dont buy water bottles if it is not urgent rather you can fill your bottle with hot drinking water which is provided by the Govindgham Gurudwara in Ghangaria.
IV. don’t litter plastics here and there. Collect them in one place and use dustbins to throw them.
V. Do carry essential medicines, band-aid and sanitary napkins as everything will charge you double, up there. But once you cross the Gurudwara the stores which are operated by Nepali families they charge you comparably reasonable price.
Woohoo | Leg Cramps Day 1
As the day was as well a check out day for us we packed our luggage, kept the luggages in that hotel ( The hotel had no name, it was having their own adjacent shop for everything one can need except food and water ). Luckily on the previous day while we were explaining our situation in that documentary hall before the show started some of the locals suggested to check with Gurudwara if they can provide VIP rooms and to my surprise we went and we got room in just a second without any recommendation ( which I thought would be required as we would be staying in ‘VIP’ rooms ). We were assured to complete the trek for the day and come back to Gurudwara in the evening for the room.
So finally we started walking for our long awaited valley of flowers. After crossing the initial checkpoint where two trails can be seen one is going for Hemkund Sahib and another for Valley of flowers. From the very starting point of its trail you can start spotting different colorful flowers. After approx a 500 mtr long walk you will get another checkpoint for VoF where you have to register your names and take receipt for 150 each to enter the valley. And you will be asked to report there by 4p.m ( As there is no facility and permission to night stay in the valley ) It was a total 8 KM trek to and fro. And the valley itself stretched itself for 6 KM long. So basically after reaching the starting point of the valley you gonna complete your 4 KM out of 10 and then the valley starts. You can see the vast colorful valley covered with different kind of flowers. Mainly you can notice the valley to be covered with the pink flower called Impatiens Sulcata. The beauty can be seen from 1 km before the actual valley starts. The vast stretched green valley can be seen far from up of the hill. So basically after few hours of climbing up with the steep and narrow road with uneven stones you have to climb down and pass few waterfalls from where you can fill your empty bottles to drink the purest Himalayan water ( It is recommended by the locals and locals do drink water from those falls ) which was freezing cold. Slowly slowly with our small steps we reached the starting point of the valley in two and a half our and now its your call how far you want to go deep in the valley and explore it. The heavenly beautiful picturesque valley was so very beautiful that we just couldn’t stop ourselves from clicking pictures. But what made us sad that it’s been raining on and off all the day and thus we were not able to come out of our ponchos and click good colorful pictures of us :/ .
We went further in the deep valley and on our path we could discover many other variant of the flowers, few photos are given below. Have a look! After walking for another 2 to 3 KM there was another river flowing amidst the valley. As it was raining all the day it became a mighty one and was flowing with full force.
After crossing the stream you will discover another vast colorful valley which will lead you to the grave of Joan Margaret. And It has a totally different story regarding the valley! You can give it a quick read once you finish this.
Suddenly after 30min or so the valley got covered with clouds rather I should say fogs and it was so deep we could hardly identify anyone standing even within 500 meter. That was scary cause at that time we already had crossed the last stream and was on the valley which was having hardly any trekker. But thanks to god we met few other trekkers too in that valley and got to know even if it rains one can easily cross the bridge with caution. So, yay! Nothing to fear explore the place as much as you can, just make sure you are not alone in the place. We didnt get a chance to see the sun over the valley but the misty valley had its own charm to impress its visitors and left a mark in their memories.
We packed our lunch after we had our breakfast, before starting for the day. Finally when we were almost done with clicking pics and exploring the place we came back to the starting point of the valley where there was a stone where everyone took shelter to cover them from the rain and to have lunch. We two went there and made our tummy happy and prepared for our descend. By 4 we crossed the checkpoint and down there weather was very pleasant with no rain. Descend was easy as always, you just have to control you pace properly. What I liked the most about the path is, its not at all a horseway thus the path till valley is clean like anything.
Finally we got down, went to Gurdwara and thanks to wahiguru we got our VIP room for 1100 per day and ended our day with a good dinner in langar ( awesome as always! ) and a glass of hot tea!
Things to remember :
I. Do carry raincoats with you as you cant actually guess the weather up in the hill from the base camp and yes carry sticks ( if you feel comfortable walking with them ).
II. Do pack you lunch and carry with you as the journey can take all the day if you really gonna enjoy the valley with ease and take a lot many picture to make good memories.
III. Gate opens at 7a.m in the morning and closes by 4.
IV. Do carry water bottle , biscuits and volini / move and band-aid in your day pack.
V. Horse doesn't go that way only porters who gonna carry you on their back. If you really gonna hire them do check with their ropes and physic first. As while we were descending we saw an accident, luckily it was not that worse but it could be. The rope which hang from the porters’ head was not strong enough and as it was raining the path was a bit slippery. Suddenly the rope got torn and the person who was being carried, fall from the porter’s back and got hurt, the porter too got injury in his elbow. So be safe!
VI. Carry a pair of waterproof shoe if you are travelling in the rainy season (last week of July to 2nd week of Aug ).
VII. Don't sit during the walk. If you’re tired just stand still for a while and start again.
VIII. In Gurudwara they give you room per day basis. So basically if you gonna stay there 2- 3 days or more you have to pack your luggage and keep it in the cloak room everyday in the morning and leave the room and again after the trek you can pay and take another room for the day or rebook the room after 11 a.m if you are there and not going anywhere. You must let the authority know the number of days you actually want to stay in the gurdwara so that they can keep a room for you.
Leg cramps day 2!
After a peaceful and warm sleep we were all ready to start our final trek up in the hill, Sri Hemkund Sahib. Today we had to climb 4633m and I got cut in my heel and was barely in a situation to walk with a good pace and reach the top on time. And again it was raining we had to carry our raincoats and yeah this time I carried my jacket too as weather gonna be a bit cold up there. When we started for the day I could easily understand just because of me we are already late and with those slower steps we definitely not gonna make it in time. Nonetheless we started walking and with a lot of will strength we reached our first 1KM. It was total 12 Km trek up and down and in the starting trail there was no single person walking with us, most of them were going with horses. After completing 2KM approx we met 3 people in a shop and we got somewhat a relief that we are not the only one running late ;) and yeah in this path you going to get a shop after every 1 km in the starting and after completing 3.5 km there will be no shop till Gurudwara. Path is wide enough but covered with horse shits :P . The most important thing in this trail is that always keep your eye open as, if you are lucky you gonna get a lot more different variety of flowers here compared to VoF. Within our first 1 km we could identify Cobra lily in a corner of a stone standing still posing exactly like a cobra which hardly any of the travellers noticed that day ( As we got to know after coming down we were the only two talking about that cobra lily and every one was like . “Kaha dekha?” “ Aree, we missed it “ :P ). We met a lot people in our way. Everyone was encouraging us “Aur kuch hi dur, aa gaye ap log” “dhire dhire chaliye aaram se enjoy the beauty, sanse nehi foolenge fir “ “Jo bole Sonihaal, shashriakaal “ .
Finally after 4.5 hr walk we reached the top. When you would complete first 5 km you will get two option to reach Gurudwara, one is stair which is exactly 1km and quite steep ( would not recommend while going up , you can use it while coming down but not while it would be raining ) another one is the same trail that you had been following for 5km but this one would take 1.5 km to reach the top. This Path is worth to follow to witness the beauty of the mountain covered with Brahmakamal. In the last 2 KM if you get lucky you will witness a lot and lot of blue poppy and Brahmakamal which can’t be found in the Valley ( At least, when we visited none of us could find them in the valley ) . We quenched our thirst with garam chae offered in langar and had khichdi there. After reviving ourselves we started exploring the place and the beauty we witnessed up there is just cant be described even a bit with words. It's the beauty to feel. The emerald green quite freezing cold lake surrounded by 7 peak slightly covered with fog was enough to satisfy our eyes and make our soul happy. We entered the main temple and after some time when we came out we saw the clouds started going up making the place clear and visible. The mountains which were covered with clouds now can be seen clearly and was fully covered with Brahmakamal. The flowers were not in just one place, they were everywhere our eyes could see. While reading some articles before coming here we got a bit disappointed knowing that the rate of growing Bhramhakamal has decreased these days due to global warming and man made pollution. But the scene portrayed some different picture to us. But, ahh these clouds! Again in just 10 to 20 second by the time we were ready with our cameras to capture the beauty, out of nowhere they appeared again and covered the mountains. Beside the gurudwara there is another Laxman mandir and if you get clear weather you can give a try going up further using the hillside to get a kind of top view of the place. After spending half an hour there, we started to come down. And to our surprise after 2 days we could see the sun, oh my goodness the whole scene, the beauty and the way the clouds and the mountains were playing with the sun really forced us to stop there for a while to praise the beauty. The whole hillside got cleared and we could clearly see the shops down there where we had our awesome maggi on the way. As always descendant was easy and we came back to Govind dham quickly.
Being the last day there everyone who completed the whole trek got quite emotional and while coming down like us we could see a lot and lot of groups standing here and there with the members clicking selfies and collecting some memorable beautiful memories. On returning to gurudwara the main task was to pack our luggage. We got freshen up and came out of gurudwra to explore the little tiny village one last time. We got a good massage there, a shop was there with few massage machines, he charged 50 rs for 10 minutes massage. In written it was 10 minutes but he was actually helping people. He would massage you with some hand massager until you feel relaxed. That was actually a great thing to give a try, we had our paratha with paneer in thedinner and went to bed early to give the body some rest.
Points to remember :
I. Do start early so that you can spend more time up there. And there is no opening time so you can start as early as you wish but it is always advisable to come down before dawn and cross the last checkpoint by 6 p.m.
II. Do carry biscuits and water bottle with you cause that is gonna give you a good company here.
III. Carry a bluetooth speaker if possible, start playing songs to cheer yourself up.
IV. If you want to witness the nature do take the normal trail in the last 1.5km.
V. Please Do NOT pluck Brahmakamals and if you see anyone doing the same stop them. We did. No point of plucking it and bringing it home with you. You gonna get a dried up flower after few days, that’s it. Rather inhale the beauty of it the way it is.
VI. Up there, a free dispensary is there. For any medical help you can take help from there.
Feel free to visit US For more memories from VoF
