Valley of Flowers🌺🌻💐🌸🌹🏵

UNESCO World Heritage Site, Valley of Flowers opens for public from today

Summers are the best time to wander in nature. Imagine yourself amid the tall green trees adjacent to the mountain; the river flows nearby, you can see it, birds are chirruping loud, and you can hear it. This can be your reality, as UNESCO World Heritage site, the Valley of Flowers in Uttarakhand, opened for tourists on Wednesday, June 1.

Situated at an altitude of around 3,600 m above sea level, the Valley of Flowers remains accessible to the public from June to October. One of the major attraction points for tourists in Uttarkhand, the Valley contains many rare and unique flowers, including Brahmkamal, the State flower of Uttarakhand.

The garden of flowers

In the backdrop of the mighty Himalayan ranges, the Valley of Flowers National Park spreads over an area of 87 sq km in Chamoli, Uttarakhand. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Valley is believed to have been discovered in 1931 by three British mountaineers – led by Frank S Smythe.

The tourists have to trek to reach the Valley to witness a plethora of exotic flowers (over 600 species) like orchids, poppies, primulas, marigolds, daisies, and anemones. Sub-alpine forests birch and rhododendron cover parts of the park’s area. It is also home to animals like gray langur, flying squirrel, Himalayan weasel, black bear, red fox, lime butterfly, snow leopard, and Himalayan monal, among several others.

The other attractions associated with the Valley of Flowers are Govindghat, Hemkunt Sahib, and Hemkunt lake. It was declared a National park in 1982 and became a UNESCO World Heritage site on July 14, 2005. 

Importance of Valley of Flowers

The Valley of Flower is important from various points, for instance, it holds cultural value. The UNESCO site is part of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve. Further, Ghangaria, reportedly the last inhabited village is also a part of the trek to the Valley and holds heritage significant and contributes to the rural economy through livelihood opportunities for the villagers. 

From an environmental point of view, the Valley is home to flora and fauna, unique to the region. From Brown bears to blue sheep, rare and endangered species can be found here.

The place is also significant from a tourism point of view as the holy Hemkunt Sahib is also a part of the trek. Moreover, it is located 300 km north of Rishikesh, near Badrinath, which is other important tourist destination in the State.