Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks

District : Chamoli district in the Garhwal Division of Uttaranchal
Location : 300 kms from Delhi
Famous For : Snow Leopards
Most Famous Activity : Trekking

Established in : 1982. To See : Bharal, Himalayan Tahr, Serow, Goral, Snow Leopard, Himalayan Black Bear, Brown Bear, Leopard, Common Langur, Himalayan Musk Deer, and Brown Beer.

 Best Time To Visit : April to October. Raining Season Lasts from June to August.

Trekking Options : One Needs to Take 23 kms Long Trekking Routes to Reach this Park.

 Other Attractions : 114 Species of Birds, 28 Species of Butterflies.

Staying Options : No Accommodation in Provided in the Park. One Has to Stay in Joshimath.

Getting Around : Joshimath – 23 kms, Valley of Flowers.

 Important Distances : Rishikesh – 276 kms, Delhi – 300 kms.

 Getting There : Air –The Nearest Airport is at Jolly Grant at Dehradun at a Distance of Around 295 km from the Nanda Devi National Park. There are Regular Flights to Delhi from here.

Rail – The Nearest Railhead is Rishikesh at a Distance of 276 km.

Road – Metalled Roads are There till Joshimath from Where One has to Trek to Reach this Place. In Summers Treks to this Region are Organised.

Inside Tip : Maintain silence while exploring the park and make use of your Binoculars to have a clearer view of the animals. Follow the Environmental Guidelines.

Nanda Devi National Park in Uttaranchal

Take up wildlife tours of Uttaranchal, come to Nanada Devi National Park and see the Most exotic wildlife that inhabit this patch of Himalayas. Situated in the Chamoli district of Uttaranchal, this park is encircled by five peaks. Declared as a world heritage site, this famous wildlife sanctuary was given the special status of being a Biosphere reserve. Due to its location at very high altitude, it is covered with snow, most part of the year. Visit this wildlife park during the months of April to October, and if you want to enjoy the mountain rains then the best time is June to August.
In Nanada Devi sanctuary one can enjoy a rich diversity in the flora as well as fauna. Among the Alpines and Juniper scrubs you can site Musk Deer, Serow and Himalayan Tahr. This wildlife resort is also a great site of birding.

Nanda Devi Attractions – The Varieties of Life Fostered in the Wildlife Sanctuary

The major attraction of this popular wildlife hub lies in its eco system that has many varieties of flora and fauna. This park has remained camouflaged from the humans and have some of the best preserved views. As it is situated among the Himalayan peaks, there is a very diverse type of vegetation found here. Having one of the richest preserve of of flora in the world, there are some 312 floral species here of which 17 are rare ones.
Among the fauna of the area one can try to site snow leopards. Though elusive, but there are considerable numbers of these cats. Here. Among the Bear family there are Himalayan bear and yellow leopards as well. Blue sheep, Musk Deer, Serow and Himalayan Tahr are the most commonly sighted wilds of this park.
The rich variety of Avifuna can be judged on the fact that 114 species of birds home Nanda Devi National Park. Bird sighting is best during the May to June, as then the number of birds increase further. Some of the birds that one can see are Black Tit, yellow-bellied Fantail Flycatcher, orange-flanked Bush Robin, blue fronted Redstart, Indian Tree Pipit, Vinaceous Breasted Pipit , Common Rosefinch and Nutcracker. To add to the attraction further, there are some 28 varieties of butterflies here.

Adventure in the Home of the Frenzied

Although Nanda Devi is bereaved of any safari option, but one can definitely enjoy the trekking routes. The pleasant weather during the summers, invites a lot of tourist to indulge in this sport. This park can be reached only by taking up treks from Joshimath. Trekking is also the best way to sight the most elusive beings.

Getting There – Reaching the Highest National Park in Uttaranchal

The nearest airport to reach Nanda Devi National Park in Uttaranchal is Jolly Grant, near Dehradun (295 kms). Regular flights from Delhi and other metros ply between these terminals. To come to Nanda Devi wildlife sanctuary, the nearest railhead is at Rishikesh. This town is merely 276 kms from this park and well linked rail tracks connect these areas to the rest of the world.
To reach via roadways, one have to reach Joshimath, connected with well metaled roads. From here, the tourists needs to undertake a long and strenuous trek to reach the Nanda Devi National Park.

 

Valley Of Flowers 

Nestled in the picturesque valley of Garhwal Himalayas in the state of Uttarakhand, this place is infectiously beautiful for alpine flowers and incredible natural sceneries. Nanda Devi National Park is near by and together its called Nanda Devi and Valley Of Flowers National Park. The park spreads over an area of 87.50 km square and also recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site. The park is also famous for variety of fauna and rich with rare and endangered wild creatures. Home of some of the beautiful animals like Asiatic black bear, snow leopard, brown bear and blue sheep.

As the name suggest the place is beautifully adorned by varieties of flowers, shrubs, orchids and must see place for phytologist. The place is in the western Himalayas so embellished with Himalayan flowers including ferns, dwarf iris, dwarf larkspur, dwarf rhododendrons, primula, blues poppies, fritillaria, asters and uncountable inulka grandifloras. Heavenly abode of chilling streams, shady silver birch and snowy peaks, the place is believed to be playground of fairies and nymphs. It was unknown to people worldwide untill English botanist Frank Smyth in 1931 made it famous detailed 262 different types of flowers in his book, Valley Of Flower.

One Of the popular way to reach valley of flower is the trekking route. The trek route starts at Govindghat in Uttarakhand. From there its a long 14 kms trek to Ghangria. Ghangria is the base and gateway to valley and usually people stay here. The total trek takes about seven hours and require lots of energy and mental toughness but the beauty surrounding the valley simply refreshing. It is recommended to visit the the place in rainy season when the Bhyundar Ganga has maximum surge and roaring past you.

Key Species In Valley Of Flowers MAMMALS - Leopard, Himalayan Tahr, Musk Deer, Red Fox, Himalayan Weasel, Yellow-throated Marten, Himalayan Black Bear, Brown Bear, Himalayan Mouse-hare, Bharal (Blue Sheep), Indian Flying Squirrel. BIRDS RAPTORS- Lammergeier, Himalayan Griffon, Common Kestrel, Golden Eagle, Black Eagle. BIRDS RAPTORS- Lammergeier, Himalayan Griffon, Common Kestrel, Golden Eagle, Black Eagle.

FLORA - Himalayan Monal, Koklass Pheasant, Kalij Pheasant, Himalayan Snowcock, Snow Partridge, Hill Partridge, Chukar, Red-billed Chough, Yellow-billed Chough, Common Raven, Grandala, Snow Pigeon, Spotted Laughingthrush, Variegated Laughingthrush, Plain-backed Thrush, Upland Pipit, Rosy Pipit, Rock Bunting, White-capped Bunting Brown Dipper, White-throated Dipper, Spotted Forktail, Little Forktail FLORA TREES pines, maples, firs, spruces, rhododendrons, silver birch, common yew, asters, balsams, dandelions, edelweisses, gentians, geraniums, irises, lilies, poppies (Blue Poppy above), potentillas, primulas, saussurea, senecios.

Invaluable Suggestions You need to obtain an entry permit from the Forest Checkpost at the entrance to the park. This permit is valid for three days. You have to pay apetty sum of money but there are additional charges for still cameras, video cameras. Park is open for the visitors for only during the day time. The valley is reachable from Govindghat. There are possibly two ways to reach there. One is Rishikesh-Srinagar-Karnprayag-Joshimath-Govindghat that is roughly 270 kms and another one is Haldwani-Ranikhet-Karnprayag-Joshimath-Govindghat that is 332 kms. Best time to visit the park is during the rainy season thats mid July to mid September. Joshimath, at a distance of around 23 km from the Nanda Devi National Park, is an important place in any expedition to the higher altitudes of the Garhwal Himalayas.

Area : 87.5 Sq. Kms. Year of establishment : 1982 Location: On the upper expansions of Bhyundar Ganga in Chamoli District of Uttar Pradesh. Climate : July and August Maximum Temp.: 170 Celsius Minimum Temp : 70 Celsius Head Quarters : Joshimath Nearest Railway Station : Rishikesh, Distt. Dehradun Nearest Air Port : Jolly Grant, Distt. Dehradun (17 Kms. From Rishikesh) Nearest petrol pump : Jharkula, Joshimath (22 kms. Before Govindghat) Nearest Hospital/Market/Bank : Joshimath Nearest Post & Telegraph Office/Phone : Govindghat How To Reach? By Air- Jolly Grant airport of Dehradun falls the nearest to the Valley of Flowers. By Train- The nearest railhead is Rishikesh at a distance of 276 km By Road- Valley of Flowers is well connected with most of the major cities