Valley of Flowers & Hemkunt Sahib – Most Common Itinerary

Are you planning a trip to Valley of Flowers & Hemkunt Sahib Ji and looking out for a perfect day by day detailed trip plan? Are you planning a trip to Valley of Flowers & Hemkunt Sahib Ji and looking out for a perfect day by day detailed trip plan? This detailed itinerary will help you plan a memorable trip.

In this article, I will be representing the detailed day by day most popular itinerary on Valley of Flowers and Shri Hemkunt Sahib already published under DwD Community and very well drafted by one of our core devil, Preet Kamal Singh.

The information posted on the community thread here is so valuable that I could not resist myself to re-share it in the form of a blog article so that it reaches more like-minded travelers or followers of DoW which are still to join our DwD Community !!

Valley of Flower and Shri Hemkunt Sahib are the two fabulous places housed in the lap of the western Himalayas in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. Gurudwara Sri Hemkunt Sahib Ji is devoted to the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Govind Singh Ji.

About Valley of Flowers & Hemkunt Sahib

Located at a staggering height of 4632 meters (15,197 feet), amidst seven mountain peaks with a glacial peak in the middle, one can trek 25 km from Govindghat which is the second last station on Rishikesh-Badrinath highway, to reach this amazing gift of nature.

On the other hand, the Valley of Flowers National Park, a world heritage site, is situated at an altitude of 3700 – 4000 Mtrs in the west Himalayan region and is the second core zone of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve. The Valley of Flowers covers an area of about 87.50 sq km, housing almost 300 varieties of alpine flowers.

Travel Expert Tip: You must checkout our travel guide for valley of flowers.

It was discovered by great mountaineer Frank S Smith in the year 1931. The trek to Valley of Flowers also starts from Govindghat and diverts from Ghangaria which is near Govind Dham and is about 16 km from Govindghat.

Most Common Itinerary for Valley of Flowers & Hemkunt Sahib

Let us look at this detailed most popular itinerary for visiting these places in Uttarakhand.

Day 1 | Delhi to Rishikesh/Haridwar (200 km, 4 Hours)

Delhi to Rishikesh is about 200 km and takes about 4 hours depending upon the traffic. The roads are in good shape mostly, but traffic can be a headache some times. You can also reach Haridwar by train and proceed further from there by road.

Travel Expert Tip: Do not forget to carry these must-have things when going on a trekking or hiking trip.

Day 2 | Rishikesh/Haridwar to Govind Ghat (275 km, 10-12 Hours)

You can take a bus from Haridwar, which starts at 4.30/5 AM in the morning, and it reaches 5/5.30 AM at Rishikesh. You can also take the shared cabs which are available at both the places near the bus stand and start early morning only at around 5-5.0 AM.

If you are driving your car, then try to start early in the morning as you have to cover about 275 km in a day with time for jams and landslides taken into account. In your day, you will drive through Devprayag – Srinagar – Rudraprayag – Joshimath.

You would be able to reach Govind Ghat by 5 PM. There are a lot of hotels available in Govind Ghat suited for economical budgets, and you can also get the accommodation in Gurudwara Sahib as well.

Day 3 | Govind Ghat to Govind Dham/Ghangaria (15 km of trek 4-6 hours)

You have to start early on this day also as the trek is tiring and is of moderate difficulty. Ponies and Porters are available. You will pass thru Pulia and Bhyundar village, and there are shops on the way, so you will have things to eat.

Day 4 | Govind Dham/Ghangaria to Valley of Flowers (5-7 km of trek 4-6 hrs)

You should start early by six and see a beautiful waterfall on your right side just in front of the Valley of Flowers, checkpoint gate. After taking entry tickets, you will enter the beautiful valley called the valley of flowers.

Porters are available, carry your food as nothing is available inside it once you enter the gate. Start back by two so that you can easily reach before evening or darkness falls.

Day 5 | Multiple Options

From Day 5 onwards, you will have multiple options to choose from and plan this trek further.

Option one Ghangaria to Hemkunt sahib to Govind Ghat (27 km of tiring trek 12-14 hours)

You have to start early and reach Hemkunt Sahib. The trek is very tough, and it is the hardest you will face on this route. But you will be treated with some breathtaking views of the Garhwal Himalayan range. Then you have to trek down to Govind Ghat which is going to be tiring and heavy for knees as a maximum of it is descent.

Option two is Ghangaria/Govind Dham to Hemkunt sahib to Govind Dham/Ghangaria. (12 km of a trek up and back 5/6 hrs).

You can take a rest if you can’t continue towards Govind Ghat

Option three is Govind Dham To Govind Ghat (15 km of trek / 3 hrs).

You can trek down to Govind Ghat in a maximum of three hours and proceed towards Badrinath which is 25 km from there.

You must check detailed beginner’s guide on trekking in the Himalayas which has lots of tips and tricks to help you prepare for such treks.

Day 6 Govind Ghat to Rishikesh (275 km 10/12 hrs).

You can take a shared taxi which starts early in the morning or bus which starts at 6 AM and reach the exit either Rishikesh or Haridwar.

Day 7 Rishikesh to Delhi (200 km, 4-5 hrs)

This will be the last day when you start the journey from Rishikesh, exit Uttarakhand and finally reach Delhi.

You should always carry your water bottle and refill it as many times as you need water. It will not only keep you hydrated always, but you will also help in saving the Himalayas from plastic garbage. Remember, every tiny step counts and your step in this direction can help save the Himalayas too !! 🙂 🙂

Short Itinerary, recommended only for pro/advanced trekkers

This short itinerary of Valley of Flowers and Hemkunt Sahib Ji is recommended only for travelers who are used to trekking in the Himalayas and have high endurance.

• Day 1: Rishikesh to Govind ghat (night travel from Delhi (200kms 4hrs))(275kms, 10-12 hrs)
• Day 2: Govind Ghat to Govind Dham/Ghangaria (16kms of trek 4/6hrs)
• Day 3: Govind Dham to Valley of flowers to Govind Dham (5/7 km of trek 4/6hrs)
• Day 4: Govind Dham to Govind Ghat to Srinagar (15kms of trek 3 hours and 175 km of road travel 3/5 hours). Buses are available from Govind ghat till 3 in the evening which reaches Srinagar by 8 in night
• Day 5: Srinagar To Rishikesh to Delhi (100 km till Rishikesh 2 hours and 200kms till Delhi 4 hrs)You can take the same bus which you took last day from Govind ghat or can take the first bus which starts at 6 in the morning)

Please note, attempt this only if you are sure about your stamina to undergo this hectic schedule.

Travel Tip: You may also want to visit Auli as well in case you have some more days at hand.

Best time to visit Valley of Flowers & Hemkunt Sahib Ji

Valley of the flower has a cool but pleasant climate in the season time, which is mainly summers, and for the rest of the season, it closes down due to snow/cold temperatures. Summers (June to October) has cool weather with maximum temperature reaches nearly 10-17 °C and is a good season for viewing the refreshing beauty of the Valley of flowers.

Winters (November to April/May) minimum temperature can go well down below zero. Of course, this place receives a lot of snowfall in winter and hence, closes as well. Good time to visit Valley of Flowers/Hemkunt Sahib is between June/July to October, which is quite pleasant and ideal for the visit of the national park. It is also a good time window for spotting endangered animals at times.

August and September are the first eye-catching months with blooming flowers justifying the name of the place. It is the time when about 300 varieties come to life and make this place look like a fairyland, but of course, August is when you need to face monsoon hassles as landslides are pretty common in Garhwal.

December to May is not recommended as it snows up there and temperatures are below 0 °C without another support en-route.

Trip Suggestion: If you love hiking and trekking, then you must also check out the trek to Gaumukh – A Step by Step Guide

Modes of Reaching Govind ghat

• Buses – Local buses and state transport buses run on this route. Check the timings in certain sections as the routes get closed in the evening
• Cabs / Taxis – Private taxis, as well as shared cabs, also ply on this route
• Lifts from Border road organization trucks and local plying on the route 😉
• Motorcycles / Bikes, which can be hired from Rishikesh or Delhi

Do you need a guide for Valley of flower trek?

• Seasonal Trekkers – No guide needed
• Rookie trekkers – It is recommended to a guide or local with you for any help required. Please check the List of Trekking Guides in Uttarakhand & Porters
• First Timers – A guide is highly recommended. Please check the List of Trekking Guides in Uttarakhand & Porters

Conclusion

Valley of Flowers is such a trek whichever nature lover should experience once in a lifetime. It will surely go to leave you asking for more, and you will cherish these memories for a lifetime.

Have a travel question?? You can subscribe to my YouTube channel and leave a comment to ask your travel questions on traveling to the Himalayas.

In the end, I apologize for my absence for the last month or so as I was transitioning from one home to another. But now that I have settled to an extent to be back online on Discover with Dheeraj to offer any help/support in making your travel with a difference in the Himalayas !! Do expect the usual regular updates and much much quicker replies from this new year 🙂 🙂

All the pictures in this article are from the amazing travel tale of Madhu bhai in dow community: Two old beauties, a promise & The Valley of Flowers.