World famous Valley of Flowers opens to visitors in Uttarakhand's Chamoli

More than 600 species of flowers will bloom in the Valley of Flowers this season which will remain open for the visitors till Oct 31 this year.

Chamoli: The world famous Valley of Flowers opened for visitors in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand for tourists on Thursday, officials said. An official said that more than 600 species of flowers will bloom in the Valley of Flowers this season which will remain open for the visitors till Oct. 31 this year. The Valley of Flowers located at an altitude of about 12,500 feet above sea level in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, is home to some endemic flower species.

The Valley of Flowers is spread over an area of about 87 sq km. Here tourists get to see many wildlife along with different species of flowers and flora. The valley was granted the status of world heritage site by the UNESCO on July 17, 2005. Every year a large number of tourists from India and abroad come to see the Valley of Flowers.

The specialty of the Valley of Flowers is that a new flower species is on display every 15 days due to which the color of the valley also changes every weekend. Valley of Flowers is part of the Nanda Devi National Park. The flower bloom at the valley of flowers is at its peak between the months of August and September.

Local authorities have barred vehicle into the Valley of Flowers to reduce pollution levels. Visitors landing at the Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun can take a taxi to Govind Ghat located in Chamoli district, which is about 300 km away from Dehradun airport. From Govind Ghat, visitors will have to go to Ghangaria on foot to reach the Valley of Flowers after trekking about 19 km.

To reach the flower valley by train, the nearest railway station is Rishikesh about 270 km from Govind Ghat.