Valley of Flowers with Auli travel guide

6 to 7 daysHow long to stay

Budget to mid-rangeRough cost

Couples, Friends, SoloWho it suits

Uttarakhandthe Himalaya

Is this for you?

You have to earn this one: 8 to 10 km a day on foot at altitude, with basic stays at the end of it. The best flowers come in the monsoon, which is also when the hill roads are least reliable. It suits fit couples and friends. If you can't walk that far, skip it.

When to go

Go in the coloured months. The black ones are best avoided.

What to do

Joshimath

A hill town on the Rishikesh road. Most people spend their first and last nights here.

Walk to Ghangaria

From Govindghat, a shared taxi covers about 4 km to Pulna, a roadside village. Then you walk under 11 km uphill to Ghangaria, a small hamlet at about 3,048 m.

Valley of Flowers

It lies at about 3,352 to 3,658 m and it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a place the UN protects for its value to all people. Allow a full day on foot from Ghangaria, around 17 km in all from the road.

Spare day on the trail

Keep one day free for weather or tired legs. If you don't need it, spend a second day in the valley.

Gorson Bugyal from Auli

A bugyal is a high grass meadow, and one source puts this one about 3 km on foot from Auli. Reach Auli by road, as the ropeway has been shut since January 2023.

Sources differ on this, or we have only one, so check locally.

Hemkund Sahib

A Sikh shrine beside a high lake, 6 km and about 1,100 m up from Ghangaria, usually 3 to 5 hours. Register first, cover your head, and start down by about 2:00 pm. You can't sleep there.

Sources differ on this, or we have only one, so check locally.

What to eat

We couldn't confirm any restaurant worth naming here. You'll eat simple stall and guesthouse food in Ghangaria, and the gurdwara (Sikh temple) there feeds walkers. Nothing is sold inside the valley, so pack your lunch.

Jhangora ki kheer

Sweet barnyard millet cooked in milk with cardamom. If a guesthouse in Joshimath makes it, say yes.

Vegetarian

Langar khichdi

Rice and lentils cooked soft, served free with tea at the Ghangaria gurdwara's langar, its community kitchen. Cover your head and take your shoes off.

Vegetarian

Mandua ki roti

Flatbread of finger millet, a Garhwali staple. Ask for it at a guesthouse rather than expect it on a stall menu.

Vegetarian

Nanda Devi from the west. — Michael Scalet from India, CC BY-SA 2.0

Valley of Flowers National Park in Uttarakhand, India, is a vibrant alpine paradise bursting with rare Himalayan flora and breathtaking natu — Original: Rohit Sharma Derivative work: UnpetitproleX, CC BY-SA 4.0

Valley of Flowers (june month) — Anshusk, CC BY-SA 4.0

As one approaches Auli bugyals from the south, Kuanri Pass is crossed at a height of 4300m. The place gets snow some times even in early Sep — Ashwani Kumar, CC BY-SA 4.0

its the second highest peak — Ashutosh Mohan, CC BY-SA 4.0

Nanda Devi national park is a habitat for many endangered species. The high peak can be seen from a long distance, standing tall en route to — Ashwani Kumar, CC BY-SA 4.0

River Pushpawati emerges from glaciers in the far end of the Valley of Flowers, makes its way from the valley floor and then flows towards t — Manas Jaitly, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photos from Valley of Flowers trip during LGFC - VOF 2019 — Vinayaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0

Snow-covered Himalayan peaks and ski slopes in Auli, Uttarakhand. — Jignesh326, Pixabay Content License

Getting there

Drive from Rishikesh and allow a full day, because road times vary: one itinerary says about 253 km and 8 hours to Joshimath, another says 10 to 12 hours to Govindghat. No flight is needed, but the hill road is long and winding. From Govindghat a shared taxi runs about 4 km, then you walk.

Where to stay

Ghangaria The only base near the valley, so you don't get a choice. Stays are simple, with few comforts.

Joshimath Where you'll stop before and after the trail. The stays are basic.

Worth knowing

Permit

Check the rules before passing Joshimath toward Mana: foreigners need permission near the border, and we haven't mapped the Inner Line. Our sources show only an entry fee for the valley itself.

Safety

Get insurance for altitudes over 2,400 m and mountain rescue with helicopter costs, as the UK advises, and go only if you can walk 8 to 10 km a day. Signal is poor, so tell your hotel your plan. Hemkund Sahib is far higher, at around 4,300 m.

Opening

Go to Auli by road. The ropeway, a cable car from Joshimath, has been shut since January 2023 after the ground near its towers moved.

4 more to know

Rules

Never sign a faith statement. A March 2026 resolution bars non-Hindus, except Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists, from sanctums at Badrinath, Kedarnath and 45 other temples we skip; unclear for foreigners.

Safety

Keep a spare day and be ready to wait for a road to clear. The flowers peak in July and August, the riskiest weeks for landslides on the hill roads from Rishikesh.

Opening

Don't plan a trip between November and May. The valley opens only about 1 June to 31 October, it ran exactly those dates in 2026, so it's closed now, and the 2027 opening date isn't announced.

Permit

Carry cash and confirm the price at the forest post in Ghangaria, as sources give the fee as Rs 600 to Rs 850. You buy this forest permit there or online.

Sources differ on this, or we have only one, so check locally.

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