I am currently in Rishikesh with my family, and we will be here for another five days. We were discussing last night that we should maybe go to the Valley of Flowers. I need to get a few things clear before heading towards the Valley of Flowers. I would like to know how far Rishikesh is from Valley of Flowers? Which route would I take from Rishikesh to reach Valley of Flowers?
Hi there, welcome to the forum! Rishikesh is connected to the Valley of Flowers via Govind Ghat. For a long time, the last point where vehicles are allowed is Govind Ghat. From Rishikesh, Govind Ghat is about 271 kilometres away so about 9 to 10 hours of driving. From Govind Ghat, you need to trek for 14 kilometres to reach Ghangaria, the base camp for the Valley of Flowers. However, recently, a new road was constructed in which travellers can reach Pulna from Govind Ghat. This new road cuts the trekking distance from 14 kilometres to 10 kilometres. So from Rishikesh, Pulna is about 275 kilometres away which can also take around 9 to 10 hours of driving to reach. From Pulna, you would need to trek for about 10 kilometres to reach Ghangaria. From Ghangaria, you need to trek once again to reach the Valley of Flowers. The distance between this two is about 4 kilometres. Usually, trekkers rest for the first day after reaching Ghangaria. They then commence their trek for the Valley of Flowers the next day. Here is the route that you can take to reach the Valley of Flowers from Rishikesh: Road Route - Rishikesh > Devaprayag > Srinagar > Rudraprayag > Karnaprayag > Nandaprayag > Chamoli/Gopeshwar > Joshimath > Govind Ghat > Pulna. There is another route but it is longer and takes you around Haridwar so I won't recommend it. This is the best route that you can take as it directly takes you to Pulna in Govind Ghat. From Rishikesh to Karnaprayag, road conditions are okay. If there are rains during your journey, you might experience delays due to landslides caused by the rainfall. So be careful especially when travelling during monsoon season since these roads are prone to landslides. From Karnaprayag to Joshimath, road conditions are also okay although there are rough patches. Since this is mainly hilly driving, you have to pass through some curves although they're not that difficult to traverse. From Joshimath to Pulna, roads are a bit narrower and you need to be more careful. Once you reach Govind Ghat, continue further until Pulna to cut your trekking journey a bit. Also, make sure that you reach Govind Ghat before 8:00 pm as roads will be closed thereafter. If ever you cannot reach Govind Ghat before 8:00 pm, then opt to stay in Joshimath instead and continue your journey the next day. Trekking Route - Pulna > Trek to Ghangaria > Trek to Valley of Flowers. So as mentioned before, from Pulna, Ghangaria is about 10 kilometres away. The trek to reach Ghangaria is steep and challenging. Make sure you start the trek early in the day as it can easily take a whole day. The trek takes you through rivers, streams and beautiful sceneries though. Some of the climbs are uphill while some are downhill, which can be tiring especially for unfit people. From Ghangaria to the Valley of Flowers, it's about 4 kilometres away. Once you reach Ghangaria, you can find a hotel here as there aren't any in the Valley of Flowers. You have to rest for the night and leave early morning the next day for the trek to reach the Valley of Flowers. The trek is also challenging but you'd be rewarded by beautiful views at the end of your journey. Keep in mind that trekking to the Valley of Flowers is only open from the months of June to the first week of October. It opens as early as 7:00 am and last entry is permitted until 2:00 pm only. All visitors must leave the national park by 5:00 pm as well. I hope this helps!
