Valley of Flowers: trekking with a Two year old

Nick-H

I can't comment on the itinerary, but I can comment on the car.

Indica is a city runabout vehicle. it will not be comfortable for a long trip and there will be almost no space for three people's baggage.

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k_cborty

Hi!

I'm Planning a VOF and Hemkund Sahib trip from 7th Sept to 15th Sept.

Two main Concerns and Clarifications needed....

1.Is it a right time to go this year.(I'm told this yr we had record rainfalls and landslides)....also will i get to see flowers in VOF in Sept 2nd week.

2.Is it right to venture out with a 2 yr kid on VOF/HS trek.

My plan chalked out ex Delhi (Pls suggest with alternatives)

7th Sept (Fri)-Leaving for Hardwar via train
8th Sept (Sat)-Hardwar to Srinagar (O/N Srinagar)
9th Sept (Sun)-Srinagar to Joshimath(O/N Joshimath)
10th Sept(Mon)-Joshimath -Govindghat- Ghangaria(O/N Ghangaria)
11th Sept(Tues)-Ghangaria-VOF-Ghangaria (O/N Ghangaria)
12th Sept(Wed)-Ghangaria-HS-Ghangaria(O/N Ghangaria)
13th Sept(Thurs)-Ghangaria-Govindghat-Badrinath (O/N Badrinath)
14th Sept (Fri)-Badrinath Darshan and Vasudhara Trek (O/N Badrinath)
15th Sept (Sat)-Badrinath to Rudraprayag (O/N Rudraprayag)
16th Sept (Sun)-Rudraprayad to Hardwar and board train

There are 4 of us-Me,Wife,Kid and Maid

What vehicle should we hire ??(Comfortable and Cost effective)

How's the overall plan - Any changes suggested.

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k_cborty

Sorry...was not aware of Forum rules.

But need suggestions on my itenary ...pls suggest!!

machadinha

Yes, no problem. Just so folks know why the two posts are mixed up

I'm sure suggestions will be in, hang in there.

ks_bluechip

I think overall your day-wise schedule is OK and Do-able. I have no idea about Vasudhara trek .... but if it is only Mana Village visit, then your schedule is OK. In Sept will there be enough flowers? There is some debate on that ... (Do see the thread Har-Ki-Dun Vs Valley of Flowers and otehr VoF threads for more details on that). Two year old cannot walk upto VoF & Hemkund . But I did see quite a few kids (1 to 8 year olds) being carried in a "Doli" like a cane-chair-basket on back of porters. Don't know about cost of that. What vehicle? ... don't know. Others VoF/HK experts will answer soon, I expect.

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ks_bluechip

Hi Nick,
About Indica: I don't know if your comment is about Petrol version of Indica? If so maybe you are right.

But about Indica Diesel Version ... I bought one two years ago, when the expert advise given to me, was that it is the most "economical" car from point of view Kms/Litre ... and is best suited for long distance running on Highways! The pickup on that being sluggish is not suitable for city driving with lots of start/stops.
- KS

solo_trekker

It has to, repeat HAS TO, be a four-wheel drive...
The rains have been awesome, the landslides unprecedented too...
You are going at the right time...
September also has a whole lotta flowers, and with family, it is better to avoid the slish slush of the muddy paths on the trek...

k_cborty

Once i get down in Hardwar Rl Station will i get a four wheel drive vehicle on hire.
Is it suggested i fix up a vehicle in advance thru travel operator (if u know of any)

What all vehicles are avaiable and at what cost.

Hope in September we are over with rainy season and chances of flowers will be more and of landslides will be less

k_cborty

Have gone thru other threads and didn't get a clear picture of chances to see flowers in VOF in Sept.....may be with your recent visit u might have got some idea on this years likelyhood of flowers in Sept...

I presume from ur feedback i can take my kid on Doli to Ghangaria w/o any problem...

one more clarification...my Dad who is 65...had one bypass...can i take him along to Badrinath (he will avoid the Ghangaria/VOF trek)..he is a heart patient but not asthmatic.

ks_bluechip

Re: Flowers in Sept.... Don't know if they will be there in Sept ... there are mixed opinions on that, from veteran trekkers. Even if anyone saw flowers in VoF in Sept-2006 there is no gaurantee, they will be there in Sept 2007! They were there in July-2007 when I went there. The park staff said flowers are usually there till mid-sept.

Re: Yes, your 2 year old can be carried in a Doli

Re: About your 65-year old dad's trip .... sorry, I am not able to say if he can go to Badrinath .. you need to check that with his Doctor. Badrinath has no trekking involved and the Jeep/bus-stand is just about 500M away from temple door. But the journey bus/jeep jouney can be tiring and a bit rough, thru mountain roads.

nyraghu

All the sources I have read indicate that July-August is the best period for seeing flowers in the VoF. This was corroborated by the people at the Valley of Flowers Information Centre in Ghangaria, when I went there two years ago. However, with weather patterns changing so much in the recent past, the flowering cycles may also have been affected.

I was told that September-October is a good time for views from the Valley; but I don't know how accessible the Valley is in October. One of my plans is to go there during that period for the views.

I am sure you must be consulting his doctors about it. As a non-medical person, I would advocate caution, because I don't think reasonable medical facilities are available in Badrinath. I don't remember noticing any medical shops even. When I went there two years ago, the GMVN Dev Lok Hotel had oxygen cylinders for sale.

Coming back to the subject of the VoF in September-October, let me sign off with some lyrical passages by Frank Smythe, describing his return to the Valley in September, 1937, after going away from there for a while during the monsoon. It is the kind of writing which makes me yearn for a post-monsoon trip to the Valley.

"When I had left, green was the predominant shade, now it was brown and gold; the floor of the valley was enriched with soft colourings, varying from the deep red of the potentilla leaves to the yellow of the withering grasses and the faintest tinge of russet in the birch forest. ... The predominant note was peace; not the faintest breeze ruffled the herbage and the silence was the silence of a vast ocean utterly calm, though always the sound of the streams came to the ear as a soft almost imperceptible cadence." -- Frank S. Smythe, Valley of Flowers, Chapter XXIV.

Raghu.

Bhaswaran

Regarding the 2 year old. I must say you consult with your child specalist very seriously....and do not take a risk with the child. In any case of his health feeling bad....you will not know...he might not be able to express the problems.like us..so be careful.

k_cborty

Thanks for all the help which is pouring in....

Is anybody aware of any good Transport /Travel operator in Hardwar who provides 4WD vehicles.

Pls help!!!

nyraghu

If you turn right immediately after coming out of Haridwar station, you will find the taxi stand of the Haridwar Taxi Union, phone (01334) 227 338. The Union has two offices near each other, but either of them is fine. Usually they provide Ambassador cars; I think it is enough for the trip to Srinagar, your first halt. In Srinagar, you can get a 4WD opposite the bus stand near the GMVN hotel. In Joshimath, you can ask the hotel guys to get a 4WD to take you to Govind Ghat; it may cost you a bit more, but saves you some trouble. We found getting a vehicle from Govind Ghat to Badrinath a bit of a problem. It may be easier to go back to Joshimath, and take a vehicle from there to Badrinath --- passing again through Govind Ghat. Other posters may be able to make better suggestions on this.

HTH,
Raghu.