Valley of Flowers with family in july/august

Savita

We are planning a family trip to the valley of flowers and Hemkund and will be reaching delhi on the 29th july for the same.We have two kids aged 9yrs and 4.5yrs..both boys. can anybody help with information.. specially keeping in mind the kids of course ..such as..

1. ideal time schedule for a comfortable trip with ample space for looking around and rest(we have around 10-11 days in hand)

2. What do we take with us

3.places we can comfortably stay

4. safety considerations

5. Has anybody been there with small kids ?

6. Any other places in and around that we should visit.

We had been to Har-ki-doon a few years back when the younger one was one and a half...we could carry him then plus it was with another family,....this time we are on our own and thence the apprehensions. we'll be very grateful for any suggestions that could help.

eagerly awaiting
Savita

VSK Sharma

Hi,
As you have been to HKD with a kid it should not be a problem as far as VOF is concerned. Hemkund is quite a steep climb of nearly 5000 feet in 5 kms and takes you to 15000 feet so depending upon the way kids take it upto VOF decide.
1. Delhi-Haridwar-Srinagar; Srinagar-Joshimath(do visit Auli from Joshimath by cable car); Joshimath-Govindghat-Ghangaria, Ghangaria-VOF and back; Ghangaria-Hemkund and back; Ghangaria-Govandighat (if possible go to Badrinath same day or next day); Spend a day at Badrinath;Badrinath-Srinagar-Pauri; Spend a day at Pauri (visit Kirsu); Pauri -Haridwar- Delhi. Total 10 days.
2. It would be cold and raining take the appropriate clothing.
3.GMVN visit their site gmvnl.com Book your rooms now it self if the trip is finalised.
4.Make Hemkund trip if kids are feeling fine. Take care of cold and rain.
5. It's a pligram trail and so you are not alone on the route.
6. Already mentioned above.
All the best for a good and safe trip.

Savita

Thanks Mr. Sharma for the prompt response. Do we have to go to Srinagar, Is there a shorter way to go to Joshimath.

I forgot to ask an important thing, what would be the approx costs.

spicetrekker

I did this trek last year and year before that. It is a particulary easy trek till Ghangharia with a lot of shops on the way - so you do not need to carry anything at all - not even water. From Ghangharia to VOF do carry water and something for your kids to eat. Hemkund is a tough trek as the ascent is very steep - so it may be a good idea for you to have one horse handy. Your kids can take use it - worse case if they are ok you will end up paying some money and not use it - trat it as an insurance and no it should not hurt anyones pride to use the horse if required. BTW it is a prilgrim trail so I did see a lot of kids and mostly the kids were fine but the parents were having the problems :-) - think of it if you hire one horse from Ghangaria to Hemkund, may be you can use it if needed

As for the the 11 days you have enough time.

I suggest you take the Shatabdi from Delhi to HDW (there is one in the morning and another one in the evening) and then if your budget permits hire a car from there. Typical cost would be 1300-1500 per day including fuel and driver.

Day 1 Haridwar

Day 2 Joshimath

Day 3 Go to Auli in cable car and spend the day there relaxing if the skies are clear you can get some lovely views of the mountains and spend night at Joshimath

Day 4 Take first gate towards Badrinath, drop your vehicle at Govindghat and trek to Ghangharia - places to stay in Ghangharia are limited so try and book GMVN in advance

Day 5 VOF stay at halt at Ghangharia

Day 6 HK and back stay at Ghangharia

Day 7 Trek down to Govindhat and take afternoon gate to Badrinath, Darshan and Night halt at Badrinath

Day 8 If possible take first Gate out of Badrinath and drop car at Helang (15 kms from Joshimath). Trek to Kalpeshwar (highly recommended by me) low gradient and very nice trek - stay at Urgam

Day 9 Trek back to Helang and proceed towards Haridwar, if you leave early you can reach Rishikesh and stay there, I prefer it to Haridwar

Day 10 back to Delhi

Note: In Uttaranchal the roads are closed in the night and on the Badrinath route the traffic is supposed to be one way so the concept of Gate is that there are fixed times when the let the traffic to move. Your driver, if from Haridwar will know of these timings, if your driving from Delhi then please ensure you get to know the timings in advance.

Costs: Difficult to say as it depends what kind of accomodation you chose in places like Hairdwar, Badrinath and Joshimath , other places like VoF and Urgam (kapleshwar) you dont have options. Having said that my take is:

1. Transport (own Car) 15000 for 10 days
2. All meals for 4 of you not more than 300 per day - say 4000 for the trip
3. Stay: My suggestion is if you want to scrounge this is place to do it. For eg in Haridwar and Badrinath there are number of dharamshalas which offer decent staying options - eg Balanand Ashram (hope the name is correct) it is next to GMVN in Badrinath. I think in Ghangharia the Gurudwara has staying arrangements - not sure but they did have a good langar (free food). I personally prefer to save money on stay and have a car at my disposal

Hope this helps. Best of luck. And by the way do carry rain gear and back-up batteries for your cameras in VOF.

Savita

Dear spicetrekker,

Thanks again for the handy info.

i need help for a couple of points more,

1.Is it going to be raining(gloomy and cold weather?) most of the time this time.... cant change plans and dates though...

2. how about us halting an extra day after VOF at Ghangaria for rest and then doing Hemkund? What kind of a place is Ghangaria...i mean scenic ?

VSK Sharma

Hi,
As you are going to be four on this trip take the shared Sumo's which run on the route. Ask for the middle row and this way it would be cheap and comfortable also. Taking a taxi full time will be quite costly. Stay at GMVN and do you booking now as it gets full very fast. See their web site for this info. Well Ghangaria is a small place but certainly you can rest there.
Rains yes they have to be there and with them it will get cold.
Srinagar(Garhwal) is the only way and it takes 3-4 hrs from Rishikesh.
Buses run between Delhi and Haridwar and take 06 hrs. However, the cost of the ticket is only Rs.110/-.
I hope you have a nice trek.

spicetrekker

Savita

Cant predict the rains - despite being from Mumbai ; but it is the best time to go to VOF as you will see flowers which is why you are going there. The rains typically are in short bursts and it is not too cold

Frankly you can spend one more day at Ghangharia resting; though I find the place specially the GMVN guesthouse not very appealing mainly thanks to the traffic of horses who keep shitting everywhere and with rains the whole thing sometimes is a mess but it is not a bad place otherwise and it may be a good idea to rest there if you are tired

Savita

Hey...thanks to u both, VSK and spicetrekker. Got a lot of info. V will be taking the shared sumo...4 of us can throw our weight and also save costs . can anyone help on the Gate timings ?

solo_trekker

hi guys...
one important and useful tip...
the trip from haridwar to joshimath has the alaknanda river on your left for most of the time.
the stretch between haridwar to srinagar (around 3-4 hours) has the alaknanda to your right, but the scenery isn't as great as it is between srinagar and joshimath, and this is a much longer stretch. here, the nh-58 (thatz the highway connecting delhi to mana, 6 km ahead of badrinath) goes on some stretches where the river is flowing around 1000 feet below you...!
i've been to the vof twice and the second time i went there, i didn't take an available bus just because it didn't have my favourite left window seat...!!! took the next available one half an hour later, and enjoyed the scenery all along... i'm sure your kids will like this tip - whether u do or don't is a different matter altogether...
and you can leave as much stuff as u want to at govindghat - there is a facility of a cloak room there. carry stuff for just 3 days from there. vof should ideally be done the day before before you do hemkund sahib - helps to acclimatise.
the gate from joshimath to badrinath opens at 6.30; likewise from badrinath. the last gate from joshimath is at 4.30 in the evening - better to cross before 4 - as u never know...!
check out the thread on 'valley of flowers and hemkund sahib'
cheers...!!!

himadventures

I do not think this is right time to be there with family. With monsoons up there and reputation of this road being tricky....I think you should re-think about it.

Savita

We r finally onto finalising plans for our trip...suggestions would be of help inthe following

1 what do we take?
a. need to travel light
b. yet v(the kids) need to be warm and comfortable

2.We need shoes too for the 4 of us -- any brands which r durable and reasonable

3. anybody else making the trip around the sametime...specially family oriented or kids-loving folks ?

4.emegency medicine-emergency foods-other emergency/contingency measures to be kept in mind ?



waiting eagerly ,savita

VSK Sharma

You seem to have started another thread on the same trek.
(a) take wollens and a set of clothes for wearing once you have reached the destination of the day. Do carry big poly bags to keep the clothing and other items dry. Do carry caps and gloves for self and kids.
(b) carry common medicines for cough, cold and temp.
(c) Take a porter for carrying your stuff.
Hope you have made reservations for your stay.
Don't worry go ahead for the VOF trek
All the best

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Savita

i was not aware of the forum's rule and the impact/confusion it could cause. Sorry.

Mr VSK, thanks a lot for the reassuring response We have made the reservations tho in Ghangaria v could get only the dorm...normally we wear sturdy..tearproof clothes like jeans on a trek..do v have to carry light (easier to dry kind)here?


PLUS WHAT IS A COMFORTABLE TIME TO START FROM EACH DESTINATION?...bus timings? v will stay at Delhi, Rishikesk, joshimath,babrinath and ghangaria of course.

VSK Sharma

Hi,
Good that you have the place at Ghangaria as at other places you have other options also. Yes do carry light clothes which can dry fast.
As far as travel in Gharwal is concerned it is early morning everywhere. Start early reach early and enjoy the place. Timings and other things you will come to know without any problem once on the road.
All the best.