Hemkund Sahib and VOF

I'm planning a trip to Hemkund Sahib and VOF during the first or second week of June. Is that a good time to go? Are roads/paths open at the time to make the trip?? Any advise would be great as I keep hearing weather has been a little weird and hemkund sahib may not be open June 1st.

When does Hemkund Sahib Open next year

No problem going that way, but not the best time for flowers at VOF.

agree and if possible delay your (Elliy79) trip atleast one month

hey we r also planning a trip to badrinath nd kedarnath n frst of july.....here z d itenary....
July 2nd: Delhi – Haridwar/Chilla/Rishikesh (210+ Kms/5-6hrs)

We will try to depart as early as possible in the morning? If we get accommodation at Chilla then we stay as Chilla otherwise in Rishikesh.

July 3rd – RISHIKESH/CHILLA– GUPTAKASHI or GAURIKUND. 223 Kms (8 –9 hrs)

Leave for Guptakashi from Chilla/Rishikesh by 8am.


July 4th - GUPTAKASHI/GAURIKUND – KEDARNATH. (Drive 32 Kms & trek 14 Kms)

Start trek to Kedarnath and reach there by afternoon. Darshan and Pooja same day.




July 5th – KEDARNATH – GAURIKUND/GUPTAKASHI. (Trek 14 Kms, drive 32 Kms)

After pooja in the morning leave back for Gaurikund/Guptkashi. Reach by evening.



July 6th – GUPTAKASHI – JOSHIMATH via CHOPTA. 175kms. (6 – 7 hrs)

After early breakfast leave for Joshimath via Chopta (a beautiful site). We can also visit Tri-juggi Narayan (where Shiv Ji Got Married to Parvati) on the way. We will drive through thick medicinal forest and can stop at Pipalkoti for Lunch. Arrive at Joshimath by late afternoon.


July 7th – JOSHIMATH – BADRINATH – JOSHIMATH. (Drive 90 Kms)

After early breakfast leave for Badrinath, have Darshan and spend time visiting Mana village. Come back to Joshimath the same day.


July 8th - JOSHIMATH – Rishikesh (10 Hrs) or straight to Delhi (15 HrS
WE ALSO WANT TO INCLUDE VALLEY OF FLOWERS ND HEMKUND SAHIB.....WE INCLUDE MANY LADIES....WID SOME CHIDREN ALSO....AGE 3,10,16,......PLS PLS TEL US D BEST WAY TO INCLUDE VOF ND HEMKUND...HOW CAN WE REACH DERE QUIKLY ND RETURN....PLS ALSO ADVICE AS WE HV CHILDREN WID US ALSO...IF U WANT TO ADD NE PLACE WHICH Z A MUST WATCH N TRIP TO KEDARNATH DEN PLS TEL...WE CAN XTEND D TRIP A DAY...IF WANTED.....
THAMKS
PLS REPLY
ANKUR

Hello Everyone,

I will be going to Hemkund Sahib and Valley of Flowers in the first week of June.. I will start from Delhi on 2nd June night. Can anybody update me with the opening dates of Hemkund Sahib this year?

Hemkunt Sahib Generally opens on first June of every year but you will get no flowers at VOF.
Best time to visit VOF is 2nd half of July and August.

Thanks Naresh for your prompt reply!! I agree that in June there will be no flowers at VOF.. but in July or August there will be no holidays for me!! So planning the trip in June only!!

Can anyone suggest me what will be approximate cost of the entire trip, if I use public transport and decent hotels for accommodation? Moreover what kind of clothes I should carry with me for Hemkund and night stay at Ghagharia?

Thanks in advance!!

i am going to the VOF in last week of june... mostly straing from delhi on 28th early bus to haridwar/rishikesh... Planing return by 6th july...
tentative plan is :
Day1 28th june: Reach ...rishikesh/haridwar
29 reach joshimath
30 reach ghangria
1 valley of Flowers
2 valley of Flowers
3 hemkund Sahib
4 joshimath
5 rishikesh/haridwar
6 delhi

Please comments if i need to change anythig?

Night stay is not allowed inside the Valley of Flowers, unless you are one of those 'Challenge the System" kind of adventurer

Cheers!

@abdulrahims: Hey Abdul, Last year I did VOF, Hemkunt Sahab and Badrinath in the first half of August. The best time to visit VOF is between July and August when the flowers are in full bloom. If possible try to postpone the trip for a fortnight so that you see the valley in full bloom. However, if its not feasible, you can still visit it as planned.

I suggest the following changes to your trip plan:

28th june: Reach haridwar by evening. Check for buses going to Badrinath at the bus stand. There are number of small hotels near the bus stand where you can get comfortable accomodation at cheap rate.

June 29: If possible, take the first/second bus at 3am/4am from Haridwar bus stand that goes to Badrinath. Joshimath and Govindghat are enroute to Badrinath. Due to incessant rains, the roads give away and there is always a landslide waiting for you on the way. Despite starting early in the morning, due to heavy rains and landslides, our bus had to stop at Joshimath. If a bus reaches Joshimath after sunset, it is not allowed to go further on the road.

If there are no such hiccups on your way You should get down at Govindghat instead of Joshimath. The trek to Ghangharia starts from Govindghat and there are more than 30 small, medium hotels at Govindghat.

June30: After a good sleep, start your way up the 13kms trek to Ghagharia from Ghangharia. This is one of the most beautiful treks I ever had.

July1: Though the boundary of VOF is just 500mts from Ghangharia, you will have to trek another 3.5kms before you reach the valley. Luck plays the most important part. There can be rain throughout the day or just a very bright sunny day. The weather changes in no time and one has no clue when will it change. Carry a good quality rain coat (trouser/shirt kind is best) and a cover for your backpack. Get 4-5 parathas packed from the hotel where you stay.

We were lucky on the first day. It rained till 9:30AM and then the clouds gave way to the sun till afternoon. It gets really cold when it rains, so carry a woolen jacket.

July2: as you planned or as wheather decides.

July 3: hemkund Sahib - Its a very tough hike, so if you are exausted from the last two days trek, take a pony to the shrine. It takes couple of hours by Pony to reach the shrine. Due to bad weather, everyone at the shrine is asked to leave by 2:30 so that they rach Ghanghria before sunset.


July4: As planned.

July5: as planned

July 6: As planned.

PS: Since you are returning to delhi on Friday, you should go the Badrinath valley of July 4th. Next day you should go and visit the last village of that area Mana which is 3kms from there. After another 5kms, in the most enchanting and secluded of places, there is Vasudhara Falls, which is approx. 500ft high. This was the second best thing we did after VOF. The next day you take a direct bus to Haridwar and come back to Delhi on Sunday.

Hey Elliy, I have just posted some answers in reply to other post. Hope you find it useful. Shoot questions if you need further information.

All the best for your trip!

@Abdulrahims

Here are my observations and suggestion. Please see if they are workable.

Your profile tells your location as Pune so I am assuming that you would be arriving to Delhi for this trip. If you are arriving on 27th evening, I would suggest to head straight for Rishikesh the same evening unless Haridwar is integral part of your itinerary and you wish to visit it the next day.

Head for Natraj Chowk in Rishkesh and catch the shared cab for Chamoli. From Chamoli you will have to board another cab for Joshimath. Shared cabs are less time consuming as compared to buses.Moreover, this way you will save one full day and you won't be required to get-up as early as 3 am to catch the bus

Rains are a possibility in June-end but less likely to disrupt traffic (at least from my last year's experience). Still it is always handy to have a spare day when treking in that region.

@infitecolors..is night stay now allowed inside VOF???

Night-stay is definitely not allowed in VOF.

@Photofreak: As Dilliwala said, there are no overnight stays allowed inside VOF. Actually, there is nothing called a shelter once you enter the valley. As you start your trek inside the valley, your name, home address and contact details are entered at the check-post. If one doesn't come back by 5/5:30pm, a search team goes in to locate the person(s).

Being a world heritage site with an extremely delicate ecosystem, the valley requires limited outsiders to preserve its rare and diverse fauna.