Valley of Flower

Road Distance or driving distance from Rishikesh to Valley of flowers is 310 kms (192.00 miles).
Valley of Flowers National Park is an Indian national park, located in West Himalaya, in the state of Uttarakhand and is Known for its meadows of endemic alpine flowers and the variety of flora. This richly diverse area is home to rare and Also endangered animals, including the Asiatic black bear, snow leopard, musk deer, brown bear, red fox, and blue sheep. Birds found in the park include Himalayan Monal Pheasant and other high altitude birds. At 3352 to 3658 meters above sea level, the gentle landscape of the Valley of Flowers National Park complements the rugged mountain wilderness of Nanda Devi National Park to the east. Together, They encompass a unique transition zone Between the mountain ranges of the Zanskar and Great Himalaya. The park Stretches over an expanse of 87.50 km ² and it is 8 km long acerca and 2 km wide. Both parks are encompassed in the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (223.674 ha) Which is further surrounded by a buffer zone (5,148.57 km ²). This Reserve is in the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves since 2004.
The place was Little known outside world due to its inaccessibility. In 1931, Frank S. Smythe, Eric Shipton and RL Holdsworth, all British mountaineers, while returning Lost Their Way from a successful expedition to Mt.Kamet and happened upon the valley, que was full of flowers. They Were Attracted to the beauty of the area and named it the "Valley of Flowers." Frank Smythe later authored a book of the same name.



In 1939, Joan Margaret Legge, (21 February 1885-4 July 1939) a botanist deputed by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, arrived at the valley to study flowers and while traversing some rocky slopes to collect flowers, she slipped off and lost her life. Her sister later visited the valley and erected a memorial near the spot.

Prof. Chandra Prakash Kala, a botanist deputed by the Wildlife Institute of India, Carried out a research study on the floristics and conservation of the valley for a decade, beginning in 1993.'ve Made an inventory of 520 alpine plants growing Exclusively In this national park and authored two important books - "The Valley of Flowers - Myth and Reality" and "Ecology and Conservation of the Valley of Flowers National Park, Garhwal Himalaya.