Valley of Flowers Uttarakhand 2025: The Valley of Flowers in Uttarakhand opened to tourists for this year on June 1. The valley usually stays open for four months — June, July, August, and September — and closes sometime in October, as winter and snow make it dangerous for tourists at other times of the year.
Located in Chamoli district, the Valley of Flowers is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its beautiful alpine meadows, with hundreds of species of flowers blooming in the verdant forest, have long enchanted tourists. The valley is also home to a variety of birds and animals.
What makes the Valley of Flowers special, and what should you know before planning a trip here? We explain.What is the Valley of Flowers in Uttarakhand?
The Valley of Flowers is located within the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, spread over an area of 87 sqkm. Nanda Devi, the second highest mountain in India (after Kangchenjunga), also holds religious significance, as Nanda is considered the patron goddess of Garhwal and Kumaon.“The gentle landscape of the Valley of Flowers National Park complements the rugged mountain wilderness of Nanda Devi National Park. Together they encompass a unique transition zone between the mountain ranges of the Zanskar and Great Himalaya, praised by mountaineers and botanists for over a century and in Hindu mythology for much longer,” UNESCO says about the site.
Flower species such as orchids, poppies, primulas, marigold, daisies and anemones can be found here. The valley also abounds in medicinal plants and herbs, and flowers with religious significance, such as the brahmakamal, offered to Nanda Devi. The valley has a variety of habitats, from foothills to alpine zones, from waterfalls and streams to forests, and is thus very rich in biodiversity.
“The trek to the valley offers eye-catching spectacles like cascading waterfalls and wild streams. Situated at an altitude of around 3,600 m above the sea level, the valley is also home to such rare and amazing wildlife species like the gray langur, the flying squirrel, the Himalayan weasel, and black bear, the red fox, the lime butterfly, the snow leopard,” the Uttarakhand tourism website says.
