Overview
Have you ever wondered of walking on a carpet of flowers blanketed all over your path like you are a queen or princess of some kind and get captured in the most amazing sceneries around you. Of course yes, and you must be thinking that this only happens in a Dreamland. Well, what if I tell you that there is a place on earth which will make you feel that it is just made for you and same as you imagine in your “Dreamland”.
Yes you read that right! Valley of Flowers, a place in the Himalayan range located in the Chamoli district in Uttarakhand spread over an area of about eighty seven sq km is a place full of alpine meadows and flowers. The beautiful scent of flowers sometimes makes the travelers unconscious of their mind as the beauty of the place is something unbelievable.
This not only ends here; the beauty of this place was so mesmerizing that it was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
History of Valley of Flowers
The valley is accepted to have been found in 1931, when three British mountain dwellers – driven by Frank S Smythe – got lost and landed upon this astounding valley. Drawn in by the magnificence of this place they named it the “Valley of Flowers”.
Smythe returned later, and composed the book The Valley of Flowers in 1938. In 1939, Joan Margaret Legge was deputed by Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, to deductively list the flowers here.Unfortunately, she fell down off a cliff, while gathering flowers. Her older sister later came to finish her work. The valley is accepted to have roughly 520 types of plants, out of which, 498 are blossoming plants.
Firstly it was a Valley of Flowers national park but then the beauty of this place attracted people from all over the world and thus it became a UNESCO World Heritage site and is still gathering popularity attracting millions of people from all over the world.
Speciality of the place
Offered with the uncommon and colorful Himalayan vegetation, the Valley of Flowers trek is a bundle of nature calmly cuddled in the West Himalayan area of Uttarakhand. The journey of Valley of Flowers goes through thick forests, alongside Pushpawati waterway and can be reached by intersecting many bridges, icy masses and cascades on the way.
This place is abundantly rich in flora and fauna.
Having about 520 different types of plants including 498 blossoming plants is something which we don’t get to see everywhere.
Isn’t it awesome watching different species of plants and animals in a heavenly place like Valley of Flowers. This should be in each and everyone’s bucket list as if you didn’t see this then you didn’t see the beauty of earth.
The big and beautiful alpine meadows with alpine flowers makes it the most spectacular place where you can be with your loved ones or friends. This is also a perfect place for couples to spend their most beautiful time with the people they love. Just imagine you and your partner in this valley full of pretty and scented flowers adding colours to your love brings a magical moment in your life making you feel in a wonderland. Well speaking of this place is always less because there is so much in this place – fun, excitement, peace, love, joy, adventure, nature etc.
Flora and Fauna
Flora
As the name proposes, Valley of Flowers is a land where nature glows in full greatness offering an amazing view. Some blossoms like marigolds, daisies, primulas, orchids, poppies and anemones are an eye-getting exhibition. Sub-snow capped woodlands birch and rhododendron cover portions of the area’s region. The territories incorporate valley base, waterway bed, little forests, green meadows, unstable and slippery slopes, moraine, swamps, stone desert and caverns. The lower encompassing slopes in the support zone are thickly forested. The Brahmakamal, the Blue Poppy, Cobra, Lily are a few flowers that sprout in the valley. The Himalayan Balsam is the most dominating bloom of the valley.
Wild Rose is also said to be found in an area in the Valley of Flowers.
Fauna
Some common animals which you can see in the Valley of flowers are Red fox, Snow Leopard, Bharal, Tahr, Common Langur, Musk Deer, Serow, Himalayan Black and brown bear.
The park has listed about 13 species of mammals which includes Himalayan goral, flying squirrel, Himalayan yellow – throated marten, grey langur and many more. Talking about fauna, if there are flowers present there would be the insects loving those flowers and reptiles like butterflies, wild bees. Species of butterflies include blue apollo, Mormon, spangle, common yellow swallowtail etc.
As I said, speaking about this place is never ending. Each and every person visiting falls in the awe of this place. This reason is not enough for visiting the Valley of Flowers. Once you reach there you will realise what true heaven would be like and you will realise why this place is at the top of the bucket list of each and every traveler.
