Valley of Flowers: Reaching Govindghat

Following my Introductory Post, I shall continue to write hereinafter some more posts on the details of my journey to the Valley of Flowers.

Map borrowed and modified

Route covered so far:
Delhi – Haridwar – Rishikesh – Devprayag – Srinagar – Rudraprayag – Karnaprayag – Nandprayag – Chamoli – Pipalkoti – Joshimath – Auli– Govindghat

I take a night train from Delhi to Haridwar. Haridwar early morning is enigmatic. Then I embark on an almost 300 kms journey up the mountains that includes a morning stroll and a tuk-tuk ride to Rishikesh and a long bus journey of almost 6 hours via Devprayag and Srinagar to Rudraprayag for an overnight stay in the Government-run GMVN hotel.

The next day, in a ‘sharing taxi’ the rest of the journey from Rudraprayag through scenic Himalayan landscape keeps me spellbound through Karnaprayag and Nandprayag - at the confluences of the beautiful mountain rivers. The tributaries of the Ganges River gives company most of the journey. Reaching Chamoli, and overcoming the landslide episode, I reach Joshimath and have the choice to continue up to Govindghat. But something within me opts to stopover at Auli.

Locals chatting up - a long range shot from moving cable car

That has been a good decision I must say for the awesome experience in Auli from the time I ascend to the place in a cable car till I return through the same ropeway next morning.

Auli at 5:35 am

The trekking day begins on a beautiful morning from Auli. The Nanda Devi National Park is about 20 kms away from Joshimath, from where the trek to the Park can begin. A ‘sharing jeep’ that squeezed in about 10 people from Joshimath covers a distance of 21 kms to Govindghat. At each turning I feel like pulling out my camera and shooting photographs. But give up on the thought of doing so from the moving vehicle and then simply begin to enjoy the passing mountain scenery and the cool breeze.

Reaching Govindghat

I reach Govindghat and sit down to have some maggi noodles and tea as I am soon to commence the first leg of my journey to the Valley of Flowers by foot. From the window of the tiny roadside restaurant I can see the mesmerizing views of the majestic mountain and it is surprising to see quite a few people in this small mountain town.

Govindghat

I can see most of them are pilgrims who are either: going to or returning from the Hemkund Sahib, holy to the Sikh religion; or on their way to or from Badrinath, holy for Hindus. So Govindghat is an important junction for pilgrims of Hindu and Sikh religion. A minor road branches off as the roadhead towards Ghangaria, so it is an important point also for nature loving travellers like me heading to the Valley of Flowers.

Finishing tea, I walk the one kilometre stretch ambling through shops selling souvenirs, trekking gear, colourful warm clothing and a lot of fancy items to catch the eyes of tourists. I pass through the bridge under which the Alaknanda flows churning its waters into white foam.

View of Govindghat from a height

The rest of my plan for the day is to ascend a distance of 14 kms from Govindghat to Ghangaria to reach before sunset, and after a night’s rest to trek further right into the Valley of Flowers early next morning.

To be continued...

How to Reach Govindghat:

By Air: The nearest airport is the Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun at a distance of approximately 270 kms.
By Rail: Rishikesh is the nearest Railway Station to Joshimath, which is at a distance of 250 kms connecting to all the major cities of India.
By Road: Govindghat can be reached via Joshimath which is well connected by surface network with Dehradun, Haridwar, Rishikesh and Nainital.

Garhwal: Gorson-Auli

Travel Route:

Delhi – Haridwar – Rishikesh – Devprayag – Srinagar – Rudraprayag – Karnaprayag – Nandprayag – Chamoli – Pipalkoti – Joshimath – Auli

One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.

- Henry Miller

Just the photograph below is shot by Ravi and reproduced with his permission. Thanks Ravi.

View from Auli on a clear day

Alighting at the tenth tower from the cable car from Joshimath as written in my previous post here, I almost reached Gorson, above Auli. Gorson Bugyal, at over 10000 feet above sea level, could be seen right overhead 3-4 kms away. It would have been a lovely trek up there, had it not been for the dull ache in my tummy and the fact that it was almost sunset.

Why is the atmosphere saturated with mystery?
Looking at the beauty of this place, I made up my mind to return to Auli during the skiing months of January to March to try my hand at some winter sports that would also test how strong my heart is. So far my ‘adventure and fun’ in snow has been limited to tobaggoning in Ohio, but as Auli conducts skiing courses every winter and with the facilities available, adventure lovers can quickly learn to ski down rapidly, and with the cable car of 800 m ski-lift system zip up in moments!

For that moment, I had to be content with the beautiful sights the Himalayan mountains offered me. I do not have the literally skills to express the feeling of those breath-taking times during the dawn break, but I made an attempt with my poetry here. I wished to catch the the cloud-covered mountains with my camera but that was also not possible as my Cybershot was not able to capture the unfolding beauty before my eyes. I shot a few photographs and then quickly gave up so as to simply absorb in the beauty without any interruption.

Why does the path look so resplendent today?

Clouds rising and falling around the mountains was wonderful to watch. The looming mountain tops looked like islands in the sea of clouds. It was captivating to watch the giant mountain peaks of Nanda Devi, Kamet, Dunagiri, Mana Parbat appearing and disappearing on the waves of clouds. The continuous changing position of the mist, the clouds and the low intensity of light gave an ethereal look to the place.

Why does it seem like the breeze is whispering to me?

One had to be there to enjoy the moments to admire and celebrate the splendor around. To me, it looked like the place had been set like a stage and ready for the artist to go ahead and paint!

What story does the whispering breeze narrate?

It was magical and, at 10000 feet above main sea level, that morning tryst with nature made me feel literally on top of the world!

Why do the flowers seem inordinately beautiful?

Recent Travel Posts:

• Garhwal: Joshimath
  
• Garhwal: Chamoli
  
• Garhwal: Rudraprayag
  
• Garhwal: Rishikesh
• Garhwal: Haridwar
• A Journey to Garhwal

A Dawn in Auli

July 2008
Auli
Uttarakhand, India

Idly I wake up, stretch and contentedly yawn
And burst outdoors to watch the crack of dawn
A lovely new day in Auli is about to begin
Feeling jubilant, I feel exalted from within

As the first rays of light of the day sweep
The land of Auli wakes up from its dreamy sleep
It gets enveloped in white clouds and mist
It feels wonderful to be right in its midst

Majestic mountains, worthy of admiration
Auli haunts every nature lovers' imagination
From afar espy the great Nanda Devi's peak
Clouds hover around it, endearing sight unique

Auli's fresh day's beauty when unfurled
Transforms like if I'm in a dreamy world
Tranquility abounds, intoxicatingly serene
Worthy of celebration before me is the scene


The rise, fall and roll of the soft clouds of sea
Watching it all, I sense my spirit soaring free
In Auli I find nature's beauty on full display
I take utmost pleasure on this cool delightful day

On my eyelashes fall a few drops of clear dew
Through it I revel espying wonderful Auli view
Rustling breeze plays around the mountain tops
Horses graze on meadows, where valley drops

As the mountains whisper, I quietly listen
In charming Auli as a new day begins to glisten
Is it like this always, or is it just in spring
Moments touched by magic, it is enchanting

At the Himalayan heights, and wonderful location
I think for a moment Auli is my final destination
But no, I must explore, have got a world of travel
For am sure I've many more mysteries to unravel!

Garhwal: Joshimath

Route:
Delhi – Haridwar – Rishikesh –Devprayag – Srinagar – Rudraprayag – Karnaprayag – Nandprayag – Chamoli – Pipalkoti - Joshimath - Auli

Road transport to reach Joshimath is not particularly in good condition. However, as I wrote in my previous post, the scenery of the mountains slopes and the Rivers Alaknanda, Dhauliganga and the other tributaries of The Ganges flowing along the narrow mountain roads more than makes up for the lack of comfort.

The view of the Himalayan mountains from every corner in Joshimath is lovely, and it was pleasant weather on that July afternoon. After roaming around the roads of Joshimath, I settled down to have some snacks and tea at a local teashop. That did give me a bit of tummy ache later which thankfully subsided with a couple of tablets by next morning.

The mountain town of Joshimath (also called Jyotirmath) is a hill station located at an altitude of 6,000 feet in the Chamoli district of Garhwal Division. It is considered as one of the four great "maths" or monasteries established by the great Adi Guru Sri Shankarcharya in the 8th century AD.

Joshimath is the gateway to the ski resort of Auli and resting point for travellers prior to embarking on a journey to Badrinath, Hemkund and the Valley of Flowers. The people of the upper mountains regions of the Himalayas come down to settle in the town of Joshimath when roads are closed during winter when it snows heavily. Joshimath is the winter shrine of Badrinath during the six snowbound winter months in the region.

Mountains as seen from the tea shop

Though I travel with a tentative itinerary, often I do not make concrete plans and hotel reservations. This way I get a chance to be ready for the unexpected and it does often lead to the most unforeseen events during my journey. In Joshimath it was the accommodation I managed to arrange at Auli. I had not made any prior hotel reservation at Joshimath as I was hoping to reach and stay at Auli overnight in case I could reach there before nightfall. Upon making some quick inquiries with the locals, I was pleased to learn that there was enough time to catch the cable car to Auli, 16 kms away from Joshimath.

The cable car ride begins from here

The operators informed me that the ropeway from Joshimath to to Auli is affectionately called Rajjo by the locals and spans a distance of more than 4 kms. I could count up to 10 towers of self-supporting steel structures. It is said to be the longest ropeway in Asia and the ride usually lasts 22 minutes till the eighth tower but I had a ride till the tenth tower as I was delighted to arrange accommodation at the highest point in Auli. A ride in the cable car costs Rs. 500 (about US$10) for a two way ride, and one of the requirements was to inform the authorities in advance of the time of the return ride.

The small strip of road seen leads to Auli

During the cable car ride, it was a fabulous feeling to enjoy the fresh mountain air brushing past my face and it was a feast to the eyes to view the scenery from that height. The route was lined with forests and lush green mountain vegetation. I could imagine how the slope would be in the winter months. It did seem like a perfect haven for adventure lovers. I made up my mind to return there sometime in winter to enjoy some winter sports.

View of a road in Joshimath from cable car

How to Reach Joshimath:

By Air: The nearest airport is the Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun at a distance of 270 km.
By Rail: Haridwar is the nearest Railway Station to Joshimath, which is at a distance of 260 km connecting to all the major cities like Delhi, Lucknow, Moradabad etc.
By Road: Joshimath is connected by surface network with Dehradun, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Nainital and Almora.

Recent Travel Posts:

• Garhwal: Chamoli
  
• Garhwal: Rudraprayag
  
• Garhwal: Rishikesh
• Garhwal: Haridwar
• A Journey to Garhwal

Journey to Garhwal

Highlights of the Journey

July - August, 2008

• While on the way from the airport to the residential parts of Delhi early morning, an interesting sight of the water-carrying, orange-clad kanwarias carrying decorated paraphernalia on their shoulders.
  

Kanwarias of Haridwar

• Alighting from the Mussorie Express early morning, a walk on the streets of Haridwar towards the banks of the river Ganga amongst more Kanwarias, and many pilgrims, young and old, and when compared to those, a few tourists. Surprise at the sight of the huge number of pilgrims at the Hari-Ki-Pauri, most of whom seeking absolution early morning with a dip in the sacred river, The Ganges.

Pilgrims at Hari-Ki-Pauri at 7:20 am

• After a walk up to the great Shiva statue, onwards to Rishikesh, the Yoga capital of the world, for a leisure walk to Ram Jhula, the ghats and beyond to discover the charm of the place to end up with a hearty breakfast at Chotiwal.

Ram Jhula, the bridge over River Ganges

• A journey through the foothills of the Himalayas passing through scenic Devprayag, where lies one of the five sacred confluences when the Bhagirathi River joins the Alaknanda River to form The Ganges.

On the way to Devprayag shot from a moving bus

• The journey for the day to continue right up to Rudraprayag, another confluence where the Mandakini River originating from Kedarnath joins the Alaknanda that originates from Badrinath.

The confluence as seen from the balcony of the GMVN

• The mostly uphill journey to Karnaprayag, the place of confluence of the Alaknanda and Pindar Rivers, another important pilgrimage spot for many.

From moving cab, on the way to Karnaprayag

• Roadblock lasting hours due to landslide between Nandaprayag and Chamoli and an unexpected mini-trek with the backpack to the base of valley, and then to cross a mountain stream - with gushing waters with fairly strong currents - with the help of locals and other travellers who ventured to undertake the difficult route through the wilderness. This was followed by a steep climb in the noon sun to emerge panting at the other end of the road for onward journey to Chamoli and was undertaken to avoid a long wait for hours for the roadblock to be cleared.
  

Unusual traffic on the road to Chamoli

• Journey through beautiful scenery, where quite often the mountain road showed signs of recent landslides and cleared paths right up to Joshimath.

View of a road in Joshimath from cable car

• A cable car ride to enjoy majestic and serene Auli and the joy of watching the change in hue of the mountain peaks at dawn for hours together till it was time to move on after an open air breakfast at sunrise.

A peek at Nanda Devi peak from Auli at dawn

• The ropeway ride again to enjoy the morning vista up to Joshimath for onward journey to pass through more awesome mountain scenery till Govindghat.

A pause before the long trek from Govindghat

• The thrill of setting out on the first planned long trek from Govindghat, passing through Bhyundhar village to end up hours later at the small mountain village of Ghangaria (also referred as Govind Dham).

Ghangaria

• Rested and reinvigorated next morning, setting out on the much anticipated trek to the Valley of Flowers.

A small section of the almost 90 sq km of Valley of Flowers

• Setting out on another trek - unplanned but certainly worth it - to Hemkund, a holy place for Sikhs, the valley having the most exotic mountain flora including the Brahm Kamal and the Blue Himalayan Poppy.
  
  

A glacier on a misty day on the way to Hemkund

• Yet another trek returning from Ghangharia to Govindghat and then the beautiful scenery of the Himalayan landscape during the journey from Govindghat to Badrinath via Pandukeshwar and Hanuman Chatti.

Badrinath Temple

• A final trek begun at dawn from Badrinath to the beautiful village of Mana at the borders with Tibet, and return to Badrinath.

On the way to Mana village

Return journey over the next few days from Badrinath to Govindghat – Joshimath – Chamoli – Rudraprayag – Rishikesh – Haridwar – Delhi – Mumbai and to my final destination.

~~~

A Tryst with the Himalayas

Someone rightly described: The more remote and inaccessible a place is, the greater is its magic!

I'm back after a bit of travelling to some distant parts of the Himalayas. My travels involved two flights, three train journeys, quite a few bus and cab journeys, around 2 hours of horseback riding and about 60 kilometers of trekking (mountain hiking).

No doubt the most interesting part has been the trekking, because it's the best way that I enjoy nature. The environment to trek has been remarkably beautiful. So often I've stopped on my tracks, stood in silence, gazed at the magnificent mountains and taken in its beauty. Nature has so much on display and I felt it's a shame that I have been so busy, sometimes with petty cares, instead of being there to appreciate and enjoy what it offers. Towards the end, the mountains have appeared nearby, yet not close enough not to be in awe of them.

Having returned, I sense right now what I could call is the feeling of re-entry – a feeling that occurs after returning to place of work after a fabulous holiday. It's like how one feels homesick. When I see the pictures that I've shot, I am filled with a strange sense of melancholy. I miss the mountains. As usual, for a few days, I'll have a bit of trouble settling into a normal routine, and that's kind of expected, since nothing can replace the fresh and exotic feeling I've enjoyed the past weeks.

The travel to mountainous Garhwal has been an exhilarating experience. I have enjoyed the majestic beauty of nature where I've taken utmost delight in the picturesque narrow mountain roads, the scenic Himalayan landscape, the ephemeral clouds wrapping the mountains, some green, some bare and a few snow-clad.

I can still picture the scenes of the mist on the trails, with a transitory tone of its own, and also the awesome valleys and ravines, the intriguing melting glaciers, the gushing mountain streams some of which I've waded through, the interesting and at times challenging trek paths, the green meadows, some dotted with wild flowers, the rich vegetation and forests interspersed with craggy rocks, the meandering rivers shifting their shape in the valleys, sometimes serene, other times turbulent and with the fury of the monsoon waters, the gusts of winds, the drizzle and the persistent rains. I've watched the life of the fauna blooming up being nourished with those rains.

As usual, the Himalayan mountains have had an impact on me, rather, on my psyche. I've been captivated by the valleys, meadows, trees, streams, rivers, glaciers, peaks – nature in its unsurpassed splendor! Just a bit of travels for a few days and I can sense it has altered something within me. And I can't help reflecting on just how each of my trips to the Himalayas does that.

I am certainly richer with experience, but I find it hard to accept that a short tryst with the Himalayan mountains gives me a feeling as if there has been a change in direction of my life!

Related post: Garhwali Bears with Tiny Bells.