Uttarakhand's Valley of Flowers opens for tourists

Tourists were greeted by a floral landscape bathed in a splash of colours as the Valley of Flowers, a UNESCO world heritage site, nestled in the Himalayas in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district was opened for visitors on Wednesday. A total of 75 tourists including one foreigner visited the valley located at a height of over 10,000 feet on the opening day, Divisional Forest Officer Nanda Ballabh Joshi said.

Flowers of 12 varieties are in full bloom these days in the valley spread over an area of 87.5 square km where 500 species of flowers grow between June-October, he said. The Valley of Flowers will remain open till October 31. Besides the flowers, visitors can also spot a variety of avian species and Himalayan herbs in the valley surrounded by snowclad peaks.

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However, visitors can stay in the valley only up to 2 pm after which they have to return to Ghanghariya, the basecamp for the valley which is around three km from there. Great enthusiasm among visitors was seen on the opening day as the facility has been opened on a full scale after a gap of two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

Tourists from across the country and abroad are seeking all sorts of information about the valley this year which is an indication of an increased footfall. Due to the Covid pandemic the valley of flowers could not remain open for its entire five-month duration in 2020 and 2021. Even the number of visitors to the site was extremely limited during the period owing to the various restrictions and the Covid protocol, Joshi said.

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