Nanda Devi & Valley of Flowers
Spread around the base of Nanda Devi and several other peaks in the Garhwal Himalayas, the Nanda Devi National Park is distinguished in the world for some of the rarest and unique high altitude flora and fauna that
it harbours.
Nanda Devi (7817 mtr) is the second highest Himalayan peak in India located in the Chamoli region of Uttaranchal. The Park may be approached through the village, Lata, near Joshimath 257 km from Rishikesh. Together with the famous “Valley of Flowers”, the Nanda Devi National Park is a Biosphere
Reserve covering an area of 630 sq km. The entire region remains snow bound for six months in a year.
Through the ages Nanda Devi has been revered as the mainifestation of Goddess Parvati, the Consort of Lord Shiva, and the hill people in the region observe festivals and fairs in her adoration. The scenic valley is a spectacular wilderness in the world with the picturesque Rishi Ganga flowing all the way in a serpentine course draining the basin.
The National Park is renowned for several species of the hoofed mammals like the Bharal, the Himalayan Tahr, Goral, Musk Deer as well as the carnivores, such as the Leopard, the Himalayan Black Bear and Snow Leopards.
The Valley of Flowers is an outstandingly beautiful high-altitude Himalayan valley that has been acknowledged as such by renowned mountaineers and botanists in literature for over a century and in Hindu mythology for much longer. Its ‘gentle’ landscape, breath-takingly beautiful meadows of alpine flowers and ease of access complement the rugged, mountain wilderness for which the inner basin of Nanda Devi National Park is renowned.
Notable avifauna in the Park are the Monal Pheasant, Tragopan, the Himalayan Golden Eagle and others. The floral wealth includes the Blue Poppy, Brahma Kamal (Saussurea Obvallata) and several other species of rare alpine flowers. |
