3D/2NRishikesh Yoga & Rafting Weekend
A three-day weekend on the Ganga: two river sessions, two morning practices, and the evening aarti at Parmarth Niketan.
- Stay
- Meals
- Transport
- Guide
₹9,500/ person
9–11 Oct 20264 seats left
Valley of Flowers Trek
Joshimath → Govindghat → Valley → Rishikesh
Overview
The Valley of Flowers only works in the rain. It is a hanging valley in Chamoli district that spends most of the year under snow and flowers for about six weeks from mid-July, when roughly three hundred species come up at once — blue poppy, cobra lily, brahmakamal, potentilla, anemone. It has been a national park since 1982 and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988, and nobody is permitted to stay overnight inside it.
So the trek is built around Ghangaria at 3,050 m, the hamlet at the junction of the two valleys. One day goes west into the flowers; the next goes north and up 1,250 m to Hemkund Sahib, the glacial tarn at 4,300 m with the Sikh gurudwara beside it, which is a hard climb by any measure and entirely optional.
The walking is moderate and the weather is not. Expect rain most afternoons, leeches on the lower forest sections, and stone paths that are slippery rather than technical. Bring proper waterproofs, not a poncho. Groups are capped at fifteen.
Runs in: July, August. Outside that window we do not sell the trip rather than run it badly.
Day by day
6 days, in the order you will walk or drive them.
1Rishikesh to Joshimath (1,875 m)Day 1
A long road day up the Alaknanda — nine to ten hours with stops at Devprayag, where the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda meet to become the Ganga, and at Karnaprayag. Arrive Joshimath in the evening for a briefing and an early dinner.2Drive to Govindghat, trek to Ghangaria (3,050 m)Day 2
An hour by road to Govindghat and a shared jeep to the trailhead at Pulna. Then 9 km up the Laxman Ganga on a paved mule track through fir and rhododendron, gaining about 1,100 m. Five to six hours. Ponies and porters are available at the trailhead.3Valley of Flowers (3,600 m) and backDay 3
Through the park gate at seven with the day's permit. Three kilometres of forest and a bridge over the Pushpawati, then the valley opens and the walking becomes flat and slow. Turn around by two — the gate closes at five and nobody sleeps inside the park. Around 14 km round trip.4Hemkund Sahib (4,300 m) and backDay 4
The steep day: 6 km and 1,250 m of stone steps to the gurudwara on the shore of a glacial lake ringed by seven peaks. Two to three hours at the top including the langar, then back down to Ghangaria by late afternoon. Optional, and a fair number of groups sit it out.5Ghangaria to Govindghat, drive to PipalkotiDay 5
Back down the 9 km to Pulna in about four hours — easier on the lungs, harder on the knees. Lunch at Govindghat, then two hours by road to Pipalkoti, which puts you ahead of tomorrow's drive.6Pipalkoti to RishikeshDay 6
Eight hours down the Alaknanda through Rudraprayag and Devprayag, arriving Rishikesh mid-afternoon. Trip ends there; transfers to Haridwar station or Dehradun airport on request.
Dates and prices
Seat counts are live. A date leaves sale the moment it fills — we do not overbook and sort it out later.
- 9 seats left
11–16 Jul 2027
Sun start · 6 days
₹16,500 - 12 seats left
25–30 Jul 2027
Sun start · 6 days
₹16,500
Talk it through first
A planner calls you back, no obligation.
What is included
What the price covers
- Five nights — hotel at Joshimath, guesthouse rooms at Ghangaria (two nights), hotel at Pipalkoti and en-route accommodation
- All meals from dinner on day 1 to breakfast on day 6
- Certified trek leader and local guide
- Valley of Flowers National Park permit and forest entry fees
- Shared jeep Govindghat–Pulna both ways
- Road transfers Rishikesh–Joshimath and Pipalkoti–Rishikesh
- First aid kit, portable oxygen and pulse oximeter
What it does not
- Flights and long-distance train fare to the start point
- Personal expenses, tips and anything of a personal nature
- Travel insurance (strongly recommended, we can arrange it)
- Meals not listed in the inclusions
- Costs arising from weather, roadblocks or events beyond our control
- Ponies or porters for personal loads on the Ghangaria climb
- Helicopter transfer Govindghat–Ghangaria, when running
Questions about this trip
Answered from this departure's own numbers. Anything not here, the desk will tell you straight.
How hard is this trip, and who is it for?
We grade it Moderate, on a four-step scale of Easy, Moderate, Challenging and Strenuous. That single word is a summary, not the answer — the answer is the 6-day plan above, which says what each day actually asks of you. Read it before you book, and if you are unsure whether it suits you, call the desk and describe your last comparable trip rather than guessing.
How many people will be on it?
Between 4 and 15. 4 is the minimum for a departure to run and 15 is the hard cap — we do not add seats to a date that is selling well. The seat counts on the dates table are live and come straight from the booking system.
When does it run, and why not the rest of the year?
July and August, and the next date open for booking is 11 Jul 2027. Outside that window we do not sell the trip rather than run it badly — passes under snow, a monsoon crossing or a shut ferry are reasons to move your dates, not to take your money.
Can I hold seats before I pay?
Yes. Pick a date, enter who is travelling, and the seats come off the live count for 15 minutes while you decide. Nothing is charged during the hold, and if you walk away it releases itself and the seats go back on sale.
How do I pay, and what happens after?
Online at the end of the booking flow, or over the phone with the trips desk during working hours if you would rather not pay on the web. Either way you get a booking reference, and the joining pack for your departure follows from the desk.
What if I have to cancel?
There is no blanket policy printed here, because permits, mountain lodges and internal flights are paid forward at different points on different departures — and quoting a single number would be a promise we could not keep on every date. The terms that apply to your departure are in your joining pack, and the desk will put them in writing before you pay if you ask.
3 reviews
Each one is linked to a booking on one of the departures above.
Two honest warnings that the team did give me and I ignored: a poncho is not enough, and there are leeches on the lower forest section. Both true. The trip itself is beautifully judged and the road day from Rishikesh is broken up sensibly on the way back. Four stars only because the Joshimath hotel was tired.
SCSameer ChatterjeeVerified booking Half our group sat out day four and nobody made them feel bad about it. The climb is 1,250 m of stone steps and it is relentless, but the lake at the top with the peaks around it and the langar going is worth every one of them. Ghangaria itself is basic — that is the place, not the operator.
TJTanvi JoshiVerified booking Everything I had read said go in the monsoon and I did not believe it until the valley opened up past the Pushpawati bridge. Blue poppies, brahmakamal, six kinds of thing I could not name and a guide who could. Went in the last week of July and the bloom was at its peak.
ASAnjali SarkarVerified booking
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