Time for a short break…
India has infinite options when it comes to choosing the best destinations to travel in India. It is not very easy to shortlist only 30…
World Heritage Day is observed on April 18 to remind the citizens about beautiful heritage sites in our country.
Trekking in India, this year? Explore the mountainous trail. Possibly the best way to see the extremely beautiful and most picturesque views in this world.
Uttarakhand is known for its natural beauty, the abundant Himalayan flora and fauna, temples on hills and quaint villages hiding many beautiful secrets. With five national parks and eight wildlife sanctuaries, it comes as no surprise that the state’s wildlife is the second major tourist attraction. Here are five national parks in Uttarakhand you must visit once.
Jim Corbett National Park
India’s most popular and oldest National Park, Jim Corbett National Park is situated in Nainital district of Uttarakhand. A tiger reserve, the park is home to more than 300 Royal Bengal Tigers. It is one of the well-known Uttarakhand tourist places and among the best to visit near Delhi. Established in 1936 as Hailey National Park, it was declared as a tiger reserve and renamed to Jim Corbett National Park in 1956.
India, the second most populous country in the world, is home to a vast array of beautiful scenery.
India is the seventh largest country in the world by geographical size. It’s no wonder that, in addition to rich cultural and natural heritage, this large land is home to some of the most beautiful places in the world. Here we describe ten of those magnificent places.
10. Pangong Lake
Pangong Lake is also known as Pangong Tso and Hollow Lake. When you visit this lake, you are sure to get mesmerized by its beauty. It contains saline water, yet it freezes in winter. Local guides say there is no fish or aquatic life in the lake. The lake is situated at a height of 4350 m from the sea level.
The Valley of Flowers in Uttarakhand is a heaven on Earth. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is a gorgeous bouquet of more than 500 species of exotic Himalayan flora, including saxifrags, sediams, calendular, daisies, lilies, poppy, geranium, petunia, and zinnia. Besides being famous for the enchanting meadows of alpine flowers, this picturesque valley is also known to be a home to Asiatic black deer, musk deer, red fox,snow leopard, blue sheep and brown bear. While mountaineers, botanists, and nature lovers from all across the world are appalled by the beauty of this place, the magical Valley of Flower intrigues mythologists alike for its association with the Hindu deity, Lord Hanuman. It is believed that Hanuman collected the ‘Sanjeevani Buti’, the herb that infused life into Lord Lakshman, from this part of the Himalayas.
Despite the heavy monsoon showers tourists brave the rain to visit the Valley of Flowers in Uttarakhand which is known for its snow-capped Himalayan ranges and lush meadows with colourful flowers.
DEHRADUN: Heavy rains have not stopped serious tourists from reaching out to some remote areas in Uttarakhand to relish the monsoon.
Known for its picturesque snow-capped Himalayan ranges and lush meadows with colourful flowers, the Valley of Flowers is receiving a great response from tourists. The trek to the UNESCO world heritage site opened on July 1.
“This is the flowering season when the valley is covered in green foliage and bright flowers. It’s the time of trekkers. Despite all odds, tourists are coming and enjoying the serenity of the spot,” Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve and Valley of Flowers director Mann Singh told Hindustan Times.
There are numerous ways to enjoy the rains but nothing can beat the thrill of going on a trek and rediscovering yourself amidst misty mountains. Hills get concealed with lush greenery and the panoramic view during monsoons is just mesmersing.
I am always fascinated by the mighty mountains and especially find the Himalayas to be mystical. Then one day while chatting up with my trek mates, we suddenly decided to travel to the Valley of Flowers in Uttarakhand. I had heard so much about it and was thrilled to trek in the fabled garden of gods. Valley of Flowers is an alpine valley in the Nandadevi National Park in Uttarakhand. The park is a part of Nandadevi Biosphere Reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The richly diverse valley is home to rare and exquisite flowers. At least 500 studied varieties of wild flowers bloom here.
The Biosphere itself is a home to many elusive and endangered animal species including snow leopard, musk deer, red fox, and blue sheep.
Thirteen Chinese tourists and their local guide were let off with a fine of Rs 50,000 for entering the Valley of Flowers, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in off-season.
The valley opens in June and closes in October every year.
Established as a national park in 1982, it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2005. Nearly 300 species of flowers bloom in the valley, spread over an area of 87.5 sqkm.
The Chinese team, on a holiday trip, had a tourist visa when they reached the national park without knowing that it was closed, a forest official said.
The tourists were reportedly heading towards Ghangharia inside the valley in border district of Chamoli when a forest team spotted them on Monday.
Divisional forest officer CS Joshi said local intelligence unit was alerted about the foreigners.
1. Kaziranga National Park, Assam
It was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1985 for its unique natural environment.
Situated in the Golaghat and Nagaon district of Assam, Kazinranga National Park is home to two third of the world’s population of Indian one-horned rhinoceros along with tigers, elephants, wild water buffaloes, swamp deer and various species of migrating and inhabitant birds.
The Valley of Flowers National Park, a UNESCO world heritage site, is on the wishlist of any adventure seeker. In early August last year, I set off for this heaven. I caught an early morning flight to Delhi and then took a bus the same day to reach the holy city of Haridwar; in time for the ‘Ganga Aarti’ spectacle.
The next day was a long journey in a bus to reach Govindghat by nightfall. Stopping enroute at every town, meeting new people and savouring the beauty of the Garhwal Himalayan ranges complimented the statement that the journey is more beautiful than the destination. I spent the next day visiting the temple town of Badrinath and took a dip in the cold waters of the mighty Alaknanda river.
Discovered in 1931 by British mountaineers Frank S Smythe, Eric Shipton and RL Holdsworth who accidentally came across a large expanse dotted with flowers of every colour during their return from an expedition to Mount Kamet, Valley of Flowers in Uttarakhand was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.
The Valley falls in the Nanda Devi biosphere of Uttarakhand. It is closed to public each year on October 31 after which the government releases a number of visitors to the site between June 1 and the closing day that year. This year, 10,000 visitors were recorded at the site.