Every visitor needs a permit from the Uttarakhand Forest Department to enter the Valley of Flowers National Park. You can apply online or buy one at the forest counter in Ghangaria. The details have shifted over the years, and the guides you will find do not agree on the fee or how long the permit lasts. This page sets out what is consistent across sources, flags what is not, and tells you what to do on the day.
Last checked 13 October 2026
Permit facts at a glance
| Detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| Issued by | Uttarakhand Forest Department (Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve) |
| Where | Online at valleyofflower.uk.gov.in, or at the Forest Department counter in Ghangaria |
| Fee | ₹200 Indian or SAARC adult, ₹800 foreign adult reported for 2026. Concessions for students and children are reported. Check the portal |
| Validity | Reported as one day and as three days. See below |
| Entry and exit | Entry 7 am to 2 pm. Leave the park by 5 pm |
| Daily cap | A cap of 300 visitors a day is reported in one 2026 guide. Confirm locally |
| ID needed | Original photo ID. Aadhaar, PAN or Voter ID for Indians, passport for foreign nationals |
| Camera | A DSLR camera fee has been charged. Phone photography usually costs nothing extra. Confirm at the counter |
Where the sources disagree
Fee and validity
Outlook Traveller, in a June 2026 report on the season opening, gives ₹150 for Indians and ₹600 for foreigners with a permit valid for up to three days. Two other 2026 guides say the official portal lists ₹200 and ₹800. EaseMyTrip says the permit covers one day only and that you buy a new one for each day. Fees do change between seasons, and some pages are simply out of date. Plan on the higher fee and one day, and be pleasantly surprised if the permit lasts longer. Ask at the counter or read the portal receipt before you pay.
How to apply online
Several 2026 guides describe an online route. The portal would not load for us when we checked in October 2026, which may be temporary, so verify the steps against the live site. Registration is described as follows.
- Open the official Valley of Flowers permit portal and choose Valley of Flowers as your trek.
- Enter the visit date, the number of visitors and each person's details and ID.
- Check the fee for each person and pay online.
- Download the permit and print it. Do not rely on your phone, because Ghangaria has no reliable network.
- Carry the printout and your original ID to the check-post.
One Char Dham travel site notes that the earlier online portal was not accessible at the start of the 2026 season. If the site is down, the counter in Ghangaria is the fallback.
If you buy at the Ghangaria counter
The Forest Department counter in Ghangaria still issues permits on the day. One 2026 guide warns that in peak season, mid-July to mid-August, the daily quota can run out by mid-morning. Whether or not that happens every day, reaching the counter early costs you nothing.
- Get to the counter before the 7 am gate time.
- Carry cash for the fee and your original ID.
- Ask what the permit covers and until when, and keep the receipt.
Planning your day inside the park
The valley gate is a short walk from Ghangaria, and the valley floor is about 3.5 to 4 km from town. Guides put the walk in at two to three hours, and the round trip from Ghangaria at 8 to 10 km. Entry closes at 2 pm, but you are advised to start back around 1 to 2 pm so you are out by 5 pm.
| Time | What to do |
|---|---|
| Before 7 am | Collect or show your permit and leave with a packed lunch. There are no food stalls inside the valley |
| 7 to 9 am | Walk up and enter the gate |
| 9 am to 1 pm | Walk into the valley. Only about 3 km of it is open to tourists, and the rest is a protected core zone |
| By 1 to 2 pm | Turn around |
| By 5 pm | Be out of the park. Late exit is not allowed |
Pace yourself. The first kilometre is the steepest, and at over 3,000 m even fit trekkers slow down.
Documents to carry
- Original photo ID for every person: Aadhaar, PAN or Voter ID for Indians, passport for foreign nationals.
- The permit printout if you applied online.
- Cash for the fee, camera charge and any local costs.
- Student ID if you claim a concession.
Children under 12 are reported to enter free.
Hemkund Sahib is separate
Hemkund Sahib lies outside the national park, so the valley permit does not apply to it. The Uttarakhand Tourist Care portal lists a separate Hemkund Sahib Yatra registration. Check whether it applies to your dates before you travel, and carry your ID in any case. Most people do the two as separate days from Ghangaria.
Park rules
- No camping and no overnight stay inside the valley. Everyone sleeps in Ghangaria or lower.
- Do not pick flowers, seeds or roots, and do not take any plant or stone.
- Drones and single-use plastic are prohibited.
- No alcohol or intoxicants.
- Stay on the trail and carry all your rubbish back to Ghangaria.
- Be out by 5 pm.
Why the rules matter here
This is a small, fragile alpine meadow, not a hill station. Several of its plants are in trouble. The park's botanical survey lists the blue poppy and jatamansi among its rare plants. Jatamansi, prized for its root, is listed as critically endangered, and kutki, another medicinal herb, is traded so heavily that wild populations are falling. Picking any flower, seed or root is not allowed in the national park.
Protected plants of the valley
Mistakes to avoid
- Arriving at the check-post late and finding the permit window closed or the day's quota used up.
- Assuming a three-day permit without checking, then trying to re-enter on a later day.
- Saving the permit only on your phone.
- Planning both the Valley of Flowers and Hemkund Sahib on the same day.
- Forgetting a packed lunch and water. There is nothing to buy inside the valley.
Frequently asked questions
Is a permit required for Valley of Flowers?
Yes. Every visitor needs a valid entry permit from the Uttarakhand Forest Department, available online or at the counter in Ghangaria.
How much is the permit fee?
₹200 for Indians and ₹800 for foreigners is reported for 2026 on the official portal. Some sources still print ₹150 and ₹600. Confirm on the portal or at the counter.
How long is the permit valid?
Sources disagree. Some say one day, others say three. Ask when you pay and keep the receipt.
Can I book the permit online?
Yes. Online registration is reported for 2026 through the official portal at valleyofflower.uk.gov.in. If the site is not working, buy it at the counter in Ghangaria.
What are the entry timings?
Entry from 7 am to 2 pm. You must be out of the park by 5 pm.
Which ID do I need?
An original photo ID. Aadhaar, PAN or Voter ID for Indians and a passport for foreign nationals.
Is a permit needed for Hemkund Sahib?
Not the valley permit, because Hemkund Sahib is outside the national park. A separate Hemkund Sahib Yatra registration exists on the Tourist Care portal, so check that.
Can I camp in the Valley of Flowers?
No. Camping and overnight stays are not allowed. You stay in Ghangaria and walk in for the day.
Sources and how we wrote this
ValleyOfFlowers.in is an independent guide. This article is a research summary, not a first-hand trip report. We compared official and press sources, trek operators' pages and public Reddit threads, and where they disagree we say so. Prices and rules change each season, so confirm with the Uttarakhand Forest Department or the operator before you pay.
- Outlook Traveller: Valley of Flowers opens for the 2026 season
- The Auli Meadows: Valley of Flowers 2026 guide (describes the portal steps)
- Discover with Dheeraj: Valley of Flowers trek guide 2026
- EaseMyTrip: Valley of Flowers trek guide
- Travel Char Dham: Valley of Flowers permit registration 2026
- Uttarakhand Tourist Care: Valley of Flowers and Hemkund Sahib registration
- Wikipedia: Valley of Flowers National Park