Nanda Devi National Park , a world heritage site, is located in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. The national park is famous for Nanda Devi Peak, which is the second highest mountain peak in India. Nanda Devi National Park lies in the vicinity of the Valley of Flowers, Badrinath Temple, and Hemkund Sahib.
Nanda Devi Flora
It hosts the rich vegetation of flora like rhododendron, birch, and juniper up to the Rishi Gorge. The inner sanctuary has dry vegetation and is surrounded by mountain ranges all around. Some 312 floral species, including 17 rare species, have been found here.
Nanda Devi Fauna
Animal species like leopards, wild langurs, brown bears, and Himalayan musk deer are found in the park. In a scientific expedition in 1993, a total of 114 bird species were recognized.
The History of Nanda Devi National Park
The story of Nanda Devi National Park is an interesting one. W.W. Garden was the first person to reach the region, but he reached up to Rishi Ganga only and an expedition to reach Nanda Devi peak failed. Later, in 1936, Tilman and N.E. Odell scaled the Nanda Devi peak, which led to the road of the Nanda Devi sanctuary in 1939. In 1982, the park was given the status of a biosphere reserve to protect it from the disturbance of trekkers. In 1988, the park was given the status of a Unesco world heritage site.
Image source:
https://journals.openedition.org/rga/3100
The layout of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve
The reserve is divided into two parts: the inner part and the outer part. The inner part, which is occupied by more than 65% in the eastern direction, is drained to the west by the Rishi Ganga. The inner part contains Nanda Devi itself. The outer part in the western direction covers one-third of the region and is separated from the inner part by high ridges.
Peaks around Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve
Important peaks around the Nanda Devi Biosphere reserve are
Dunagiri: 7,066 m, Changabang: 6,864 m, Kalanka: 6,931 m ,Trisul I, II, III: 7,120 metres, Nanda Kot: 6,861 m and many more.
Best time to go Nanda Devi National Park
At a higher altitude, the park remains covered with snow for six months and is open for six months from 1st May to 31st October with heavy rainfall from June to August.
Permit
DFO Joshimath issues a permit for trekking inside the park.
How To Reach
By air: The nearest airport is Jolly Grant in Dehradun at a distance of 295 km
By rail: Rishikesh is the nearest railway station.
By road: Lata village is 30 km from Joshimath, which is well connected to other centers of the state by road.