The Valley of Flowers National Park is a central region of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve. British alpinists Franks S. Smythe and R.L. Holdsworth accidentally stumbled upon this area after a fruitful voyage of Mount Kamet in 1931. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is lauded world over for its seasonal fields of blooming flowers and surrounding beauty. Here is our list of the best tourist places to visit in the Valley of Flowers.

Home to the Sikh Guru Govind Singh, the term Hemkund factually means 'Lake of snow' and the spotless water of this lake is icy cold. It is situated at a height of 4,329 metres above sea level between snowy mountaintops, jointly named Hemkund Parvat. A star-shaped Sikh Gurudwara next to the lake is another star attraction, making this one of the best tourist places to visit.

It is the last area with human inhabitants on the road to Hemkund Sahib and the Valley of Flowers. A picturesque village hovering at a height of 3,050 metres above sea-level, it is 13 km from Govind Ghat and 4 km from the Valley of flowers. It is surrounded by beautiful waterfalls and mountains on all sides. However, the area is exposed to heavy snowfall and therefore is open only from May to October.

Gaurikund marks the start of the 14 km trek to the holy memorial of Kedarnath. It is located at an altitude of 1,982 metres above sea level. The area and the Gauri Temple is named after Goddess Parvati, wife of Lord Shiva. Based on Hindu Mythology, this is the spot where Goddess Parvati carried out her atonement including austere and yogic exercises to win her husband over.

Bedini Bugyal is a celebrated Himalayan Mountainous pasture, located at an elevation of 3,354 metres (11,004 feet) in Uttarakhand. The trek to Bedni Bugyal and Ali Bugyal involves passing through plush green area, coniferous woodlands latched onto hillocks and sharp hikes. Bedni Kund in Bedni Bugyal is a significant religious destination for the locals.

Badrinath or Badrinarayan Temple, based on the banks of the Alaknanda River, in the hill station of Badrinath in Uttarakhand, is a Hindu temple devoted to Vishnu. The area forms one of four Char Dham spiritual journey spots, in addition to being one of 108 Divya Desams, divine memorials for Vaishnavites.

A small village in Uttarakhand, Govindghat can be found where the Alaknanda and Lakshman Ganga Rivers meet, approximately 22 km from Joshimath at 6000 feet above sea level. The journey to Hemkund Sahib and Valley of Flowers begins here. Thousands of visitors, primarily Sikh travellers heading to the shrine of Hemkund Sahib and seasonal tourist to the Valley of Flowers, come to this point daily.

Vasudhara Falls is a beautiful waterfall found at Badrinath, 9 km away, elevated at 400 feet. It is also 6 km away from the Mana Village, which is regularly accessible during the period that Badrinath is opened to the general tourists (May to October or November).

Lakshman Ganga or Bhyundar Ganga passes through Bhuyandar Valley, from Hemkund Lake. It links up with the Pushpawati River. Smaller in size, it enriches the beauty of the surrounding valley, with its origins going back to Lake Hemkund.