Delux VoF excursion
We completed this excursion in early July. Everything was organised through the hotel kuber annex itself. Our coordinator Bipin was easy to contact and quick to reply through WhatsApp.
In total our excursion was 6 days and 5 nights staying in the kuber home stay, kuber annex and hotel indra kripa. All our meals were included throughout this time.
Starting from Pulna (having stayed in the kuber home stay) the road leading to Gangria eventually turns into a stone paved trail. From here it took us about 3.5 hours to reach the kuber annex. This walk while challenging (mostly all uphill and acclimatising to the altitude) is beautiful, looking out from the trail there are mountain sides and rivers. You will mostly be shaded by the trees and there are plenty of shops to buy water from. There is the option to get a helicopter or donkey up to Gangria however there is a real sense of accomplishment when you finally reach the top after walking (there was for me anyway).
The kuber annex was a basic, functional and clean place to stay (as were all the hotels we stayed in on this excursion). The beds were comfortable and we had thick duvets to keep us warm at night. There was a boiler in our room where we could get our own buckets of hot water. The restaurant attached was reasonably priced and offered a range of...Delux VoF excursion
We completed this excursion in early July. Everything was organised through the hotel kuber annex itself. Our coordinator Bipin was easy to contact and quick to reply through WhatsApp.
In total our excursion was 6 days and 5 nights staying in the kuber home stay, kuber annex and hotel indra kripa. All our meals were included throughout this time.
Starting from Pulna (having stayed in the kuber home stay) the road leading to Gangria eventually turns into a stone paved trail. From here it took us about 3.5 hours to reach the kuber annex. This walk while challenging (mostly all uphill and acclimatising to the altitude) is beautiful, looking out from the trail there are mountain sides and rivers. You will mostly be shaded by the trees and there are plenty of shops to buy water from. There is the option to get a helicopter or donkey up to Gangria however there is a real sense of accomplishment when you finally reach the top after walking (there was for me anyway).
The kuber annex was a basic, functional and clean place to stay (as were all the hotels we stayed in on this excursion). The beds were comfortable and we had thick duvets to keep us warm at night. There was a boiler in our room where we could get our own buckets of hot water. The restaurant attached was reasonably priced and offered a range of dishes (surprisingly considering everything in Gangria has to be carried up). The only issue we had was that we believed we were being overcharged for water etc due to clearly being foreign, while it wasn't that much of an issue, the problem we had was that there are no means of withdrawing extra money in Gangria, for this reason I'd advise taking extra cash. Also there are lots of people who will try and scam you if they can get away with it, however if you're aware of this and firm with locals there shouldn't be too much of an issue (the scamming is by no means a reflection of the kuber annex itself).
The VoF is a spectacularly beautiful untouched part of the world. In early July there were many flowers blooming and the day we trekked there the weather was perfect (bright and warm). The climb into the valley can be challenging if like us you had done very little exercise in the weeks leading up and were not used the altitude. Once in the valley the terrain is mostly flat (and once you see how beautiful it is you forgot about the previous 1.5km uphill climb).
The Trek up to Hemkund Sahib is much much steeper than that into the valley and is known for being more difficult however, as we did this the day after VoF we both believed we had acclimatised to the altitude and found it and enjoyable Trek. Hemkund Sahib is an amazing place, the temple sits infront of a lake that is fed by the seven mountains surrounding it. We were offered free food at the summit and allowed to enter the temples.
We completed both VoF and Hemkund Sahib with guides who were both excellent. Their English and knowledge of the local area and all flowers in the valley was exceptional.
While this has been a once in a lifetime trip travelling to from Haridwar to pulna, is certainly not a great experience specifically if you suffer from motion sickness. The roads are quite bumpy and very windy however the drivers were totally capable of driving on these dangerous roads.
The car journey in total took about 10/11 hours as expected. While this wasn't the nicest experience you can understand upon arriving in the VoF why it is such a beautiful and unspoiled part of the world, if you're serious about trekking and seeing the valley this car journey is totally worth it (maybe get some anti-sickness meds).
I have attached some pictures of the Valley, these photos are totally unedited and represent exactly what it was like the day we visited.
Overall this was a once in a lifetime experience and well worth the journey :) would recommend booking via the kuber annex for an excellent experience! More
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