Nanda Devi National Park

Spanning over an area of 630 sq. kms., the Nanda Devi National Park was established in 1980 Nanda devi is temporarily closed for visitors on environmental considerations. Nanda Devi national park is situated on altitude exceeding 4500 mts. and is enclosed by as many as seventy lofty peaks, amongst which the Nandadevi (7817 mts.) peak in Himalayas being the highest. It is in the form of cup with lush green meadows, chuting white waterfalls, and rich wild flora and fauna. Sir Edmund Hillary described the Sanctuary as a god-gifted wilderness - India’s training ground for adventure - and truly so. Truly, a natural paradise on Himalayas.

Joshimath forms the base for all the necessary things like it has stores, provisions, porters, guides etc.

One route approaches the Sanctuary from Lata, on the Joshimath-Malari Route. One trek from there to Lata Kharak, an open, wild and grassy hilltop, providing a fabulous mountain scape all around. The region encompasses the catchment area of the Rishi Ganga, an eastern tributary of Dhauli Ganga which flows into the Alaknanda River at Joshimath. The area is a vast glacial basin, divided by a series of parallel, north-south oriented ridges. These rise up to the encircling mountain rim along which are about a dozen peaks above 6,400m (21,000ft), the better known including Dunagiri (7,066m), Changbang (6,864m) and Nanda Devi East (7,434m)

Location of National Park :
The nearest airport is at Jolly Grant, Dehradun, 315 kms (approx) and the nearest road head is Lata, 30 kms from Joshimath, also connected by bus services. Joshimath is linked by road to Rishikesh and other centres in the region

Wildlife at Nandadevi National Park :
The major wildlife in the park are Snow Leopard, Brown and Himalayan Black Bears, Bharal, Himalayan Tahr, Serow, Monal and Chir Pheasants.The park has perfect bend of flora and fauna is characteristic of this park. The fauna inlcudes the brown and Himalayan black bears, Himalayan thar, snow leopards, serow and chir pheasants

Climate at Nanda Devi National Park :
Being an inner Himalayan valley, Nanda Devi Basin enjoys a distinctive microclimate. Conditions are generally dry with low annual precipitation, but there is heavy rainfall during the monsoon, from late June to August. Prevailing mist and low cloud during the monsoon keeps the soil moist, hence the lusher vegetation than is usually characteristic of drier inner Himalayan valleys. The basin is snow-bound for about six months of the year.