Sprawling across 630 sq km, Nanda Devi National Park
was declared a world heritage site in 1988. Situated near Nanda Devi,
the second highest peak in India, Nanda Devi National Park boasts of
rich high altitude flora and fauna along with fabulous views and sylvan
environment. The nearby tourist attractions such as the Valley of
Flowers, Badrinath Temple and Hemkund Sahib only add to the beauty of
the park. Notified as the national park in 1982, it was discovered in
1883 by W.W. Garden. Tilman and N.E. Odell conquered Nanda Devi in 1936,
which led to the region being converted into a game sanctuary by 1939.
Organized expeditions for Nanda Devi were started in 1950s, which
presented a threat to the region and thus, it was declared the region a
National Park in 1982 and was later included in the list of the
Biosphere Reserves.
Situated in the upper Himalayas in Uttaranchal, one can enter the park
from Lata village, which is 23 km from Joshimath. High mountains
surround it from three sides while the western side is bounded by an
inaccessible gorge. It remains under snow for about six months and June
to August is the season of heavy rainfalls. So, the best time to visit
the area is from April to June. The vegetation consists mainly of fir,
birch, rhododendron, and juniper trees, while there is almost no
vegetation near the Nanda Devi Glacier in the interiors. 312 floral
species have been found and identified here including 17 rare ones.
Himalayan animal species such as Bharals, Himalayan tahrs, serows,
gorals, snow leopards, Himalayan black and brown bears, leopards, common
langurs, and Himalayan musk deers can be seen here frequently while the
bird life mainly consists of 80 species including warblers, gresbreaks,
rose finches and ruby throats.
