The untouched Valley : Nelong or Nelang Valley

One of untouched places is Nelong Valley, situated near the Indo-China border in the Uttarakhand Himalayas, which provides a view of Tibetan Plateau. It is a new addition to the bucket lists of the explorers, as it opens for tourists for the first time since the 1962 Indo-China war. It was once a popular Indo-Tibet trade route; however,as a result of the war, the valley came under restricted
area where movements, even for the locals, were regulated for 53 years.Nelong or Nelang Valley was opened to tourist recently in May 2015for the first time since Indo-China war in 1962. Nelang Valley has an average elevation of more than 11,009 ft. and is a mountain desert area with high peaks and has similar climate and landscape as Lahaul and Spiti valley or Ladakh.

Nelong Valley falls within Gangotri National Park in Uttarkashi District and can be accessed from Bhairon Ghati or Bhairavghati which is only 24 KMs from here. Nelang Valley is about 315 KMs from Dehradun,capital city of Uttarkhand. You won’t be allowed to stay inside the valley as it falls under national park.Bhairavghati, Harsil or Dharali are your best options for night stay.

This beautiful valley at the historically famous Indo-China border stands at a height of over 11,000 feet above the sea level. It gives rise to one of the largest tributaries of the Bhagirathi River, theJadh Ganga. The Jadh Ganga is also a point of dispute for India and China; the valley being claimed by China and controlled by India.

The original name of Jadh Ganga was Jahanvi.Legend goes that the Sage Jahnu was very furious because the River Ganga kept flooding the place and damaging his hermitage. In his anger, he drank the whole river in a single gulp. Later, when he had calmed down, he released the river, which theoretically became his daughter. Hence, the river came to be known as Jahanvi.

The valley lies to the north-east of the rushing waters of the Jadh Ganga. Located about 5 km from Dhumku, Nelang is one of the two deserted villages in the valley. Nelang (or Nilang) traditionally means the ‘place of blue stones’. It housed the Jadh people that gave the valley its name. They were known for their trade in cotton goods, metals, and sugar and oil seeds with Tibet up until 1962.
The Sino-Indian border conflict of 1962 resulted in civilians having no access to this paradise.

The 1962 conflict made sure that no more exploration of the area is possible. But when something is forbidden, what follows next are adventure, exploration and discovery. Since then, there have been numerous attempts by civilians to explore the valley. Most recently,in the summer of 2011, JP Gupta from Bangalore led a team to complete the daunting task of crossing the Arwa Col from the Alaknanda Valley into the Nelang Valley.However, the weather conditions hurt their attempt. In 2012, Delhi-based trekker Ashutosh Mishra along with his team made the first successful traverse from the Nelang to the upper Saraswati Valley.But now, exploring the Nelang Valley and its ancient passageways just got a tad bit ‘easier’. As a step towards promoting eco-tourism, the Uttarakhand government finally opened the valley to tourists and adventure seekers, starting May 12th, 2015.The valley is open during the day for a few restricted hours.Only six vehicles are allowed to enter the area with just six tourists each.You can take a safari jeep from Bhairavghati which is about 25 km away, but make sure the jeep is registered with the forest department.So, pack your bags and get to this unknown land and explore the adventurist’s delight that is the Nelang Valley.

How to Reach Valley 

Nelong Valley is 23 km from Bharoghati, Bharoghati 10km from Gangotri , from Haridwar 290, from Rishikesh 270, from Delhi 510km.

By Air : Nelong Valley is located at the Bharoghati (Near Gangotri) have to take permission from Forest Department & they will provide you jeep to go Nelong valley which is 27 Kms from Bheroghati. Jolly Grant Airport is the nearest Airport to Gangotri. Jolly Grant is well connected to Delhi with daily flights.

By Train : Nelong Valley is 284kms from Rishikesh. The nearest railway station to Nelong Valley is Rishikesh. If you want to go Nelong Valley by train you will need to reach Rishikesh. Taxi and buses are easily available.

By Road : Nelong Valley is well connected to Delhi by road. Rishikesh to reach Nelong Vally you can easily take buses. Nelong Valley is 211.8 km from Mussoorie and 231 km from Tehri.

 Best Time To Visit in Nelong Valley

The best time to visit Nelong Valley is April to June and September to October.

Summer (April-June):- Nelong Valley is very enjoyable in summer time because in that time The average temperature of nelong valley is 25 degree celsius and snowfall is also starts to melt in that time so that this is the best time to visit Nelong Valley.

Monsoon (July-September):- In monsoon time there is the possibility of landslide at that time that’s why the facilities of transport aredisturb and the major chances of road accident. So that this is not a best time to visit Nelong Valley.

Winter (December-March):- In Nelong Valley The winter time are very harsh and extreme. In this time the heavy snowfall stop the travellers and trekkers from entering the glacier region. it's totally prohibited to go on these roads deu to heavy snowfall.