Hemkund (also known as Hemkunt) is located in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand. It is a pilgrimage site and Sikh people worships Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the tenth Sikh Guru. Its glacial lake is surrounded by seven mountain peaks and according to some; it is located in Himalayas at an elevation of 4632 meters. It is on the highway of Rishikesh-Badrinath.

The name Hemkund is a Sanskrit name meaning – Hem (Snow) and Kund (Bowl). According to Hindu mythology, the king Pandu use to practice yoga here.

Hemkund is not preferable place to visit from October to April as their snow bound paths and glaciers everywhere. From Delhi, one needs to take a train to Haridwar and then a bus to Govindghat through Rishikesh.

There is a 5 kilometer of long Valley of Flowers at about 3 kilometer from Gobinddham. Government of India has declared this as a national park. It has some of the world’s rarest flowers in it. There is a flower called legendary Brahma-Kamal that blossoms every 12 years.

Every year around 150,000 pilgrims visit Hemkund Sahib. But due to difficulty in trekking, limited water supply and consumption, almost 50,000 tourists suffer acute mountain sickness. It is therefore advisable to visit this place in July – August.