[libranof1987]

We recently travelled to Kashmir, as has most of India in the past few months evidently! Leisure travel to Kashmir has picked up significantly in the recent past; so I thought of creating a thread to share our experiences as things stand today.

Itinerary:

The most common itinerary is Srinagar - Gulmarg - Pahalgam - Srinagar, with a day trip to Sonmarg. As we researched online, spoke with tour operators and read recent travelogues on Team-BHP, we figured the typical travel plan is such:

Duration: varying between 5 - 8 days
Day 1: land in Srinagar, stay in a houseboat
Day 2: travel to Gulmarg
Day 3/4: travel to Pahalgam, stay for 1 or 2 nights
Day 4/5: travel to Srinagar, and stay 2/3/4 nights

Our itinerary was such:
Day 1: land in Srinagar, head to Gulmarg directly; stay overnight in Gulmarg
Day 2: travel to Pahalgam, stay overnight
Day 3: Pahalgam overnight stay, visiting ABC valleys
Day 4: travel to Srinagar, and stay for the remainder of the trip
Day 5: local Srinagar sightseeing
Day 6: day trip to Sonmarg
Day 7: local Srinagar sightseeing
Day 8: departure

We did so because, a) we didn't want to stay in a houseboat, b) wanted minimal hotel changes

Travel options

Barring Delhi and Mumbai (and maybe a couple of additional cities), you'd need connecting flights via Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh from most cities. So, travel time can be a minimum of six hours.

We choose Air Asia for all four legs, with the least layover. Flights are quite expensive, and this was in the last week of May, so not exactly the peakest of peak season.

Conveyance

If you're flying in, you can rent a cab. Typically, you'll rent a cab in Srinagar, and you can take that cab to Gulmarg and Sonmarg, and drive up to Pahalgam. In Pahalgam, you have to take a cab from the local taxi stand for local sightseeing due to the local union issue.

You can drive your own vehicle up to Kashmir, and take it to all the places of interest. But read ahead.

I'd recommend renting a cab in Pahalgam for local sightseeing. For two reasons:

In Pahalgam, the routine plan is to visit the three valleys: Aru - Betaab - Chandanwari (referred to as ABC)
1) The roads to Aru and Chandanwari are prone to landslides, and have overflowing streams. Hence, some patches are in very bad shape. While most cars can and will make it, you'd stress unnecessarily
2) Parking is a mess in Chandanwari

Roads overall are (currently) very good in Kashmir - in part, courtesy the recently concluded G20 summit.

Network coverage: Only postpaid connections work in J&K. Airtel and Jio work beautifully throughout, even on 4G, while Vodafone/Idea works only in Srinagar.

Payment: Cash / UPI work everywhere, while you can use credit cards only in Srinagar, and some big shops on the outskirts.

Now to the meaty part: Points of Interest

Srinagar

1) Dal lake: you can take a Shikara ride, typically for a hour

2) Shankaracharya temple: there are about 150 steps to the top, not easy but manageable. You get lovely views of the town, stretching into the horizon

3) Hari Parbat fort: rarely on anyone's agenda but this fort offers stunning views of Srinagar. Again, you've to take about 150 steps to the top, not easy but manageable

4) Lal chowk: this is a very busy part of Srinagar, so you can either walk here or do a drive-by. Apparently, the original structure has been demolished and a new replica is being built. This is per our driver, so I have no way to verify this

6) Gardens: there are several gardens, but I'd recommend Pari Mahal and Nishat

7) Local market: to get a taste of local customs, culture

8) Zero bridge, and lake front boulevard: located in Rajbagh, a nice place for a walk in the evening. It is like a small chowpatty, without the chaos of shops.

Personal opinion but I would strongly recommend against staying in a houseboat. Unlike Kerala where the houseboats actually move about and park only at night, the houseboats on Dal lake are parked permanently. The lake is very still, and the houseboats are generally in one corner, on the periphery.

This means, the water has a lot of accumulated garbage, algae and in some cases even hyacinth. This also means lots of mosquitoes.

The other problem, given that they're made of wood, heaters are not allowed due to the risk of fire. If you're going during non-summer months, you're going to struggle with the cold. While the houseboats are self-sufficient, you will get bored after a while. You've to take a shikara if you want to the mainland, so convenience can be a problem.

Everyone who's stayed in one, has regretted it.

Gulmarg

You can take the Gondola (cable car) ride in Gulmarg to get to the snow.

There's currently a lot of mess regarding the booking for the Gondola ride. The bookings are now online, due to fraud and abuse by local agents and operators. And supply <<< demand, so most people don't end up getting the bookings. You can also take a horse ride, although I'm not sure if they go all the way to the snow.

The Gondola has two stages:
Stage 1: no snow
Stage 2: snow

If you don't get a confirmed Gondola ticket, I'd strongly advise against going to Gulmarg, because there's nothing else there really. Sure, the valley and golf course are beautiful but you can then do a day trip, at the most.

Ask your guide/operator to book the tickets on your behalf, they'd need your ID cards, as bookings are now only done basis unique ID cards (to avoid abuse)

Pahalgam

The famous ABC valleys:

Aru: about 30-45min from Pahalgam city centre. We got stuck a km short due to a landslide enroute

Chandanwari: about 45min from Pahalgam city centre. Vehicles go right up to the snow, you can then climb up a few hundred feet to play in the snow. This is also where the Amarnath Yatra starts. (one of the two routes, the other is from Sonmarg)

Betaab: about 15-20min from Pahalgam city centre. This has stunning views of the mountain range on all sides, with streams flowing through

As mentioned earlier, you have to take a local taxi / travel in your own vehicle.

Enroute Gulmarg - Pahalgam

1) Avantipur ruins: a centuries old temple complex, first destroyed by Mughals, later by an earthquake
2) Bat factories: this area is famous for the Kashmiri Willow bat factories
3) Apple / Walnut orchards
4) Pampore - the kesar town. Said to be the only place where it grows, apparently by itself.

Sonmarg

Sonmarg is a day trip from Srinagar in most itineraries.

Sonmarg is on the Srinagar - Leh highway, which is very, very prone to landslides, blockages and very heavy traffic. In fact, traffic was halted near Sonmarg for several hours / days last week due to fresh snow. It is very common, and messes up travel time.

We started from Srinagar at 7am and reached Sonmarg at 9.30am, without any halts enroute. The start time from Srinagar is very, very criticial. Those who started at 9am were stuck in traffic, about 2kms before Sonmarg for several hours. In fact, they were at the same spot, painfully a km or two short, even at 1.30pm, when we were on our return journey.

The cars go up to Sonmarg town, and then you have to either take a horse ride, or hike to the glacier, which is 5km away. The horse ride, through rough terrain is typically 45min to an hour each way. It is quite the workout to be honest.

I'd strongly recommend that you skip Sonmarg if you've been to Gulmarg and got the Gondola ride. You'd have most likely experienced / played in the snow at Chandanwari as well. Sonmarg, in my opinion, is not worth the hassle. Strictly my opinion. We didn't get the gondola bookings in Gulmarg, and yet feel we should've skipped Sonmarg nevertheless.

We wanted to do Zoji La pass, but couldn't due to the road blockage.

Another commonly visited place is Doodhpatri, about an hour - hour and a half from Srinagar. We didn't visit it due to fatigue from the Sonmarg trip.

Shopping: you'd typically buy shawls, carpets, kesar, dry fruits, bats, and the regular fridge magnet / other souvenirs

Cost: Kashmir is pretty expensive: including flights, food and stay and misc. shopping, you shouldn't be surprised if the cost comes to 75k - 1 lakh/person for a ~ week long stay if you choose 4* hotels, about 50-75k if you choose 3*.

The elephant in the room: Safety: we can't discuss politics on the forum so not a lot to say here. But. We didn't face any issues / hostility / concerns at any place across Kashmir. I think the region is warming up to the sudden spurt in tourism well.

[SnS_12]

My first and last trip to Kashmir was in December end 2018. Stayed at Khyber in Gulmarg for two nights and then at Radisson in Srinagar for two nights.

Gulmarg in winters is simply spectacular and the fact you don’t have much to do in that place is what I liked as we could stay and enjoy in the property even more. We did the Gondola ride and went to Phase 2 first and then came down to Phase 1. Phase 2 is a must for some spectacular views and only maybe less 10% of the crowd goes up to phase 2 so it less crowded. But you won’t be able to spend much time because of the harsh weather and freezing temperatures. Phase 1 you can do the snowmobile ride and enjoy some lip smacking dum aloo which was one of the best I ever had.

The food in Kashmir is a foodie’s paradise and its for that and those snow covered mountains that I have been longing to go back again ever since.

Haulted at this place for lunch on our way to Gulmarg from Srinagar airport.









Had loads of kahwa in the entire trip



View from our room in Gulmarg



















The breathtaking views from Phase 2







One of the best dum aloos I have had was at Phase 1

[warrioraks]

Nice and crisp travelogue libranof1987.

I have been to Kashmir thrice since 2015 and my experience has been very similar to yours.
Pahalgam -> Go for the greenery and valley views. Stay around Lidder river if you can.
Sonamarg -> Go for the scenic Srinagar to Sonamarg route, the glacier and an overnight stay at the camp near the Sind river. One will find a lot of bikers on this route using it as a night halt before crossing Zozilla.
Gulmarg -> Go for the Gondola and do the full ride till the highest point. I am afraid of heights and I can never forget this Gondola part. It also snowed when we were at the highest point so was worth it.
Aru -> This is the starting point of quiet a few treks in Kashmir. The place is dead by 8 pm in the night so no point staying here unless you are looking for some time away from civilization. I was there was one night and the bonus was the amazing night sky for stargazing.

I see a lot changing in every trip but two things remain a constant - the warmth and hospitality of Kashmiri folks in general and the tendency to significantly overcharge for things which don't have an MRP (Example - horse operators, autos, cabs). Practically these are trade-marks of any bustling tourist destination so can't complain.
Best time to go is around September because of moderate temperatures and relatively lesser crowds.

[iamitp]

Lovely report. I am planning a 2-day trip from Delhi this month. Staying at Vivanta Dal Lake.

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by warrioraks

the tendency to significantly overcharge for things which don't have an MRP (Example - horse operators, autos, cabs).

Absolutely. The overcharging and the following negotiations are just a massive drain of time, energy and enthusiasm.

For instance: they quote Rs. 3500/horse at Sonmarg, while the going rate is anywhere between Rs. 800 - 1700, depending on the time of day you've reached. (For the second phase, mind you). THAT'S the level of overcharging!

Originally Posted by SnS_12

Haulted at this place for lunch on our way to Gulmarg from Srinagar airport.

Lovely pictures! Our tour operator massively messed up the Gondola tickets - we'd have liked to do this, over that stressful horse ride at Sonmarg. We tried EVERYTHING, but couldn't get tickets.

There's a Raja restaurant (I believe it has the same owner, given similar branding) on every highway in Kashmir. Our driver took us to this exact place on our way to Gulmarg. And in Srinagar, and between Srinagar and Sonmarg. Seems to be some setting between the hotel owners and drivers.

[superbad]

Everybody knows about the usual touristy places in Kashmir. Some recommendations from my side which are relatively unexplored & more beautiful imo :-

1) Bangus Valley : Hidden gem about 100 Km to the north west of Srinagar. Reaching there is tricky, one has to park vehicles where the road ends & trek about 8 km to reach the valley. Worth every effort made.

2) Lolab Valley : Situated near Kupwara town, about 90 km from Srinagar. Has a number of small villages dotting the landscape. Beautiful views of the northern part of the "Kashmiri bowl".
3) Macchal : Small village, one of the last inhabitated places before the LoC. Accessible only after crossing a 11000 ft pass after crossing Lolab valley. The Macchal river snakes through the valley & offers breathtaking views of the mountains. Can't visit during winters due to heavy snowfall along the route.
There are innumerable places near this valley which are multiple times more beautiful than anything else Kashmir has to offer.

4) Dawar - Gurez : Another little visited area. A small village about 120 km north of Srinagar. Tricky to access during winters. The eastern boundary of the Kashmir "bowl" after which Ladakh area starts.

[SnS_12]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Lovely pictures! Our tour operator massively messed up the Gondola tickets - we'd have liked to do this, over that stressful horse ride at Sonmarg. We tried EVERYTHING, but couldn't get tickets.

Thank you. It’s unlucky you couldn’t do the Gondola ride as even for a person like me who has vertigo issue it was a surreal experience and I guess it is the second highest and longest gondola ride in the world. Also, I had booked the tickets myself online and there was a huge crowd as people had skis and a lot of gear waiting to get on the gondola. Luckily, we had a local guide with us who accompanied us till Phase 2 and back down. I had booked a Innova through a reliable source and the driver had arranged for the local guide.

Originally Posted by libranof1987

There's a Raja restaurant (I believe it has the same owner, given similar branding) on every highway in Kashmir. Our driver took us to this exact place on our way to Gulmarg. And in Srinagar, and between Srinagar and Sonmarg. Seems to be some setting between the hotel owners and drivers.

Possibly. This was the only one we went too and whenever we ate out we asked the driver to take us to a good place and for suggestions on what to try. The food in all the places was delicious and the restaurant staff was also very warm.

I am sure these drivers get a cut from the restaurant/shop owners and as long as we get stuff to our expectations we don’t mind them making a few extra ₹. Thankfully, we didn’t encounter and instance where we were overcharged during our stay in Kashmir.

[haisaikat]

When we did Kashmir in our own car in 2021 Sep, we took care of some of the problems you mentioned by
1. Contracting a tour operator who has top ratings on Trip Advisor, I sent 3 more families with their reference until last month and everyone continued to come back happy. They allow you to have a say on type and category of hotel, I approvedone after getting a video tour and checking online review of each.
2. We persuaded them to provide a guide cum driver who would be there with us all the time including switching driving with me during the need and it proved very handy on days of sudden road closures in Srinagar which would have left gmap head spinning or negotiating with random locals asking for money like going to Doodhpathri. Some pointed they wouldn't allow a driver touching their worshipped steed but convenience matters to me.
3. On occasions, we intentionally did not bargain for some of the things including gondola ride ticket procurement (and the promise of not having to stand in line even for boarding the ride) or sonmarg horse riding and this gave us more peace of mind to focus for what we came, vacation. It's not just our hard earned money, it's also our hard earned vacation time, isn't it? I did not go to waste my money but then again I did not go on a mission to showcase how much I saved on Kashmir because some random guy on social media boasted how much they bargained and saved.
4. Although we missed most of Pahalgam for snowfall, we made sure to have one day of leisure in Srinagar where we did almost nothing, just went out and ate in the restaurant, asked our guide cum driver to get the car washed from dealership, etc.

A few other things, you recommended to skip Sonmarg, but it is one of the most beautiful treks upto Thajiwas especially in and around September and Gulmarg is no close but a different kind of place all together and cannot be compared. I so know it's a bit subjective.

Have come to Meghalaya and Polo towers Cherrapunji is asking similar rates as Oberoi Srinagar and they seem to be overbooked. Heevan Pahalgam and Combermere Shimla cost similar and they are charging premium for the location.

In many sites you would find Gulmarg as the top hill station of India, the place got to be expensive (Khyber) .

I did attempt to make a summary of these things in my TL https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...e-kolkata.html (FALL in love with Kashmir | A 5500 km Innova Crysta venture from Kolkata)

[sat123]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Attachment 2457912

We recently travelled to Kashmir, as has most of India in the past few months evidently! Leisure travel to Kashmir has picked up significantly in the recent past; so I thought of creating a thread to share our experiences as things stand today.

I am planning to visit Kashmir Valley (Bangalore to Srinagar Airport) around last week of July, do you know if it rains heavily around July end?

(Idea is to explore the scenic views & greenery, not so fond of snow)

Also if you could recommend some tour operator?

Thanks
Satya

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by sat123

I am planning to visit Kashmir Valley (Bangalore to Srinagar Airport) around last week of July, do you know if it rains heavily around July end?

Seems like you can expect rain around that time.

Also if you could recommend some tour operator?

We did a private tour through Veena World; as in, it was just us but all the logistics/bookings were taken care of by them.

[itwasntme]

How is Kashmir likely to be around August third week? Aim is to chill at a beautiful hotel and not try to do every touristy thing possible.

Maybe only do Srinagar and Pahalgam?

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

How is Kashmir likely to be around August third week? Aim is to chill at a beautiful hotel and not try to do every touristy thing possible.

Maybe only do Srinagar and Pahalgam?

It'll be monsoon in Kashmir in Aug. Srinagar is mostly gardens and the Dal lake (i.e. open air) so when it rains, you're stuck in your hotel. The Srinagar - Pahalgam highway is pretty good so you shouldn't be affected by rain (possibility of landslides / blockages etc.). But Pahalgam to A-B-C valleys may be prone to landslides; Betaab not so much, but definitely Aru valley.

Do note, the Amarnath yatra is open; so it may be crowded overall, and especially in Pahalgam, since it is one of the two gateways for the yatra.

[sid18]

Hi Team, I am planning to visit Kashmir with my parents and in-laws, 6 in total during April-May 2024. I am looking for a travel agency that we can plan the trip with for 6-8 days once we land there. I have heard of couple of them providing curated itinerary, but, mostly very expensive. Need your suggestions/inputs. TIA.

Originally Posted by libranof1987

We did a private tour through Veena World; as in, it was just us but all the logistics/bookings were taken care of by them.

How was the experience, could you share some more details. Planning to visit during April-May 2024 with a family of 6, parents in-laws included. TIA

[sat123]

Originally Posted by sid18

Hi Team, I am planning to visit Kashmir with my parents and in-laws, 6 in total during April-May 2024. I am looking for a travel agency that we can plan the trip with for 6-8 days once we land there. I have heard of couple of them providing curated itinerary, but, mostly very expensive. Need your suggestions/inputs. TIA.

In general Kashmir trip is expensive but worth it

- Need a cab daily from Srinagar
- This cab from Srinagar is not allowed to do sightseeing in the touristy places of Sonamarg, Gulmarg, and Pahalgam.
- Another cab or guide for local sightseeing at Sonamarg, Gulmarg, and Pahalgam + Gondola tickets for Gulmarg
- Compulsory to take Pony rides for the last mile at most places

I booked hotels in Srinagar (Stick to the Dal Lake area) & Pahalgam based on reviews in MMT and then hotel guys arranged cabs and even pony in some cases.

Mustaq (Guide from Gulmarg) - 8825044132
Mustaq Cab - 8494065454

You could get in touch with these local people who were decent.

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by sid18

How was the experience, could you share some more details. Planning to visit during April-May 2024 with a family of 6, parents in-laws included. TIA

We had a good experience with them. They tailored the plan according to what we wanted to do, and how. They have multiple itineraries and you can work out what suits you best.

The reason for going with them (knowing it was about 30% more expensive than if I'd done it myself) was because, a) we weren't sure of hotels in Kashmir, b) we didn't want the hassle of logistics: you need a separate cab each in Kashmir, Pahalgam, Sonmarg and Gulmarg since every place has their own taxi union, c) shikara reservations at Dal lake - didn't want to bother with the negotiations, standing in queue etc.

Look up Kesari / Veena World's website and you'll see a bunch of their itineraries, and then you can call them to set up a private trip.