Tanya Sachdev“Agar firdaus bar roo-e zameen ast, Hameen ast-o hameen ast-o hameen ast.”
If there is a heaven on earth, it’s here, it’s here..
A trip to Kashmir promises mesmerising views, incredible food, lip smacking kahwah, some amazing sites, and so much culture. I suggest planning a trip between September-October and March- April so that you are greeted with good weather to explore and less tourists. Kashmir during the touristy time is a no no.
It is easy to fly into Kashmir from most major cities. Once you are there, you can rent a cab with a driver. You can even pre-book a cab from your city. We pre-booked a cab from Delhi, our home city for all the days in Kashmir. More about my trip ahead. In terms of hotels I suggest spending 2 nights at Pahalgam, 2 nights at Gulmarg, 2 nights at Srinagar. You can even spend 2 nights at Sonamarg. Royal Hilton is a nice hotel to book in Pahalgam, or you can look for other hotels. For Gulmarg, you can book Hotel Hilltop. For Srinagar, I stayed at Hotel Meerz, a luxury boutique hotel. You can look for other hotels too.
Now let’s go on to the things to do in Kashmir. Here’s a detailed guide on what to do in Kashmir, how many days to spend, when to visit Kashmir, What to pack for a trip to Kashmir, with more than 10 reasons to visit Pahalgam, Gulmarg, Sonamarg and Srinagar areas in Kashmir:
- When to visit Kashmir?: Non-touristy times. The whole year is available to visit Kashmir and enjoy its various seasons. It’s too hot and packed in summers so totally avoid it. Visit in March-April to see the beautiful Tulip garden or September-October to see the autumn hues.
- What to do in Kashmir?: There are many things to do in Kashmir. The whole Kashmir is love. You can pick and choose from the following: Srinagar (your flight will land here), Gulmarg, Sonamarg, and Pahalgam are the main attractions. I suggest spending 2 nights at each destination. We spent 2 nights each at Srinagar, Pahalgam, and Gulmarg. We did a day trip to Sonamarg from Srinagar. We started at 8 in the morning from Srinagar and were back by 5 evening the same day. Ours was a 6 nights, 7 days trip. If you have more days, add 1 or 2 nights in Sonamarg. At Sonamarg, the hotels face the valley and that’s mesmerising. In all, you must spend 5 to 8 nights in Kashmir to see it fully. You can do your own trip permutation or just follow my itinerary to the T.
- What to pack for a trip to Kashmir?: The weather can unexpectedly change anytime in Kashmir with a few hours or days of rain. Always pack comfortable clothes and comfortable shoes. You’ll be engaged in activities, walking, trekking, shopping, horse riding etc so wear comfortable clothes and footwear. Leave your dresses and heels/flat sandals in your home city. Carry loose t-shirts, pants, jeans, lowers, Skechers/walking shoes. You must pack some scarves, sweatshirts, jackets for a sudden temperature dip, if going in summers or even in September -October. For March- April and winters, carry ample woollen and warm clothes. Carry socks and under garments for everyday. You won’t have the time to wash and the clothes may not even dry by the next day.
- What to do in Kashmir and where to go in Kashmir: There are ample places and each of them provides a unique taste. Here is what I did: I picked the morning flight from Delhi and landed at Srinagar by noon. From Delhi, it’s a 1.5 hours flight time. We had pre-booked our cab from Delhi for the whole trip of 6 nights. The cab was there at the airport to take us to Pahalgam straightaway, our first destination. We stayed 2 nights there followed by 2 nights in Gulmarg, followed by 2 nights in Srinagar.
- Pahalgam: This was our first destination. Do note that the cab will only take till your Pahalgam hotel. The local sight-seeing in Pahalgam or any other place will be done via the local cabs there. That’s the rule of the land. We checked in there and our cab driver took us for a ride to some nearby spots. We went down to the Lidder river, Pahalgam Gurudwara and the local market. The next day we did the ABC: Aru Valley, Betaab Valley and Chandanwari. We hired the local cab guy to take us to these 3 destinations. Chandanwari is the starting point of the Amarnath Yatra. You can see the beautiful valley at this point alongside the river. The next halt was Betaab valley. It is a must do. It’s a huge valley that feels larger than life. Take horses for a ride here. You’ll love it. Spend a lot of time here. This was followed by Aru Valley. We chose to walk and see the Aru valley at the base only. We were tired and had already done the horse ride in Betaab valley, so did not indulge in it again. Have a plate of Maggi and chai here. There is also Baisaran Valley, one of the most picturesque and serene places to visit in Pahlagam. The Baisaran valley in Pahalgam is also referred to as mini-Switzerland because of its alluring and picturesque beauty.
- Gulmarg: This is a ski paradise in winters. You can plan a Kashmir trip in the months of December till February to see the snow clad mountains and enjoy the white beauty. For other times, enjoy Gulmarg in it’s pristine beauty. Take a Gondola ride to phase 1 and 2. It is the second longest and second highest cable car in the world. Enjoy a horse ride at the phase 1 junction. It’ll take you to various scenic points- waterfall, Bhoj Patra area, Khilanmarg, and other spots on the way. Once you’re back, you can hire a local taxi to take you for the local sight seeing that includes the Golf Course, Strawberry valley, Maharaja Hari Singh Palace etc. Another thing to do here is a taxi ride to Boota Pathri. You’ll see colourful shepherd houses on the way and you can take a look inside them too. At Boota Pathri, you can do a horse ride and see the LOC from (really) far off.
- Sonamarg: This beauty falls on the way from Srinagar to Ladakh. You have hotels on one side of the road and the valley on the other. It is massive and grandeur. You can do a day trip from Srinagar or choose to spend a night or two here. For sight seeing, you have the option of a horse ride into the valley and another option of going to Zero Point through a local cab. Zero Point is a place on the border between Kashmir & Ladakh, and that’s why it’s called Zero point. Apparently, one can see snow here throughout the year. If you have time, do both. Since ours was a day trip, we did the horse ride into the valley. If we’d stayed, we would have done both.
- Srinagar: Enjoy the valley in its hustle and bustle. It’s a town that’ll remind you of your own city full of traffic jams and pollution. Nevertheless, here is what you can do in Srinagar- 1. Shankaracharya Temple 2. Dal Lake 3. Indira Gandhi Tulip Garden (Mar-May) 4. Gurudwara Chatti Padshahi Sahib 5. Shalimar Garden 6. Botanical Garden 7. Nishat Garden 8. Chashme Shahi .
- Foods to enjoy in Kashmir: Kashmiri Kahwah and noon chai tops the list. Noon chai is a salty chai. Kahwah is a delight anytime of the day, any number of times. I’m a vegetarian so really can’t comment on the non veg dishes. For the veg- hotels have such nice preparations full of paneer, dal, aloo, mushroom, salads, and snacks that one enjoys all the meals. There are ample veg options on the highways too. Book your dinner in the hotels along with your package. There isn’t much movement post sunset and you’ll be so tired to go anywhere else for dinner every night.
- What to shop in Kashmir: Pashmina and Kashmiri Kadai suits, kurtas, jackets, phirans. Go to the Polo View market in Srinagar to shop. You can also shop from your hotel’s boutique. There are ample options on the highways too while moving from one destination to another. Bargain a lot, I mean a lot.
These are just some of the many reasons to visit Kashmir. The region offers so much by way of food, history, culture, architecture, fun and natural beauty, making it an amazing destination for travellers in India. I had so much of fun and can count it as one of my best trips. Do consider it for your next holiday. 🙂
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Do read: Guide on Road Trip from Delhi to Suru & Zanskar Valley
Tanya Sachdev
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