Kashmir – 8 mesmerizing days in the Switzerland of India

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Kashmir’s beauty is unparalleled with picturesque landscapes, mighty mountains, pristine lakes, and lush green meadows. Abundant flora, tulips in spring, and warm, hospitable people make it a paradise on Earth.

We had to stop in Delhi, so we flew from Delhi to Srinagar instead of a direct flight from Mumbai. Away from the scorching summer heat of Mumbai and blazing Delhi heat to a pleasant 25 degrees Celcius in Srinagar and a cool 8 degrees Celcius in Gulmarg by taking a mere 1.5-hour flight from Delhi 🙂

As we moved towards our place of stay for the next two days – Vivanta Dal View, Srinagar we noticed that the roads of Srinagar were lined up with CRPF and BSF forces all along. As per our driver cum guide, that’s a regular feature and it shouldn’t be given much thought. To our benefit, this turned out to be true.

We tried to explore different landscapes of Kashmir in our itinerary instead of sticking to the fixed ones available on the net. Ours was a 7 nights/8 days itinerary – 2 nights in Srinagar, 2 nights in Pahalgam, 2 nights in Gulmarg, and last night at Srinagar. Since we were traveling with senior citizens, we tried to keep our schedule relaxed in our itinerary.

Travel Tip #1 - Only the postpaid mobile networks are operational here.

Few cultural aspects that I learned – people mostly have Kehwa or Nuun Chai (Salted Tea) instead of regular milk tea and have a Kashmiri bread along with it. Islam is the majority religion practiced in Kashmir, with 97.16% of the region’s population identifying as Muslims as of 2014. People here are very tourist-friendly and speak Kashmiri but easily communicate in English and Hindi. Some of the dishes one could try out are Nadru Yakhni (lotus stem), Haak Bhaat (Haak is a Kashmiri word equivalent to ‘greens’ in English or Hindi, referred to ‘saag’ with Rice), and many chicken, mutton, and lamb varieties and Trout fish. People are quite simple and hard-working. Let’s begin our mesmerizing journey into the valley of Kashmir.

In Kashmir, you will find the Majestic Chinar Trees also known as the Maple of India. The credit for bringing Chinar trees to Kashmir is often attributed to Syed Qasim Shah Hamdani, who accompanied Mir Syed Ali Hamdani from Hamadan, Iran to Kashmir. According to the Forest Research Institute, a 1000-year-old Chinar tree has been found in Budgam in Kashmir. These older trees have a girth of over 50 feet. The more the girth of the tree, the more its age. However, the number of Chinar in the Valley has reduced over the decades, from an estimated 42,000 to below 20,000. These ancient trees remain a living heritage and an essential part of Kashmir’s cultural and natural identity.

Day 1 – Srinagar

Since our flight was arriving in the evening plus we had senior citizens traveling with us, we decided to relax and enjoy the hotel property of Vivanta Dal View, Srinagar, about 40 minutes from the airport. We were mesmerized by the beautiful gardens with blooming flowers, the lake view, and the sunset from the hotel.

Day 2 – Srinagar -Shankaracharya Temple, Chashme Shahi, Mughal Gardens, Dal Lake

We started our day at 9.30 am to visit the Sri Shankaracharya Temple (Shankaracharya, also known as Adi Shankara, born around 700 CE in Kaladi village, India, is renowned as the foremost exponent of the Advaita Vedanta school of Philosophy. His teachings have significantly shaped modern Indian thought). The temple was about 2.6 km from the hotel. The cars are allowed only up to a certain point, for the last 1-2 km you have to take a local rickshaw. On reaching the base you have a security check/frisking before climbing about 250 steps/stairs. The top has a Lord Shiva temple and a meditation cave of Sri Shankaracharya. The views of the valley from the top are breathtaking.

Travel Tip #2 - Wear appropriate clothes covering your legs and comfortable footwear for Sri Shankaracharya Temple.

We came back to the hotel and then after freshening up, we started for the other tourist attractions in Srinagar. First, we stopped at Chasme Shahi and then at Mughal Gardens. We had a delayed lunch at Shamyana Restaurant near Dal Lake and visited the Ali Shah Factory. The seniors traveling with us were a little tired so we dropped them at the hotel, enjoyed the high tea, and then went for a Shikara(boat) ride at the Dal Lake.

Day 3 – Pahalgam

We woke up to the fabulous view of the snow-capped mountains. After a hearty breakfast, we checked out from our hotel in Srinagar and started our drive to Pahalgam known as the Valley of Shepherds. The sheep and goats have a right of way here ….:-) One needs to stop for them and allow them to pass first.

This route takes you through snow-filled cliffs, lush fields, scenic lakes, and lofty pines, allowing you to soak in the breathtaking panoramas of the region. The journey along the Lidder River is approximately 102.04 kilometers and takes around 2 hours and 30 minutes.

We crossed a place called Hallamullah which is a hub for the Cricket Bats. You will see stacks and stacks of them outside various shops. Apart from Hallamullah, Jalandhar in Punjab is the other hub for cricket bats. En route, we stopped at the Apple Orchard and had fresh apple juice (no ice, water, or sugar) plus picked up apple and garlic pickles. We picked up dry fruits, Kehwa, Saffron, etc from Zamindar Kesar King at N.H. Lethapora, Pampore (ZKK since 1920). You might come across a lot of shops named Zamindar but this one is the original one……just like how every other shop in Lonavala has Maganlal Chikki written on their hoardings 😉

Once we entered Pahalgam, our driver cum guide pointed out the base camp for the Amarnath Yatra. The Amarnath Yatra usually starts in June end. We were fortunate to be visiting early June so the place wasn’t as crowded. We had lunch at Nathu’s Rasoi at Pahalgam. Though the seating at this place isn’t great, you get a good vegetarian meal here.

We had booked ourselves in the Royal Hilton Hotel. Our rooms had amazing views of the Lidder River. You could hear the gushing sound of the river water in the rooms. Another hotel with a great view is Hotel Heevan, we enjoyed one of our evenings at that location.

One can go sightseeing on a Pony as well. They will take you around to the various sightseeing points. I have included a picture of the rate card from the Department of Travel and Tourism to give an idea of the activities available. We weren’t keen on the pony ride……our driver/guide pointed out most of the sightseeing spots from the car itself. We were lucky that our driver had good relations around there and we did not have to hire a local taxi within Pahalgam.

Travel Tip #3 - Cars/Taxis from out of Pahalgam aren't allowed to run within the area by the union operating there. 

Day 4 – Pahalgam – Aru Valley, Betaab Valley and Chandanwari

We hired a local car/taxi for Aru Valley, Betaab Valley, and Chandanwari. It usually takes 4 hours to cover the 3 mentioned places. It was quite disappointing though since it was the weekend and the number of tourists and locals visiting the place was too many. We spent 3.5 hours being stuck in the cab at all the locations. Out of the 3 locations, we felt only Betaab Valley was beautiful and others didn’t have much to offer in this season.

Travel Tip #4 - Aru Valley and Chandanwari were avoidable at this time of the year.

In the evening, we went for a walk to check out the local market. It’s a relatively small market with the shops lining either side of the road.

Travel Tip #5 - Bargain hard at the market and shops, almost always the price settled on is half of what is quoted.

Day 5 – Gulmarg

We checked out in the morning and started for Gulmarg. The distance between Pahalgam and Gulmarg is approximately 137 kilometers by road. The journey typically takes around 2.5 hours but we took longer than usual we made stopovers along the way to enjoy the scenic landscapes. We had lunch at Olive Tree in Srinagar before moving on to Gulmarg. The place has nice seating and multi-cuisine options.

On the way, we stopped to shop for Kashmir artifacts at Shahjee Emporium (since 1905) – they have an extensive range of carpets, wooden and paper mache products, and garments too.

We checked into Hotel Highlands Park. It is a heritage property located in the center of Gulmarg, boasting some of the best views of the Pir Panjal Mountain Range (Lower Himalayas) and easy access to the Gulmarg Gondola. We had taken the Bobby suite (the one in which the famous song from the Bollywood movie Bobby was shot) as well as an adjoining room. The Temperature in Gulmarg is at least 5 degrees cooler than Srinagar.

Travel Tip #6 - Carry atleast a jacket, even in June the temperature was below 10 degrees.

The evening was spent enjoying the views and relaxing. The pictures don’t do justice to the beauty of Kashmir. One needs to experience it.

Day 6 – Gulmarg – Gondola

Today was our day to take the Gondola ride. The tickets have to be booked online in advance for Phase 1 (Gulmarg-Kongdori) and Phase 2 (Kongdori-Apharwat). This Gondola is the second-longest and second-highest cable car in the world. We had booked ours for both phases a month in advance. The tickets get sold out within a few minutes once they open for a particular date, so keep checking the Jammu & Kashmir Cable Car Corporation website about a month in advance. Around 3500 tickets are available for a day but the number of tourists visiting the place is between 10,000-25,000. Best of luck!

Travel Tip #7 - Book Gondola Tickets a month in advance

You need to hire jackets and gum boots if you don’t already have them. We had hired the gum boots (Rs 100/- per pair for 24 hours) and a guide a day prior. As per our guide’s advice, we started at 9 am even though our tickets were for the 11 am slot. We had to stand in the queue for about 1.5 hours because of some technical fault in the Gondola. We were glad that the seniors traveling with us had decided to skip the Gondola, it would have been too difficult for them as there isn’t a sitting area or necessities available while you are in the queue. We decided to do Phase 2 first since the weather can get bad in the mountains anytime and the Phase 2 closes by 3 pm. You have to come down at Phase 1 and then take the connecting gondola ride for Phase 2.

We were fortunate to find snow at Phase 2 / Apharwat. If you are unable to climb further up on your own, there are sleds pulled by people available to take up a little further up and then you can slide down on the sledge with the sledge worker sitting in the front.

Travel Tip #8 - Bargain for the sledges and other activites, its usually half the price quoted.

After spending a couple of hours we came back to Phase 1. You can get a pony ride here to take you to a point where few activities are conducted we skipped this part. Enjoyed the views from here and then headed down to the base.

We went to a restaurant in the main market car park “Bakshi” for lunch based on the suggestion of our day guide but were very disappointed with the food and the seating. After lunch, we visited Hotel Khyber (a much-talked-about hotel in Gulmarg). It is a nice property, just like any 5-star hotel, but for us personally, we preferred Hotel Highlands Park. For food, another good restaurant is Kolahoi Green.

Day 7 – Srinagar – Houseboat

En route to Srinagar from Gulmarg, we stopped at Himalayan Jewellers in Tangmarg. They had a variety of silver, gems, antique, and fashion jewelry. We also stopped at a cherry orchard and picked up cherries to bring back home.

We then crossed the Lal Chowk and took a passing view of the market there. We stopped for lunch at Hotel Ahdoo’s, it is a 100-year-old place, and the place was packed to the brim. The restaurant is on the first floor and they have a bakery on the ground floor with good options to try out.

We had booked the Harmukh houseboat on Nigeen Lake. The more luxurious houseboats as compared to the ones on the Dal Lake are available on the Nigeen Lake. Our driver dropped us at the Ghat from where we took Shikaras for the houseboat.

The houseboat had 3 bedrooms, a dining hall, and a seating area facing the lake. The interiors of the houseboat were beautifully done. There were two people assigned on the boat to look after the guests. The owner of the houseboat a friendly guy visited us on the boat and had a good chat.

Vendors were coming on the shikaras to the houseboat to sell their wares from jewelry to decorative items to fruits. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the houseboat.

Day 8 – Srinagar – End of Trip

After breakfast, we checked out from the houseboat. We visited the Hazratbul Mosque and picked up lip-licking walnut fudge from Moonlight (estd. 1896) en route to the airport. The walnut fudge is unlike anything we have tasted before, not even the Lonavala fudge matches up to it.

Travel Tip #9 - Do not miss out the walnut fudge from MoonLight!

There are two levels of security checks when leaving Srinagar. One before entering the airport and one after entering. In the first security check, everyone needs to get out of the vehicle and all luggage (check-in and handbags) needs to be put in the luggage screener. The second security check is a regular check found at all airports.

Last but not least thanks to the people who made this trip possible, memorable, and comfortable. Special mention to Kashmir Travelogue who helped us organize this trip on our specific requests. Thanks to Inayat Tariq for coordinating with us throughout.

You have to see it to believe in the beauty of Kashmir. Kashmir as a place and its warm and hospitable people will hold fond memories for us.

Khudāhāfiz bakhair, which means “Goodbye and take care.”