Best of Touristy Kashmir in 9 days
Kashmir has several valleys, each one more exquisite that the previous one. I personally think it needs more than one trip to truly explore everything. But nonetheless, here is an itinerary that touches upon the most popular sights.Â
To travel in Kashmir, it is important to book a taxi for the duration of the trip, unless you have a private vehicle. Uber and other app based taxi do not work here. The rates for these taxis are more or less standard, subject to a little negotiation.
Day 1Â
Land in Srinagar.Â
Choose to either stay the night in Srinagar or move to Gulmarg, 2 hour drive and stay the night there.Â
If you choose to stay in Srinagar, you can spend the sunset around Dal Lake and the evening at Lal Chowk to soak in the lighted streets and vibe of the city.Â
Day 2
If you chose to stay back in Srinagar, start your day early for a two hour journey to Gulmarg. The main attraction here is the gondola to the top of the mountain for a beautiful view of the valley and for experiencing snow.Â
I would recommend booking early slots and reaching before time. Gulmarg in peak season is known for upto 2 hours of waiting for the ride.Â
There are maggi and hot chocolate shops at the second phase of Gondola, at 13,000 ft in the middle of snow. Naturally, they are also exorbitantly priced.Â
It was time for lunch by the time we reached back to the bottom. Headed to Hotel Hilltop right beside for Kashmiri Wazwan, traditional dishes of the region.Â
After lunch, we went to a nearby Children's park, which had a ferris wheel and a few small rides.
Then, we visited one of Maharaja Hari Singh’s Palaces. In my opinion, the palace was very mediocre and can easily be skipped. Depends on your preferences. For evening coffee, we thought of witnessing the luxurious Khyber Resort. This hotel is ultra high end, definitely worth a visit.
Gulmarg has a vibrant market place with a variety of small 'cafes' and dhabas. You can venture out to try out some of these places for dinner.Â
Day 3Â
Next day, we started our journey post breakfast to Sonamarg. It is a steady 3-3.5 hour drive from Gulmarg, and we took our time visiting different scenic spots on the way.
Enroute, we stopped at Raj Dhaba for Kashmiri Rajma.
If you reach timely, you can straight away head to the Zozila pass to visit the zero point and fish point. Visiting these places require a local taxi, and there’s a systematic way to get them.
For some maggi temptations, you can visit one of the dhabas in the market for a tasty snack. Then, after a long day of driving and visiting places, crash and rest.
Day 4
After breakfast, spend the day doing the trek to Thajiwas Glacier. I would highly recommend walking the journey, even if you're heckled to take a pony. Walk at your own pace and enjoy the views along the way. If there is snow, you can also sledge down slopes!
The entire trek took most of the day. And a heavy lunch sealed the deal for this day. Sit back, relax, enjoy the views and conclude the day.
Day 5Â
Next on the list was Pahalgam, and we chose to halt in Srinagar for the night.Â
You can choose to either do the halt or move straight to pahalgam from sonamarg. If you travel to Pahalgam directly, you can do the Baisaran Valley that evening.Â
In Srinagar, we used the half day to visit Shankaracharya Temple, a shiv temple and one of the many Mughal gardens in the city, Nishat garden.Â
Retire for the day after the perfect sunset at Dal lake.Â
Day 6Â
Enroute Pahalgam, you can visit the Martand Surya Temple in Anantnag. If a longer detour is possible, you can also visit Verinag on your way.
On the way, we cross through several Apple orchards and stop to enjoy some fresh apple juice. Kashmiri Apples are amongst the best varieties in the country.
The Pahalgam market is big and vibrant. There are several chaat and snacks places. We spent the evening snacking around and crashed for the day.
Day 7Â
Start your day early and head to the local taxi stand for a ride to the nearby valleys. In Pahalgam, the taxi being utilised for the travel cannot be used to visit the valleys. There is an extremely strong union system, both for taxis and ponies and the rates are fully standardised.
We skipped Chandanwadi but it depends on you. Chandanwadi is known because it is the base camp of Amarnath Yatra. For lunch, we ate at Paradise hotel, which was honestly the best food I had in Kashmir.Â
Post lunch, we chose to do a pony ride to Baisaran Valley. Because of the route to the valley, unfortunately, it is not possible to walk it. Ponies rates are also fixed but there is scope to bargain. In my opinion, they would sell several variations of valleys to see, but choose the easiest trip to Baisaran, save the money and spend more time relaxing in this wide meadow.Â
Recover from the body ache because of horse riding and crash for the day.Â
Day 8Â
Final travelling day is here. Make your journey back to Srinagar. Â
Note: If on Day 5 you chose to go straight to Pahalgam, you would arrive in Srinagar on Day 7 of this itinerary. All items in the itinerary get shifted accordingly.Â
Once you reach Srinagar, visit the Pari Mahal and Chashma Shahi which are next to each other. These are beautiful gardens with an even better view. Chashma Shahi also protects a natural spring.Â
For lunch and shopping, you can head to Lal Chowk. I would also recommend booking a houseboat for lunch if possible. Houseboats on Dal lake are an experience and lunch is a good short way to experience it.Â
In case you do Lunch at a houseboat, return back to the city as the sun sets and then head to Lal Chowk to witness it in its evening glory.Â
Day 9Â
With this, our trip comes to an end. Take the day to breathe in the last views of the city and the gentle breeze.Â
Srinagar airport requires extensive checking, so arrive at the airport 2-2.5 hours prior to departure.Â
Farewell Kashmir, until next time. Â
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