A wide grassy Kashmir valley between mountain ranges.

Kashmir · 6 Days

Kashmir — Lakes & Meadows

Three nights in Srinagar, then Gulmarg and Pahalgam — the full city, the Gondola and the Lidder valley, at an easy pace.

Day by Day

6 Days, In Full

The valley at a steady pace, with enough time in Srinagar to see it properly. Three nights in the city cover Dal Lake, the Mughal gardens, the tulip garden in season, the hilltop temple, Hazratbal and the old bazaars. A night in Gulmarg brings the meadow and the Gondola. A night in Pahalgam brings the river and the pines. It suits first-time visitors and travellers who would rather go slowly in one base than change hotels often. The seven and nine-day trips add nights in the mountains.

Srinagar

Arrive in Srinagar and a First Shikara on Dal Lake

You land at Srinagar and drive to the lake, twenty minutes or so. The afternoon is easy. A shikara ride on Dal Lake is the way to start: a slow paddle past the houseboats, into the lanes of the floating gardens, out to open water for the light on the mountains. Back on shore there is time for tea and a walk along the boulevard. The evening is free. Srinagar sits at about 1,600 metres, so the air is cool even in summer.

Srinagar

Srinagar — the Mughal Gardens and Pari Mahal

A day along the eastern shore of the lake, where the Mughal emperors built their gardens. Nishat Bagh climbs the hillside in twelve terraces, one for each sign of the zodiac. Shalimar Bagh, built by Jahangir for Nur Jahan, runs water down a central channel between chinar trees. Chashme Shahi is small and built around a spring. Above them, Pari Mahal is a terraced ruin with the best view in the city. The afternoon can add the tulip garden in season, or a carpet workshop.

Srinagar

Srinagar — the Old City, Hazratbal and Shankaracharya

A day in the older parts of Srinagar. The Shankaracharya temple sits on a hill above the city, up a long stair, for a wide view over the lake and the valley. Hazratbal, the white marble shrine on the western shore, holds a relic of the Prophet and looks straight across the water to the mountains. In the old city, downtown, a walk on foot takes in the wooden Jamia Masjid, the riverside shrines, and workshops for papier-mache and copper. It is the day that shows how the city lives.

A snow-dusted mountain with pine trees and a trail near Gulmarg.

Srinagar → Gulmarg

Srinagar to Gulmarg and the Gondola

The drive to Gulmarg takes about two hours, out across the rice fields of the valley and then up through pine forest to the meadow at 2,650 metres. Gulmarg means the meadow of flowers, and in summer it is exactly that. After checking in, the afternoon is for the Gondola: stage one to Kongdoori, and stage two, weather allowing, to a shoulder of Mount Apharwat near 4,000 metres. The air is thin at the top, so the visit is short. Warm layers are needed even in July.

A river running through a green Kashmir valley lined with trees and mountains.

Gulmarg → Pahalgam

Gulmarg to Pahalgam through the Valley

A long transfer day across the width of the Kashmir valley, about five hours with stops. The road comes down from Gulmarg, skirts Srinagar, and heads southeast along the Jhelum. Pampore, the saffron town, is on the way, and so are the ninth-century temple ruins at Avantipur. The land rises again into pine forest as you near Pahalgam, at about 2,400 metres, where the Lidder river runs through the town. The evening is for a walk along the riverbank.

The Lidder river flowing over rocks through a wooded valley below Pahalgam.

Pahalgam → Srinagar

Pahalgam Back to Srinagar and Departure

The drive back to Srinagar takes about two and a half hours, down the Lidder and along the Jhelum. There is usually time for a last stop: the saffron fields at Pampore, a carpet or papier-mache workshop on the edge of the city, or a final shikara on Dal Lake if the flight is late. Then the short drive to the airport for the flight out. Bags of dried apricots, walnuts and saffron are the things people carry home.

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luxury · 5 Nights