Kashmir · 7 Days
Kashmir Snow & Ski
Kashmir's ski trip — two nights in a snowbound Srinagar, then four in Gulmarg for the Gondola runs on Apharwat and the nursery slopes by the meadow.
Day by Day
7 Days, In Full
Kashmir in its winter coat, built around the snow at Gulmarg. Two nights in Srinagar to start, with the Mughal gardens under frost and the lake still and grey. Then four nights in Gulmarg: a settling day on the meadow, a day on the nursery slopes with an instructor, and days on the higher Apharwat runs from the Gondola with a qualified guide and avalanche gear. You drive back to Srinagar for the flight out. The season runs from late December to mid-March, with the most reliable snow in January and February. Non-skiers can sledge and snow-walk around Kongdoori.
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 → 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.
Gulmarg
A Full Day in Gulmarg — the Meadow, the Church and the Walks
A day to slow down in the mountains. The meadow itself is for walking, with the small wooden church of St Mary's at its centre and the world's highest eighteen-hole golf course spread around it. A path leads up to Khilanmarg, a higher meadow with a view of the Kashmir valley on one side and Nanga Parbat, on a clear day, on the other. If the Gondola was closed for weather the day before, this is the day to try again. The evenings here are cold all year.
Gulmarg
A Day on the Snow in Gulmarg
Winter turns Gulmarg into a ski resort. The nursery slopes by the meadow are gentle and lift-served, good for a first lesson with a hired instructor. Equipment comes from the village shops. Higher up, the Gondola opens long runs on Apharwat, most of them off-piste, which need a qualified guide and avalanche gear. The light goes early behind the peaks. The best snow is usually in January and February, but the season runs from late December into March.
Gulmarg
Gulmarg — Apharwat, Kongdoori and the High Slopes
A second day on the mountain, once the legs have adjusted to the height. In winter that means longer runs from the top of the Gondola with a guide, or a snow walk and sledging around Kongdoori for those not skiing. In summer it is a walk from Kongdoori toward the Apharwat ridge, across old snowfields, with the Pir Panjal peaks all around. Either way it is a slow, high day. You come down in the afternoon for a hot drink by the fire.
Gulmarg → Srinagar
Gulmarg Back to Srinagar
A last morning in the meadow before the drive back down to the valley, about two hours. If there is time, one more walk toward Khilanmarg or a final run on the Gondola. The road drops quickly out of the pines into the rice fields, and the air warms as Srinagar comes back into view. The afternoon in the city is free for shopping in the old bazaars or a last shikara on the lake.
Book This Itinerary
Priced Packages On This Route
This route is already built into these packages — real inclusions and pricing on each one's own page.
Kashmir to Kanyakumari
Get In Touch
Start Planning Your Trip
Full itinerary, real pricing, one honest conversation — no sales pressure, just answers.