Must watch destinations in Kashmir
Gulmarg: Locally known as the meadow of flowers, Gulmarg is a complete retreat to the eyes of every visitor. Winters at this hillock are extremely breath-taking which is attracting significant footfalls of tourists. During Winter tourism, the activities like snow skating, snow sledge, Gandola ride, Bike ride are some of the best activities that a visitor can enjoy and capture as best memories for the rest of life. People also visit Drung fall that almost remain frozen during the winter times and have a captivating visual. However, to reach Drung fall, you need to hire a separate TUV cab or snow bike as the roads to the fall remain non motorable due to heavy snowfall and slippery conditions.
On the other side, the Summers are totally cool with pleasant weather and frequent showers when the people in the mainland are facing scorching heat. The lush green valley covered with kail and fur trees in summers mesmerizes you as wild flowers with natural aroma grown in the meadows stand as great hosts. The visit to Gulmarg in winters is entirely a different experience then travelling to this hill station in Summers. Don’t miss it!
Activities:
Gulmarg Gandola: One of the main attractions in Gulmarg is Gondola ride, the highest Cable Car in the world. The 1st phase of the Gondola takes tourists to the height of 8530 ft to Kongdori Station and the second stage of the Gondola goes up to the height of 12293. Tickets can be booked through online website www.https://www.jammukashmircablecar.com. Your travel agent can also help you to buy tickets in case you face any problem.
Horse riding: Tourists can enjoy horse Riding and can go riding to the magnificent “Strawberry Valley” , Leopards Valley and ride up to “Kongdori” to see the frozen lake of “Al- Pathar”.
Skiers’ paradise: The natural slopes here are untouched and prove to be a challenge to ace skiers!
Golf: If you are a Golf lover, you can enjoy playing Golf within the lap of pristine valley covered with green gold and wild flowers.
St Mary’s Church: Located at the centre of meadow, visit this historical place and see the marvellous architecture.
Baba Reshi Shrine: Few kilometres away from main Gulmarg, the Muslim Sufi Shrine popularly known as Baba Reshi is also one of the destinations to visit.
Shops for souvenirs: At Gulmarg and in its vicinity, you can find best places to shop for souvenirs. On way to Gulmarg you can also get in touch directly with the artists who can provide you artefacts, Kinishawl etc at genuine rates.
Besides the scenic side to Gulmarg, winter time in Gulmarg is a season of festivities with celebrations of “White Christmas” and New Year parties.
Note: The activities mentioned above are season based and it depends on the time of visit to explore the activities.
While the hotels in Gulmarg are relatively costly, but Spring Joy Travels offer a range of services for you if you want to stay here. We can arrange home stay, hotel or guest house and cottage to ensure you stay and sleep in the lap of nature without having a hole in your pocket.
Pahalgam: As the name reflects, Pahalgam means ‘Valley of Shepherds’ and for ages, people from plains would graze cattle and sheep in these dense and lush green valleys of Pahalgam. A hill station in the north Indian state with Mountain trails running northeast to Amarnath Cave Temple, a Hindu shrine and site of the annual Amarnath Yatra pilgrimage, Pahalgam is a hot tourist destination throughout the year. At Aru Wildlife Sanctuary is home to animals including brown bears and musk deer. The Lidder River runs through scenic Betaab Valley. Tulian Lake is flanked by mountain peaks and often frozen. In Summers, tourists enjoy water rafting in the Lidder river. Ride ponny or trek over the hills of Aru, Betab or Chandwari. Pahalgam falls in South Kashmir region and is approximately 90 kilometres away from Srinagar. It has been also one of the most sought destinations for Bollywood and movies like Yeah Jawani Hai Deewani, Highway, Beetab, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Raazi were also partially shot here.
The three most popular destinations of Pahalgam are popularly known as ABC- Aru, Betaab and Chandwari valleys.
Activities: River rafting, Trekking, camping, exploring Lakes, visit to Overa- Aru wildlife sanctuary, market Sightseeing, Mamleshwar Temple visit, Lidder Amusement Park.
Choose yourself, if you want to stay in Hotel or Home Stay, Spring Joy Travels can arrange for you.
Sonamarg: A notable tourist destination, filled with scenic landscape, natural beauty and scenic meadows is simply an abode for adventure lovers. It’s freezing winds in winters, mountains covered in white snow offers a mesmerizing visual to eyes. This is also the gateway to glaciers like Kolahoi Peak & trekking routes leading to Vishansar Lake, Krishansar Lake, Gangabal Lake and Gadsar Lake in the Himalayas. Ponies can be hired for a trip up to Thajiwas glacier, in the summer. The Yatra to the nearby Amarnath Temple begins in Sonamarg Baltal, 15 km east of Sonamarg, is a valley that lies at the foot of the Zoji La pass. Trekkers can also reach the city of Leh—known as “the rooftop of the world”—by crossing over the Zoji La, yet again passing through Sonmarg. The Jammu and Kashmir tourism department organizes river rafting tournaments at Sonamarg throughout the year, which has recently seen the participation of teams from abroad.
Tourist visit Sonmarg throughout the year, enjoy snowfall, skating, trekking in winters. In Summers, it offers a complete retreat to all those who avoid scorching heat of plains and enjoy the pleasant weather of Sonmarg. The average temperature of Sonmarg is 5 Degree Celsius.
At Sonmarg, Spring Joy Travels can arrange a home stay or hotel for you if you wish to spend a night close to the nature.
Doodhpathri which means ‘Valley of Milk’ is a bowl-shaped valley locked with snowclad mountains will greet you in a complete raw natural form. It has no population and shepherds graze their cattle in this valley during the summers and stay here for a season until winter arrive. However, the tourists can reach this spot during all the months of the year though in winters, it has a limited access to the picturesque destinations like Mujpathri. In Summers, people trek to Mujhpathri or hire a ponny ride and explore the virgin beauty of the valley. Close to a glaciers, it is also the source of fresh waters passing through the streams of the valley. The other attractions in Summer here is sloping grassy landscapes with a diversity of multicolored flowers up to Chang. If you want to stay close to the nature away from hustle bustle for at least a night, Spring Joy Travels can arrange a Homestay for you here.
Activities: Pony ride, Trekking, Paragliding, Local sightseeing.
Srinagar: Ancient City, Srinagar is one of the top tourist destinations for domestic and international tourists. It is one of the finest cities that enjoys the confluence of rich heritage, culture and modernism offering a range of fun, entertainment and knowledge to its visitors. Its historical significance is displayed through its well-preserved heritage sites. The Mughal Gardens, such as Shalimar Bagh, Nishat Bagh, and Chashme Shahi, are masterpieces of Mughal era, reflecting Persian influences in their terraced lawns, cascading fountains, and colorful flowerbeds. Pari Mahal is yet another historical structure standing tall to define how the kings of yesteryears have been ruling the city overlooking the magnificent Dal Lake.
Dal lake: Dal is a fresh water lake in Srinagar spreading around 10 kilometers and is considered as the jewel of Kashmir tourism. The lake is also an important source for commercial operations in fishing and water plant harvesting. Tourists normally book a shikara ride on hourly basis and explore its interiors like Meena Bazaar, floating Market, Char Chinar and other sites inside the Dal Lake. Some tourists are also fascinated with Houseboats in the middle of waters and prefer to stay at least one night here to have an exotic feeling. Houseboats in Dal Lake are immovable and its interior is designed like homes. It is not a stay like at hotel but an exotic homestay where tourists enjoy food traditionally. Ghanta Ghar, Lal Chowk, is a must go place at the heart of city.
Tulip Garden
Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden, previously Model Floriculture Center, is a tulip garden in Srinagar. It is the largest tulip garden in Asia spread over an area of about 30 hectares. It is situated on the foothills of Zabarwan Range with an overview of Dal Lake. The garden was opened in 2007 with the aim to boost floriculture and tourism in Kashmir Valley. The garden is built on a sloping ground in a terraced fashion consisting of seven terraces. Apart from tulips, many other species of flowers – hyacinths, daffodils and ranunculus have been added as well
Tulip festival is an annual celebration that aims to showcase the range of flowers in the garden as a part of tourism efforts by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir. It is organized during the onset of spring season in Kashmir valley.
Yousmarg: Nestled in the thick forests, Yousmarg offers a tranquil atmosphere and picturesque surroundings. Yusmarg emerges as a hill station approximately 47 km away from Srinagar offering meadows and vibrant wildflowers within forests. Yusmarg is truly a sight for sore eyes. Yusmarg offers a sense of peace and comfort to visitors. It has its own charm that appeals to different kinds of travelers. It is a bowl-shaped meadow, with a full gaze of green meadows, Yousmarg has no other substitute when it comes to exploring the beauty of nature. There are only homestays available in Yousmarg with no construction of hotels. Ponny rides, trekking are some of the best activities you can have here.