The Heaven on Earth! Kashmir has been a dream paradise for all Indians. It is a bucket list destination, increasingly becoming popular with improved flight connectivity in recent years and decreasing influence of security/ armed forces. Kashmir has always been safe for tourists as tourism is a significant contributor of local incomes. Jammu, Srinagar, Gulmarg, Sonmarg, Ladakh are prominent places to visit in Jammu and Kashmir
Kashmir was our first venture out post Covid. We went through Zippgo Travels whom we found on Travel Triangle. Zippgo travels also own some of the hotels we stayed like in Pahalgam
While all the places in Kashmir were absolutely stunning, we found the culture of squeezing tourists rather annoying. You are stopped at every possible shop (saffron, carpets, bats, woolen clothes and the list is endless) where drivers can get commissions, circled by multiple hotel staff all the time who expect hefty tips, touted by agents at Gulmarg to see gondola tickets in black, misdirected by agent/guides who want you to take their donkey/ horse, fleeced by horse riders at Baisaran with 5x prices quoted upfront. The overall experience makes you see every person with doubt, trying to be guarded all the time. We just hope it can change for the better soon- Kashmir would become a genuine paradise!
Vaishnodevi, Jammu, Srinagar, Gulmarg and Sonmarg are the most prominent places to visit in Jammu and Kashmir
Vaishnodevi
We took a flight to Jammu from Bengaluru via Delhi. We barely managed to catch the Jammu flight due to a delay on Bengaluru- Delhi flight. While we were guilty of breaking queues at the airport and getting involved in arguments with people waiting dutifully in queues, we felt airlines should have some fast track means of helping connecting passengers who are late not due to their fault. We are otherwise paranoid folks who reach airport 3 hours before time, and at times victims of helping other late passengers in skipping queues (or generous hearts). We thought it is ok to be on the other side this time- like other typical country folks
Katra is about 60-90 minutes from Jammu airport. We reached late night and rested well. The next day, we took a horse to climb the top around 6 AM since we only had a day in hand. Hindsight, we felt guilty looking at the state of horses. We paid about INR 1500 per person for the horse. We were in a dilemma on whether we are helping horses get a good meal by paying them or rather being a cause of their abuse. We highly recommend walking or taking a helicopter
We reached the to point in about 4 hours. The darshan queue was medium that day, might have taken a couple of hours more in the line. The entre feeling on the way from pilgrims gives you the energy and enthusiasm. The feeling was something that cannot be described in words
After the darshan, we headed quickly downwards to Bairon Mandir through the ropeway and then further down to helipad at Sanjichat. Our slot was around 1:30 PM. The walk down felt endless since we were in a hurry to reach own by 1 PM. It took us more than an hour to walk down, and maybe we were not on shortest path. The helicopter tickets sell out quite fast and this was the only slot we could manage to book. If we were late, they might have accommodated us onto a slightly later flight is what we realized later. The ride back on Global Vectra was quite short – only 15-20 minutes
We were quite tired by the time we reached back our hotel around 3 PM
Pahalgam
We started in the morning from Katra towards Pahalgam which took about 6-7 hours including lunch break. We rested in the hotel along the shores of the river Lidder. The snow clad peaks, rose flowers, gushing waters adding to the atmosphere- we had a good time just relaxing here
We started towards Baisaran the next morning. The experience of hiring horses was quite frustrating. The taxi drivers try to get to their preferred riders, with all of them forming cartels that show a per person cost of anything from 5-10k. We finally paid about INR 8k for 3 people. The ride was pretty dangerous, with good probability of horses throwing you off the cliff. The views on top were really good, but we were probably soured by the overall experience. This place is called mini Switzerland with its greenery, trees and snow
In the afternoon, we took a car to Aru, Chandanwari and Betaab valley. Some parts are accesible from your own car, but the locals stop you after some point, from where you have to take a local taxi. We paid INR 2k for ride to Chandanwari for the full car for 3 people. The views at Aru were the best. Chandanwari was freezing! We could see Amarnath trails from here.
Pahalgam to Srinagar ride took us 2 hours. We bought some saffron on the way near the fields in Pampur. It was dark, so we couldn’t see much on the fields, but the saffron in the shops looked authentic
We took a Shikhara ride to reach our house boat. The house experience is quite decent for one night to get the feel of the lake. The rates are quite expensive, so you can also do just a boat ride on the lake to get a similar feel
The markets are quite lively on the lake. You will be followed by sellers to buy different things which you can politely ignore
The next morning, went sightseeing in the city and saw Shalimar gardens, Nishant Gardens, Hazratbal, and Shankaracharya temple. The gardens were pretty with trees and flowers. Many colored Chinar trees lined the pathways since we went during autumn in October
The Shankaracharya temple has about 250 steps, but it did not feel tiring somehow. The top views of the city were quite nice. The walk was also peaceful. We met many army personnel on the way who were very friendly
My mother wanted to see local women dressed in traditional colorful clothes, but was disappointed to see only men in Pherans. The kangirs with coal for heat were pretty interesting, along with markets selling nadru (lotus root).
Gulmarg
One of the best places to see snow clad mountains and so skiing.
We were quite prepared to battle it out for Gondola tickets which are a hit or a miss. Online bookings were not available when we went. Our driver was an hour late to begin with which decreased our chances as we started. When we reached around 10 AM after an hours ride, we couldn’t find the Gondola ticket station. When we enquired with a local, he misdirected us in the opposite direction so that we would get lost and then take his horse. We somehow managed to reach the information centre, where the person was more interested in ensuring we left good feedback in the register, than showing us the actual way. He just showed broad direction and left us on our own. Our taxi driver was also not helpful here- he had colluded with the locals
After quite some loitering around, we found the ticket station and managed to get tickets for level 1. The ticket costs about INR 800. They did not see level 2 tickets here – we were supposed to go to level 1 and try our luck there. After hours of waiting in the line and being touted by agents to buy tickets in black for level 2, we reached level 2 at almost noon. It was the last slot to buy tickets for level 2, but we ended up missing it!
We thought it is fine to not go, instead of buying tickets in black. We were so frustrated by the experience we did not want to encourage such behavior. The views were good in level 1, but we felt it would have been so much better if we had managed to get onto level 2
Our taxi driver was the main reason for us not being able to get tickets- he was late, not helpful in dropping us at required point and quite interested only in getting us to shops later. We had seen quite good reviews for other drivers from Zippgo, and had a good one on the rider between Katra and Pahalgam, but got unlucky in Srinagar
Gulgam left the worst taste for us. We felt quite disappointed being cheated in our own country. We could rather imagine what foreigners have to go through when they are here
Sonmarg
After hearing many horror stories of being fleeced by horse riders in Sonmarg, we were quite prepared with all the bargaining logic we could think of. To our pleasant surprise, Sonmarg was much better than Gulmarg. Sonmarg was 2 hours away from Srinagar
The snow at Thajiwas glacier was quite deep and nice, and we even had a short duration where it started snowing giving a dreamy feeling
We paid INR 1200 per person for the horse including warm clothes- jackets and boots. Walking is not possible given deep snow, so we had to take the horses which we would have avoided otherwise.
We left from Srinagar airport the next day. The airport and the views of Himalayan mountains from the flights were quite impressive. Take a window seat towards the left for best views
Overall, we felt Kashmir can be a paradise if the locals don’t see tourists as ATM machines and rather leave them to enjoy the natural beauty on their own. The government or tourism department also needs to heavily intervene to stop unfair practices and get tickets online where booking can be fair, predictably priced and plannable by dates
Where we stayed
All hotels were chosen and booked by Zippgo travels
- Katra- Hotel Green Valley: We had the best vegetarian food here without onions and garlic, specially made for devotees
- Pahalgam- Sojourn Cottages: On the banks of river Lidder, with cottage like rooms built with wood
- Srinagar- Hotel Sahara Grand Hills
- Srinagar House boat- Wagnoo Sheraton Group of Houseboat
How much did it cost
About INR 75k per person
- Flights: INR 40k per person from Bengaluru-to Jammu/Srinagar via Delhi
- Tour package including hotels, breakfast, dinner: INR 20k
- Lunch, entry, local transport and other costs: INR 15k