KASHMIR LAKES AND PINES

Arrive in Srinagar

On your arrival at the Srinagar International Airport, you will be welcomed by our representative or Driver who will assist and escort you to your waiting vehicle. From the airport it is a 35 minutes drive through the heart of New Srinagar city. The drive takes you past the Abdullah bridge which connects the banks of the Jehlum river, snaking its way towards the North-Western frontier of Kashmir. 

Arrive welcome and show you to your houseboat or hotel. After you check-in and freshen up, you can move out to visit your first tourist spot.visit to the famous Mughal gardens of Nishat and Shalimar. Built in between a period of 14 years the two gardens are a heritage left behind by the erstwhile Mughals, whose taste for laying exquisite gardens was fascinating. With a backdrop of the sprawling Zabarwan mountains, the gardens boast of green turfs, blooming flowers and cascading water fountains. We will explore the gardens and later drive for Shankaracharya Temple situated on top of the Shankaracharya Hill in the Zabarwan Range in Srinagar. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is at a height of 1,000 feet above the valley floor and overlooks the city of Srinagar.

Evening take a 2-hour Shikara ride in Dal Lake. Keep your camera ready to click some heart-warming pictures of the mountains. Also, you will notice a beautiful carpet of lotus flowers all over the lake. These flowers enhance the aura of Dal Lake. End your day by making your way back to your Houseboat for dinner and an overnight s

Srinagar to Gulmarg: (Day Trip)

After breakfast in the morning, we will begin our country tour towards Gulmarg. The drive past colorful villages and rice fields, gives you an insight of the rich cultural past of Kashmir. We arrive at a small picturesue market town of Tangmarg and drive ahead on a scenic drive of 14 kilometers to Gulmarg. We arrive in Gulmarg early in the afternoon.

In Gulmarg we will board the Gondola cable car system, and ascend towards the Mountain range. The 04-05 minutes of ropeway will take you past colorful shepherd hutments to the lower ridge of the peak. From here you can click lots of photos (Own Cost) of the nearby mountain ranges that stand tall like sentinels guarding the rich natural beauty of Kashmir valley. We descend back to Gulmarg base after an hour or so and Post this tiring day, head back to your Srinagar houseboat and savour delicious Dinner and Overnight Stay at Houseboat 

Note: - If in case heavy snow fall Gulmarg is not operational so will take clients to Yusmarg Day Trip.

Gulmarg Gondola Ticket - www.jammukashmircablecar.com

Note :- Also note that for local movement guest has to either hire the pony or local vehicle on direct payment basis, the vehicle used in the itinerary only drops the guest in Gulmarg hotel.

Srinagar to Sonamarg: (Day Trip)

We begin our second day with a sumptous breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast we will drive to the majestic mountain resort of Sonamarg. The route towards Sonamarg takes us on a picturesque country side drive where we will come across rolling hills, green forests, clear water streams and blooming rice fields. We will zoom past the town of Kangan which handles all the local needs of this region. From Kangan, we will drive towards Mammar, famous for its trout farm and stopover for a warm cup of tea ( Own Cost ) before we head towards Sonamarg. We will once again alight from our vehicles at the tourist spot of Gagangir. The spot is built in the middle of the river Sindh and looks like an island with snow glaciers covering one or the other spot. In Sonamarg we will take a 3 hour walk or horseback (Own Cost ) trip to the Thajwass glacier. After our return we will visit the small town market for some snacks or just pay a visit observing the local people going with thier daily routine. We will drive back to Srinagar in the evening and transfer to the hotel for our overnight stay.

Srinagar to Pahalgam: (Day Trip)

We will begin our trip towards Pahalgam and drive past the saffron fields of Pampore, the marvellous ruins of Avantipura and the village of Bijbehara which remains famous as the bread basket of Kashmir. You can even sample a few exotic breads sold by vendors near the road. We switch the the national highway at Khanabal and drive through the second largest city of Anantnag. 

From here the road turns scenic as we drive parallel on the Lidder river flowing from the opposite direction. In Pahalgam Visit Betab valley & Aru Valley respectively. Betaab valley is a gorgeous expanse by the Lidder river, offering panoramic views of the Himalayas. Its landscape looks picture-perfect with a carpet of emerald green interrupted by a river flowing through it and the snow-clad mountains in the background. It is covered by a thick forest of deodar and pine trees and is dotted with colourful flowers. The valley also serves as a base camp for trekkers and is a good place to start a further exploration of the mountains. Betaab Valley gained prominence after the Sunny Deol and Amrita Singh starrer film, Betaab, was shot here in 1983. Thus, the valley was named after the hit film. The valley falls on the way to the famed Amarnath temple yatra and is one of the three stunning valleys of Pahalgam

Aru Valley is a famous tourist place in Jammu & Kashmir located in the Anantnag district around 12 kilometers from Pahalgam. Tourists are attracted towards it because of its lush meadows, pristine lakes & mountains, and it also serves as a base camp for trekking to the Kolahoi Glacier and Tarsar Lake.

Rest of the day will be at leisure for individual activities ( All activities Cost Own ). We will drive back to Srinagar in the evening and transfer to the hotel for our overnight stay.

Departure transfer to Airport

After a late morning breakfast, we will drive to the airport for your flight home. On your way to the airport you can make a brief stopover for some last minute shopping in the city center. At the airport the driver will assist you with your luggage screening and drop you at outside the terminal gate