Gulmarg Travel Guide: Gondola, Skiing and Alpine Meadows

Gulmarg is a mountain resort in the Pir Panjal range. Besides the gondola, the places to visit are the meadows and slopes around it, Khilanmarg, the Strawberry Valley, a golf course, two shrines and a trout stream. Every trip we run here, tours and experiences together, is on our Gulmarg tours and experiences page.

The Gulmarg Gondola

The gondola is a two-stage ropeway run by the Jammu & Kashmir Cable Car Corporation. The Baramulla district says the first phase takes visitors to Kongdori station and the second goes higher. The corporation tells visitors to book on its official ticketing site and not to fall for touts. Sources disagree on how high it is, so this guide gives no height. Our Gulmarg gondola and skiing day takes the first stage up to Kongdori and the second as weather and queues allow; the gondola can be suspended in high wind or low visibility, so the day has no promise of the top stage.

Kongdori and Alpathar Lake

The district says visitors can ride up to Kongdori to see the frozen lake of Al-Pathar. Incredible India places Alpathar Lake at the base of the Apharwat peaks, frozen in winter and ringed by greenery in summer. The two sources describe the lake's position differently, so ask locally on the day how far you can go and whether the lake is reachable.

Khilanmarg and the Strawberry Valley

Gulmarg literally means "meadow of flowers". Incredible India describes summer meadows carpeted with wildflowers such as edelweiss and lilies, with pine forests to walk through, and Khilanmarg as a valley just 4 km from Gulmarg's bus stop that you can reach on foot or by pony ride. The Baramulla district names riding on horseback to the Strawberry Valley as one of the things to do. The old name of the place, the district adds, was Gaurimarg, and rulers including Jahangir visited often. The official pages give no ride times or rates, so ask locally.

The golf course, the Maharani Temple and St Mary's Church

Incredible India lists the golf course, at 2,650 metres above sea level, and, near it, St Mary's Church, a Victorian-era grey stone church that it says has stood for over a century. The red-roofed Maharani Temple, which Incredible India says is dedicated to Shiva and Parvati and can be seen from all corners of Gulmarg, stands on a small hillock.

The Ziarat of Baba Reshi

Incredible India lists this shrine to the Sufi saint Baba Payam-Din, who it says spent his days in meditation before his death in 1480. His intricately adorned tomb draws devotees seeking blessings, and Incredible India calls the Ziarat renowned for granting wishes. Visitors should dress and behave as at any place of worship.

Ferozepur Nallah and Tangmarg

Incredible India describes Ferozepur Nallah, also called Shinmahinyu, as a mountain stream with rainbow trout a short distance from Gulmarg, and Tangmarg as a town on the way up, with markets for local crafts. The surrounding areas it names are Zandpal, Drung, with its waterfall, and Gogaldara. The official pages give no fishing rules, so ask locally before you fish.

Skiing and winter

In winter, the district says, Gulmarg is fully covered in snow, and it describes the natural slopes as untouched and a challenge to ace skiers. The district also mentions winter celebrations, "White Christmas" and New Year parties. Incredible India adds snowboarding, snow scooters and toboggans to the list. For beginners, our gondola and skiing day notes that beginner slopes and instructors are available locally and that we can build in lessons; ski and snowboard hire is not included.

IMD's 1991–2020 normals for Gulmarg show how much the year turns. January is coldest, with days at 0.7°C and nights at −7.7°C. By April days reach 10.4°C, and July is the warmest month, with days at 21.1°C and nights at 12.0°C. October days average 14.2°C, with nights at 3.8°C, and it is the driest month, at 47.7 mm of rain over 3.7 rainy days. March is the wettest, at 215.6 mm over 11.5 rainy days. December nights average −4.8°C. Our gondola and skiing day recommends December to February for skiing and April to October for the meadows and the gondola without snow, and it notes that winter roads to Gulmarg can be affected by snow. Our month-by-month guide to the best time to visit Kashmir has the figures for every month.