Kashmir Tours & Experiences

Things to do in Kashmir

Kashmir's activities gather around Srinagar and three valleys, Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonmarg; Srinagar and Gulmarg have pages of their own.

Cross Dal Lake by shikara

Shikaras, the canopied rowing boats of Dal Lake, carry you past floating gardens, known in Kashmiri as raad, and the island of Char Chinari. All three of our Kashmir tour packages include a ride, and our shikara ride and houseboat stay adds private ones, timed for sunset or dawn.

Sleep on a houseboat

Carved wooden houseboats are moored along Dal Lake and along Nigeen, which the Srinagar district describes as the less crowded of the two. Our houseboat stay gives you at least one night aboard, with airport transfers and a local guide. On the Kashmir honeymoon a Dal Lake houseboat is usually your Srinagar base, its cost outside the package.

Walk the Mughal gardens

Shalimar, Nishat and Chashma Shahi rise in terraces above the lake, with the Zabarwan range behind them. The six-day tour spends a morning at Nishat and Shalimar with a local guide, the ten-day tour visits the same two, and the honeymoon includes garden visits.

Ride the Gulmarg Gondola, or ski

Gulmarg's gondola, a Jammu & Kashmir Cable Car Corporation ropeway, climbs to Kongdori on its first stage and higher still on its second, which wind or cloud most often halts. Our Gulmarg gondola and skiing day from Srinagar includes standard tickets for both, with lessons from December to February if you want them; ski hire is extra. The six-day tour spends a night in Gulmarg with stage 1 included.

Ride out from Pahalgam

Pahalgam stands on the Lidder river and is an important transit camp for pilgrims bound for the Amarnath cave. The six-day tour drives there past apple orchards and saffron fields, which flower around late October, spends the afternoon by the river and leaves time for a pony ride to the Aru or Betaab valley, paid separately.

Reach the Thajiwas glacier from Sonmarg

Sonmarg, on the Sindh river, is the way to the Thajiwas glacier, which the Ganderbal district calls a major attraction of the summer months; ponies can be hired for the trip up. Trekking routes also lead from Sonmarg to alpine lakes such as Vishansar, Krishansar and Gangabal, though we do not organise those treks. The six-day tour gives Sonmarg a day trip, and the ten-day tour can, when its season's route allows.

Sit down to a wazwan

A wazwan is a long feast of mostly meat courses, among them rogan josh, yakhni and gushtaba, served with Kashmiri pulao and sheermal and closed with kahwa. Our Kashmiri wazwan feast takes an evening of its own in Srinagar and can be made vegetarian with notice.

Choosing between our tours and experiences

Our experiences are single activities to build a stay around: a houseboat night with shikara rides, a gondola or ski day, or a wazwan evening. Our tour packages are whole trips with a private vehicle and driver. On a first visit, the Kashmir Tour — 6 days takes families, couples and photographers through the valleys one at a time. The honeymoon is for couples coming between April and October, with the houseboat matched to their standard. 10 Days Ladakh with Srinagar adds Leh, Nubra and Pangong for travellers willing to give altitude its rest days. Our Kashmir tour packages page sets the three side by side.

When to go for these

The houseboats and the wazwan are year-round; the rest follows the seasons. Srinagar's tulip garden opens for a few weeks in spring, Chashma Shahi admits visitors from March to November with full bloom in May and June, and lotus flowers cover the floating gardens of Dal Lake in July and August. At Srinagar, Pahalgam and Gulmarg, IMD's 1991–2020 averages make March the rainiest month and July the warmest, with days of about 30°C in the city but nearer 21°C in Gulmarg. The Amarnath Yatra fills Pahalgam and the Baltal camp near Sonmarg in July and August, and the Anantnag district recommends booking well ahead for those weeks.

Planning tips for Kashmir

Look up the travel advice your own government gives, and what your insurer covers, before you book. The UK, for example, advises against all travel to Jammu and Kashmir, the valleys included, and warns that ignoring this can invalidate insurance; our Kashmir travel guide explains what to check. Buy gondola tickets only on the cable car corporation's official website, which warns visitors about touts, and garden entry through the Floriculture Department's e-tickets. The Ganderbal district's Sonamarg page says private vehicles are not allowed and visitors hire taxis, so ask us how your day there is run.