Exquisite Kashmir !

A dream of almost every Indian is to visit the beautiful Kashmir. And here is one experience of the dream coming true.... A 8 day experience of Kashmir.

It was a plan that was drawn multiple times and understanding every bit of possible information to have a good time. We were particular about not taking a standard 5-day or a 6-day package; but to stay in various places as much as possible and enjoy the nature of Kashmir in a very relaxed and possibly a very memorable trip!

Primary distances to know

• Srinagar Airport – Srinagar – 12 kms
• Srinagar – Pahalgam – 85 kms – 2:30 hours
• Srinagar – Sonamarg – 81 kms – 2:30 hours
• Sonamarg – Gulmarg – 124 kms – 3:15 hours
• Srinagar – Gulmarg – 55 kms – 1:45 hours

 Places to see in Srinagar

• Dal lake
• Shankaracharya Mandir – Oldest temple in Kashmir
• Tulip Gardens
• Nigeen lake
• Nishat Bagh
• Mughal Gardens
• Chasma Shahi
• Pari Mahal
• Shalimar Bagh
• Jama Masjid
• Hazratbal
• Lal Chowk
• Hari Parbat
• Badam Wari

Day-1    Entering Kashmir and the first feel

We had booked flights from Chennai to Srinagar via New Delhi. We started early in the morning by 6 AM flight and landed in Delhi around 9 AM. Srinagar flight was around 1:30 PM, and we just grazed around the airport doing some shopping and eating. Srinagar flight was on time and eagerly took the window seat to have the sight of Himalayas! Crossing the mountains and comes the massive valley - Kashmir valley surrounded by snow clad peaks was a spellbound feel to start with! 

We had booked an Innova cab for all 8 days - Innova was preferred as we were going to travel daily on Ghats and with luggage, it would be comfortable too. Our driver, Umer bhaiya was waiting for us to pick and thus, started our Kashmir sojourn.

As it was Ramzan time and fasting was observed, all the shops were closed and we found it difficult to even have a tea to break the travel hangover and get to Kashmir enjoyment. We, first went around Dal lake and sooner towards Nishat garden as recommended by driver. Local advice is always priority and we obliged. After a lot of search, we saw a small shop, had tea and some packed snacks and reached Nishat garden.

Nishat garden

Nishat garden is a beautiful garden with Dal lake on one side and hill view on the other. Most importantly, the beautiful flowers - mostly roses of all possible colours you can imagine, gave us the first glimpse of beautiful Kashmir.

We walked all across the garden and started immersing ourselves in nature. We spent close to 1 hour in the garden and bought small souvenirs just outside the garden.  The driver took us to a dry fruits and nuts shop, Kashmir is known for amazing almonds, walnuts, varieties of berries and more! We tasted a few and then bought assorted ones for our consumption during rest of the trip. We also witnessed a beautiful sunset by Dal lake. First of the many to see!

We reached Hotel Walisons around 7 PM and checked in. Massive big family rooms and big cots greeted us and we were ready to just sleep to get ready for rest of the trip. We refreshed and had dinner at nearby restaurant - Punjabi Darbar - 5 mins walk from Walisons. There is no shortage of Veg food across Kashmir; especially Srinagar, one can get south Indian and north Indian food at ease. We tasted the most unique tea of Kashmir - Khawa - made of Kashmiri green tea, saffron and varieties of condiments topped with chopped almonds. An absolute delicacy that could refresh anyone at anytime of the day. 

We started enjoying Khawa and made it a point to have it daily. Khawa is an energetic and a very refreshing drink.

Day-2 - To Pahalgam - Land of Pristine Valleys

Our day started with breakfast in one of the nearby restaurants. We walked by the banks of the Dal lake for some time, gave poses, clicked photographs and then checked out from Hotel Walisons.

We had planned for stay in Pahalgam for 2 nights and see the beautiful valleys one by one on a very relaxed way. We planned to see few places enroute to Pahalgam - Avantipura Temple ruins and Martand Sun temple.

Avantipura Temple ruins

We started around 9 AM and got onto the broad National highway - Srinagar to Jammu and took the turn towards Avantipura ruins. Avantipura Temples (Avanti Swami Temple Ruins) is 32 kms from Srinagar to Pahalgam route. The temple was originally built by King Avantivarman in 855 AD for Lord Shiva and later included a sanctum for Lord Vishnu too. The place had been ransacked by various conquests; currently maintained by ASI. The place would take hardly 20 minutes for anyone to go around.

Saffron and Willows

We then started towards Pahalgam and next stop was to buy saffron strings. Pimpore in Pulwama district is known for saffron fields and we stopped in a place where our driver recommended to buy. We bought few small portions of saffron at the rate of 1g for Rs.250 - almost all places have the same price. We tasted Kahwa here - it was very good. We also saw so many shops selling White Willow cricket bats - huge number of willow logs getting seasoned to become cricket bats!

Martand Sun temple

Next stop was the Martand Sun temple - an active temple in Islamabad of Anantnag. We visited the temple and spent around 10-15 mins there. There is a ruined Martand temple few kms from there, however, we missed to see it. 

Kashmir Apple orchards

As we cross Anantnag and enter Pahalgam, we get to see so many apple orchards all around. Though the month of May was not the right season for apples, still there were orchards open and people offering fresh apple juices - small apples though. We did get into the orchards to understand a little bit about apples and tasted super fresh apple juices.

We entered Pahalgam around 1 PM. We realized that we spent time relaxed because we planned 2 nights in Pahalgam and were not in a rush to see places. One can realize they are into the range of pristine Pahalgam as you start seeing the apple orchards and the beautiful Lidder river. The Lidder river along with the mountains make it so welcoming!

We had lunch at Hotel Nathu's Rasoi. The restaurant is a pure veg restaurant and food is served on table after paying the bills. They took time to serve, however the quality of food was definitely good, with great quantity too. Well recommended place for vegetarians. After the sumptuous lunch, the plan was to visit Baisaran Valley.

Baisaran Valley - An amazing place!

Baisaran valley is known for its amazing long meadows surrounded with dense Pine forests and popularly known as Mini Switzerland. Baisaran valley is around 4 kms of pony ride. The ponies are available right at the junction and outside the restaurant we had lunch. The ponies come at quite a high cost during peak season - there were 2 options - one visit Baisaran valley and see 2 view points (Kashmir valley and Dabyan) enroute or the extended one which covers Denow valley and Kanimarg. The rates are printed on a board and they are definitely costlier. We bargained for three ponies at around half of the rates and ended paying a little higher than half of it.

The pony ride is truly exciting going through the beautiful alpine forests, stunning meadows, few fallen trees, steep mud and rocky slopes and amazing views of the valleys beneath. We reached Baisaran valley in around 25-30 minutes.

Baisaran valley is truly an amazing place and one just cannot afford to miss it or even visit in a hurry. The stunning meadows surrounded by towering Himalayas and few snow clad peaks made it a grand view. We walked around in different directions and thoroughly enjoyed the nature around. We spent around 1-2 hours roaming around.

Meanwhile, they also had zorbing - the big ball where couple of people can get in and the ball gets rolled down on the meadows as a free fall. We did zorbing at a rate of Rs.200 per person. Zorbing experience was amazing as we were tied up inside the zorbing balloon; and went on rolls - seeing the sky, mountains and ground - all in different colours! It lasted for around 12-15 seconds and was truly amazing experience.

Around 4 PM, it started getting colder and darker, and we started back to the pony. We had a very delightful experience of Baisaran valley and reached our hotel - Hotel Himalayan Discover. 

The rooms are very clean and it is a budget stay. The hotel is 3-4 kms outside Pahalgam and is accessible to River Lidder in 2-3 mins walk. We liked the hotel given its calmness and access to the river. We checked-in, had Khawa and walked down to the Lidder river to have a relaxed evening.

We had our dinner at the resort itself, which was ok with respect to options and taste.

Day-3    Day trip to Aru Valley, Betaab valley and Chandawari

We had breakfast at the hotel as part of room - Aloo parathas and Sandwich. The plan was to take a rental car for sighting the Pahalgam circuit of Aru Valley, Betaab valley and Chandanwari. The local sightseeing places are accessible only by local tourist cabs. Even if you have your own taxis from Srinagar, you cannot use those vehicles - there are standard packages for different number of hours and the list of places to see. 

We opted for a Toyota Etios (after understanding that the roads are very good for all three places) for one hour at each destination package. We paid Rs.2300 odd for the same. One can pay Rs.3500+ and use the cab for the whole day for these 3 destinations. However, after taking the cab, one can always switch between packages based on your conversations with the driver.

Aru valley

Aru valley is around 12 kms from Pahalgam market area. Aru valley is a beautiful valley with meadows and scenic mountains all around. The whole route going towards Aru Valley is absolutely stunning beautiful and one can just enjoy the whole ride. The Lidder river flowing amidst the deep valleys surrounded by meadows and pine trees makes it a beautiful sight all across. Popular trekking trips to Kolahoi glacier and Tarsar Marsar lake starts from Aru valley.

The valley is accessible by foot from the parking area - a walk of 4-5 minutes. The tourist spot has lot of shops for eatables and pashmina shawls. The whole place is very pleasant to walk around and enjoy the views. The place also has horse rides from Rs.300 onwards to take you around to get various valley views around.

We spent 1 hour at the valley and felt it was too good for a relaxing time with nature. We roamed around across all possible views in the valley, the hills, the narrow stream running beneath the valley and the meadows. There are so many postcard shots one can take at this valley!

Next, we thought we shall goto Betaab valley. But, the driver recommended we goto Chandanwari first and then stop at Betaab valley on the return. Both are on the same road - Chandawari being the end of the route.

Chandanwari

Chandanwari is 18 kms from Pahalgam market area and 9 kms after Betaab valley. Chandawari is popular for the fact that it is the starting point of Amarnath Yatra from the Pahalgam side. Amarnath cave is 37 kms by trekking or by pony from Chandawari. Most importantly, as tourist, one can have access to ice (ex-snow) at Chandanwari. The place used to be full of sandalwood forests and hence the name - as per our driver. The whole route is very scenic as is rest of the Kashmir :-)

The attraction at Chandawari is the Ice bridge - river Sheshnag flowing beneath the melting ice and we get to walk on top of the ice. The place is accessible by walk - a walk of 8-10 mins from the parking area. There are pony and palanquin rides from the parking area to the ice bridge area for people who cant walk that small distance. There are lot of small restaurants too enroute.

We walked from the parking area and took help from helpers for Rs.300 to walk us up on the ice. It was slippery and we found it difficult to do it ourselves. Snow sledging is popular here and they start charging people from Rs.500 from certain point. We bargained and gave Rs.100 per person for few seconds of snow sledging.

We enjoyed every moment of our time at the ice bridge and the helpers took some photographs as well. One needs to be watchful in bargaining and getting the best possible rates here. We had some hot snacks - Aloo bonda, samosa and maggi before we boarded back our car for Betaab valley.

Betaab Valley

Betaab Valley is a beautiful spread of River Sheshnag. One gets to see gorgeous view of the Betaab valley from the road, while coming back from Chandanwari. Do stop and click some photographs. Sometimes, drivers try to fool tourists saying that the view is the final point in the package and let you know that the trip is complete. Do ensure that you insist going to the valley; though there is an entrance ticket of Rs.100 per person. The valley is called so on the basis of the movie being shot in the location. 

The valley is maintained much better through well-laid pathways amidst beautiful grasslands and trees surrounded by streams of river Sheshnag. River Sheshnag originates from Sheshnag lake enroute Amarnath and joins Lidder river downstream.

We bought the Rs.100 tickets per person and entered the place. The walk around the valley was definitely very good - some great photogenic spots too! The green meadows were ornamented with small white flowers under the dense alpine forests around on the hills. We walked around and spent time at a relaxed pace. We indeed tasted some ice-creams too!

It was almost 3 PM by the time we completed all three places. The driver dropped us at Hotel Dana Pani based on our request - for lunch. A pure veg restaurant serving very delicious food, we enjoyed our lunch with roti, rice, dal and papad. We had to wait for sometime to get a table as the place is usually crowded.

Post lunch, we called our driver from the hotel, and he picked us up to take us to Mamaleswar temple.

Mamaleswar temple

Mamaleswar Temple is around 2 kms from the Pahalgam market area on a small hilltop. This temple is where Lord Ganesh stopped Shiva while he attempted to see Goddess Parvathi. Built in 11th century by King Jayasimha, the temple is a popular for tourists. One can visit and take blessings of Lord Shiva here and also see nice views of Pahalgam from the hill top.

 

While returning back to the hotel, we stopped at the Lidder river, there is a photo point by the road, a popular tourist spot for photographs.

Back to the room, we rested in the evening and opted to have dinner at hotel Dana Pani. We reached the hotel, and this time got table immediately, had few dosas for dinner.

Day-4   Pahalgam - Srinagar

It was Ramzan day, and the best we could help our driver was to let him be with his family. We started around 6:30 AM from Pahalgam and the driver, Umer bhaiya stopped for his Ramzan prayers at 8 AM near Pulwama in Anantnag district. Post his prayers, we reached Srinagar around 9 AM. We had our rooms booked at Hotel Walisons again and the rooms could be made ready by 10:30 AM. It was raining quite heavily in Srinagar.

We had breakfast at Hotel Walisons - roti and dhal accompanied by Khawa. Umer bhaiya had dropped us at hotel so that we can do Shikhara and walk around Dal Lake; and he would pick us at around 1:30 PM for local sighting of Srinagar.

Shikhara ride

Around 10:30, rain stopped and we walked to a nearby ghat for a Shikhara ride. Shikhara charged us for Rs.1000 for 90 minutes. The ride on the cloudy, windy, chill lake was absolutely enjoyable. Since, it was a Ramzan day, we were not bothered by too many tourists and Shikhara vendors on the lake. We calmly saw some first of its kind - floating ATM, floating post office, floating market and so on.

The Shikhara ride took us to Nehru park - a small river island filled with beautiful roses and great views all around. We spent around 15-20 minutes walking around and enjoyed every bit of it. The weather was absolutely enjoyable and beautiful clouds on top of the hills, meant fascinating views for us from the lake, and possibly a dampener for people on the hills!

We sailed through the floating market and with most of the shops closed, we just enjoyed ourselves on the peaceful ride. We also saw the Lilly and Lotus pond amidst the hundreds of house boats.

We completed the ride and got down to walk by the dal lake - we had some snacks, walked for close to 2 kms followed by lunch at Shree Krishna Bhojnalaya. Our driver picked us around 1:30 after his Ramzan celebrations.

Pari Mahal

We first visited Pari Mahal. Only cars are allowed to visit Pari Mahal because of narrow roads and lack of parking space. Pari Mahal is a multi level mahal - 5 storeys. Each storey had beautiful gardens, filled with roses and nice picturesque view of Dal Lake. We spent around 30 minutes visiting various levels of the Mahal and indeed it is a great place for views of Srinagar.

Chashmasahi Mahal

Chashmasahi Mahal was the next place to visit. This is enroute to Pari Mahal on the same hill. This place is know for a natural spring with delicious water. The place, of course, like any other garden in Srinagar, has beautiful roses, but smaller than most of the other. We spent around 15 minutes here.

Shri Shankaracharya temple

The final place for us to visit for the day was Shri Shankaracharya temple. The temple is on top of one of the hills within Srinagar - the cars take you to certain level - and one has to walk around 250 steps - not so difficult. Elders may find it little difficult, but, it was a comfortable climb though.

We reached the temple around 4 PM. Many said photographs are not allowed and so left the camera behind. Nevertheless, cameras and photography are allowed. The temple is for Lord Shiva in the form of Shivalinga and said to be worshipped by Shri Shankaracharya himself in the 6th century - hence the prominence of this temple. We spent around 20-25 minutes around the temple, the temple is very small - just one sanctum and a meditation cave near by.

We then came down and reached the hotel by 7 PM. We want to taste some local veg cuisine and tried food at Hotel Stream - we ordered Kashmiri Pulao and Kashmiri Dum Aloo - Both were definitely very good. The Kashmiri pulao has raisins, pineapples yet they were deliciously cooked and did not taste sweet - right balance of various condiments and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

Next day was for Sonamarg!

Day-5 Sonamarg

The plan was to start to Sonamarg around 8:30 AM post breakfast and see Tajwas glacier. We planned just a day trip to Sonamarg and goto Gulmarg after seeing the glacier; and stay overnight in Gulmarg.

Reaching Sonamarg

We had our breakfast at Punjabi Rasoi - parathas - they were quite good and started to Sonamarg around 8:30 AM. The whole route was expected to be covered in around couple of hours. As we entered the highway from Srinagar to Sonamarg, one of the army convoys was moving and the public vehicles were briefly halted for the convoy movement. Unfortunately, the local taxis and convoy's interrupted in several places and it became a very tiresome journey. It could have been a better day definitely.

The whole scenic route, instead became very tiring and lengthy - ended up reaching Sonamarg around 12:30; almost 2 hours of extra time on the road. By the time we reached Sonamarg, it was becoming too cloudy. We hired boots, overcoats and ponies for our journey towards Tajwas Glacier. The most important part of visiting this glacier is - it is so beautiful that one cannot afford to miss it; and most specially, this is the easily accessible glacier in India to see. Hardly, we rode for 10 minutes through the hilly terrains across the meadows, the rain started pouring.

Unfortunately, we were not completely prepared for it. Despite wearing several layers of clothing plus water resistant jerkins and boots, water seeped in, the cold weather pierced through us and made us shiver. By the time, we reached the glacier drop point (around 45 min of pony ride), we were almost completely wet and had Khawa to relieve ourselves a little bit from the cold. We were wet though!

Everything is money out there with locals - to climb on the snow (ice) and get closer view (comparatively) of the glacier. One can get cheated in big thousands if you are not aware of what to do and what price could be right. We managed to walk to some extent, but the piercing chillness and wetness prevented us to climb on snow. The fear factor was riding all the way back to the parking area and rains were getting higher.

We just spent around 5 minutes there, clicked very few photos, than what we would have wanted to and started return ride. The glacier was just wide open full of snow between the valley. Such a beautiful sight.

Came back painfully of not having enjoyed the ride and magnificent views; unfortunately. We reached back the cab and changed our clothing before starting back to Gulmarg. One can also rent a local cab and visit 3 important places after Sonamarg - first, Baltal valley - the starting point for Amarnath yatra from Sonamarg side - this is short and accessible compared to the one from Chandanwari (Pahalgam); secondly - Zojila pass on the Srinagar - Leh route and the zero point after Zojila pass. The Zojila pass was not open for tourists when we went; however, we did not plan too.

We enjoyed the beautiful views starting from Sonamarg, back on the highway towards Gulmarg.

We stopped on the highway for a late lunch and reached Gulmarg around 8 PM. The road to Gulmarg is also a beautiful one, but reserved to enjoy it on the way back, which we did enjoy!

Rooms @ Gulmarg

At Gulmarg, we could not afford for rooms within the Gondola ride point as they were crazily costly (5-6 times - Rs.3000 rooms charging Rs.18000 and above). We managed to book a decent enough accommodation at Hotel Pine View resort. The room was spacious, and had a small patio to sit and see the beautiful meadows and hills of Gulmarg. We had dinner at Hotel Pine view resort itself - the food was absolutely great and sumptuous quantity. We booked the hotel for 2 nights to immerse in the nature of Gulmarg.

Day-6    Day of Gulmarg Gondola ride

Gulmarg is known for sprawling green meadows and access to snow through Gondola ride. Gulmarg is around 2 hours ride from Srinagar and the place is perfect for one who loves nature. The summer is filled with green meadows surrounded by Apharwat peak with snow; while winter is painted with snow of several feet.

Since we reached Gulmarg in the dark, I could not wait to see it in daylight and waiting for sunrise with disturbed sleep. As soon as there was some light, I got up and ran to the balcony to have the first sight of Gulmarg! It is amazing indeed with no exaggeration! And immediately started for a morning walk around 5:30 AM! The views were amazing in the freezing cold morning - around 4-5 degrees. It was indeed a great sight of morning fog, snow clad mountains, green meadows and blue sky.

After coming back, started getting ready for the most important, rather, only primary activity at Gulmarg - Gondola ride! We had breakfast at Hotel Vaishno Dabha - a pure veg restaurant.

Gondola rides - Know about it!

Gondola ride is nothing but, the rope car ride on towards the Apharwat Peak. There are 2 levels of Gondola - Phase 1 and Phase 2. The Gondola rides start at 9:00AM and go on till 1:00 PM. Phase 1 is from Gondola point in Gulmarg to Kilanmarg (Kungdoor) - where one can enjoy the beautiful meadows and various views from the top. Phase 2 is from Kilanmarg (Kungdoor) to Apharwat peak which is at an elevation of 4390m/14403ft. 

Gondola rides have to be pre-booked online at https://www.jammukashmircablecar.com/

We were unaware of this online booking and were  alerted by our cab driver on the day we landed in Srinagar. We attempted booking and got tickets only for Phase-1. Phase-2 was sold out unfortunately. Our cab driver alerted us that it is not a good sign as tourists are very high and also gave some ray of hope that he shall seek help from locals for us to visit Level-2.

We took a guide (known person) with us as recommended by our cab driver to ensure we are having the best time in our Gondola rides. We reached the ride starting point around 9:00 AM and there were almost a thousand people before us. Though the queue was so long, it moved quite swiftly and reached our turn to board the Gondola around 1 hour. It is important you carry your Aadhar card along with your online ticket to ensure validation is done successfully. There are rest rooms in the Gondola ride center; no offline/counter tickets - only online tickets.

The ride!

By the time we reached the Gondola rides the sky turned completely grey from blue and it became too gloomy. We reached the Phase-1 in 10 mins. The ride was eventful with great sight of Alpine trees beneath us and going through the fog. 

But, unfortunately, fog means lack of visibility and not a great time for sight seeing. Then came the announcement that Phase-2 is closed for the day as there is zero visibility and Gondola cant be operated! This was the perfect dampener to any extent, especially who had tickets also for Phase 2.

Phase-1

Our guide recommended to have some tea and wait for some time to check if the fog clears! We had some Khawa and hot maggi in the cold and relaxed a bit. The fog was adamant and almost made it up that it would stay for the day!

We walked around for few mins and the visibility was hardly 4-5 meters! There were few offering pony rides to go around few viewpoints and little bit of snow - we decide not to go - when we cannot see anything in 4-5 meters in front of us, what is the point in trying to see from view points farther; and would ponies know what they are walking into in such low visibility!

We just roamed around for few mins, took few snaps before heading to the Gondola to come down back to ground level.

Activities at Gulmarg

We reached back to the Gondola center and relieved our guide as it was an unfruitful day for his support and we decided to spend time at leisure. Just outside the Gondola center, we saw that ATV - All Terrain Vehicles were available to take tourists around Gulmarg. They charged quite heftily though. After some time on bargaining, we got our slots booked with around 20-25% discount.

We waited for our turn and it was indeed a great experience. They did ride only on the roads, but through the twists and turns amidst the alpine forests and meadows.

We requested them to drop us at the car parking - 1 km shorter than the actual distance of the ride, so we need not walk back to our resort. We got dropped where we want to and had lunch at Vaishno Dhaba - roti, chaval and dhall. We went back to the room and took rest for some time. We then, put on our jerkins and decided to walk around - first to the Shiva temple of Gulmarg - Shri Mohiniswar Shiva Temple, built by Shrimati of Raja Hari Singh Ji. It is just a walk down from the parking area. The temple itself is a great view and the views from the temple are just drooling!

Stroll on the meadows

We then strolled over the meadows to enjoy the drizzling evening. We reached the top of a group of meadows and the views were mesmerizing! There was a bench to sit too and it was the perfect thing in the location! We spent around 30-45 mins before the drizzle became a rain. The evening was so relaxed amidst nature.

The most awaited event of a beautiful sunset happened amongst the drizzles - and it was amazing!

With Umer Bhaiya

We had dinner at Hotel Bakshi - this restaurant had some authentic Kashmiri dishes - Aloo palak and Wazwan Paneer. These dishes were very good and different than many regular dishes.

Day-7 Gulmarg to House boat

The morning was again blue skies with amazing views. We even could zoom and see the phase-2 rope car routes and snow around! The plan was to check out, reach Srinagar and switch to the house boats at Nigeen lake.

Post breakfast, started back to Srinagar after 2 nights of great experience at Gulmarg and enjoyed the scenic route too.

We had booked house boats at Nigeen lake from Adnan Akbar House boats - #1 rated Houseboat in Srinagar. As we reached Srinagar, we decided to see few places and then proceed for lunch at our houseboat.

Badam Wari Garden

The first place we visited was Badamwari garden located at the foothills of Hari Parbat. It was named so for the surplus badam trees that used to be in the location. The garden is quite big and one can stroll around for more than an hour. 

We walked around and clicked photographs of some beautiful coloured flora and view of Hari Parbat.

We requested our driver to take around for some good bakery. Last time, since it was Ramzan, we could not have local bakery items. But, today, yes, we reached a bakery -  and had varieties of Sheermal, breads, buns and bought few cookies for the houseboat too. Each of them were differently flavoured and delicious. We were about to buy some Walnut Fudge, which is a great delicacy locally, but, no stock!

We also bought lot of nuts, berries, spices and Khawa mixes to take with us back to home.

Nigeen Lake

Nigeen lake is an lake adjacent to Dal Lake - connected by waters. Nigeen lake is similar by views they offer as like Dal lake, but, comparatively small and beautiful. Most importantly, it is away from the very busy and noisy roads and is very calm! The lake is located closer to Hari Parbat hill and Hazratbal.

We reached the banks of Nigeen lake and boarded a Shikhara towards the house boat. The views were serene and felt soothing that we decided to stay here. Little did we know about the amazing hospitality we were about to get in the houseboat by Adnan and his team.

Adnan Houseboats - 5 Star!

We reached the houseboats on the other side of the Nigeen lake and were welcomed by the host team and they took care of moving our luggage into the boat.

The boat was like a star hotel suite - a beautiful, well decorated seating area with local wood/bamboo sofas, dining tables and couple of bed rooms - amazingly maintained and decorated! The rest rooms at the far end were too clean and well equipped. The frontal had a seating for tourists to enjoy the view of the lake and hills. Unlike Kerala, where the houseboats move across the lake, here, in Srinagar, they are stationed and anchored Houseboats.

What followed as lunch was an amazing local food, prepared for us specially based on our request about local vegetarian food - Hak, Paneer and Lotus stem - with roti and rice. The food was amazing and were so glad that the items on our bucket list to eat all got knocked over in this lunch!

Post lunch, what else! Just sit and relax in the houseboat, going through the amazing memories Kashmir created for us and enjoying the cloudy, moody, windy, vibrant weather across!  

We spent the whole second half just enjoying the nature and some small shopping - vendors come on small shikharas selling local stuff - ornaments, shawls, handicrafts and so on. We did light shopping. Meanwhile, Adnan, who owns the houseboat also visited and greeted us.

As dusk set in, there was more surprise post dinner. It was my birthday, any my friend, Sathish had coordinated with Adnan to have a cake cutting for me. It was very touching and emotional to have the cake cutting on the houseboat. Sweet memories to wind up a great memorable trip.

Day-8  Bye bye Kashmir!

Though it was a lazy morning, it was exciting to see the views early during sunrise and the day started so pleasant.

We had breakfast as we started packing for the airport; and also took some aloo parathas prepared in the house boat kitchen for having enroute at the airport. On the way to the airport, we were lucky to see that walnut fudge had arrived and it was truly delicious. We bought half kg with us and it was superb! Do not miss it when you are in Srinagar.

Tips & Recommendations

• Plan relaxed for a Kashmir trip rather than a hassling 5-day trip like most tourists do. It requires time to feel the nature and truly cherish it.
• Mobiles - Take a postpaid plan - prepaid does not work in Kashmir (2022).
• Mobile connectivity with 4G is quite good all across, was never bothered for signals except for very remote locations.
• Do have a list of local food and snacks - ensure you plan time and place for enjoying those.
• Vegetarian food is well available all across Kashmir and no worries.
• Kashmir hospitality is too good and one can trust to plan a trip and get a great experience.
• Pony travel are a must in places like Tajwas Glacier (Sonmarg), Baisaran Valley (Pahalgham) - Do plan finances accordingly.
• Cash is king - do not keep searching for ATMs (though they are available), make it hassle free.
• Plan for shopping - Saffron, ornaments, nuts, berries, spices, carpets, shawls and wood and paper mesh items.
• At last, don't miss the experience and hospitality of Adnan Akbar houseboats!