Kashmir Backpacking | Srinagar – Gulmarg – Pahalgam – Sonmarg
Kashmir Backpacking is a trip to the land situated at the heart of Himalayas, Karakoram and Pir Panjal Mountain ranges, This trip explore the beautiful mountains & valleys which is popularly known as the “Paradise on Earth”. Withholding some of the mesmerizing mountain peaks, grassy meadows, gigantic glaciers, pristine blue lagoons, rivers and tall pine and oak trees.
Even though Kashmir is known for its wonderful landscapes, Kashmir also is a popular adventure destination in India. It is known for its adventurous sports like skiing, golf, trekking, river rafting, paragliding and camping activities. With fascinating natural beauty, Kashmir Backpacking also called to be the perfect hideout destination trip for wanderlust travelers and nature lovers.
Beside adventure Kashmir also holds spirituality deep within its roots. You will be amazed by its beautiful temples and splendid monasteries which we will explore in Kashmir Backpacking. Being an amazing destination of scenic splendor, Kashmir will surely give you a lifetime memorable experience. Also, do note that Kashmir host a month long festival of Tulip gardens in March and April.
Please read the complete 6 days & 5 nights itinerary to taste the flavour of the Kashmir Backpacking trip.
Short Itinerary
First Day
- Kashmir Backpacking starts from the day we pick you up from Srinagar Airport.
- Reach Jetty and enjoy the shikara ride to Houseboat.
- Reach the floating Houseboat at Dal Lake. Greet yourself with steaming hot cup of coffee.
- Freshup and have refreshing breakfast.
- Get comfortable in the Houseboat.
- Enjoy the romantic Shikara ride around the serene Lake and snow capped mountains.
- Have delicious dinner.
- Sleep in the houseboat.
Second Day
- Wake up to the amazing beautiful sounds of the Shikara Paddling waves and enjoy the breakfast in the morning.
- Get ready for Tulip Garden Festivals.
- Srinagar sightseeing includes visit to famous Mughal Garden, Chashme Shahi (Royal Spring), Nishat Bagh and Shalimar Bagh.
- Visit Shankaracharya Temple which gives and paroramic of Dal Lake and the entire City.
- Visit Handloom center.
- Visit Nigeen Lake, Wular Lake, Manasbal Lake
- Visit Pari Mahal, Nishat Bagh and Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Botanical Garden.
- Have dinner and rest the night in Srinagar
Third Day
- Freshup and get ready for your travel to Gulmarg.
- Enjoy the beautiful mountains and valley on the way.
- Gulmarg will greet you with its meadow of flowers.
- Explore the surroundings.
- Enjoy the Gondola Ride
- Have dinner at the 2star Hotel and sleep for night.
Fourth Day
- Wake up early and freshup
- Get ready for your next destination Pahalgam “Valley of Shepherds”.
- Enroute you will have opportunity to visit the Saffron Fields, Avantipura Ruins, Avantipura cricket bat factory and Anantnag Sulpher Springs.
- Reach Pahalgam.
- Visit Mattan Temple.
- Explore Pahalgam and rest your day with a delicious dinner.
Fifth Day (Day Excursion)
- Wakeup and get ready to explore new destination Sonmarg.
- Fresh up and have breakfast and leave to Sonmarg
- Sonmarg or the Alpine Valley will greet you with its imposing Himalayan Peaks.
- Enjoy the amazing cafes and river banks of Nallah Sindh
- Explore the streets of Sonmarg and taste their delicacies.
- Return back to Srinagar and rest for the day.
Sixth Day
- Wake up and fresh up.
- Have breakfast and check out from hotel
- Drop from hotel to the airport will be provided.
- Say adieus to Kashmir and promise to return back.
Price Inclusions
- All Days delicious meals: – Breakfast, Dinner.
- Comfortable accommodation for one night in Houseboat or 2-Star Hotel.
- Travel Transporttion to all the destinations as per the itinerary.
- Shikara ride in Dal Lake
- Local Sightseeing
Price Exclusions
- All Days Lunch
- Gandoola Ride @950/First Phase and @850/Second Phase / Person
- Exploration through car for the destinations like Gulmarg and Pahalgam or Sonmarg.
- Any kind of insurance
- Personal Expense:( snacks, mineral water etc)
- Anything not included above
- Personal expenses, tips, laundry, telephone calls personal medicines.
- Costs arising out of unforeseen circumstances such as bad weather, landslides, road conditions and
any other circumstances beyond our control. - Evacuation charges, damage of any nature, entrance fees at sites.
Stay
- First Day House Boat
- Rest all Days 2-Star Hotels
- (Hotel can also be arrange as per your request provided the availability)
Meal
- We offer hot food.
- All Days Breakfasts
- All Days Dinners
Transportation
- Non-A/C Car or SUV with depending on group size.
Pickup Points
- Srinagar Airport
Detail Itinerary
1
The Kashmir Backpacking tour will kick start when you land at the airport of Srinagar. The fresh cold breeze on your face will surely excite you to the journey you are going to have ahead. Our tour leader will welcome you at the airport and take you to the Jetty where you are going to start your day floating over the Dal Lake in a house boat. The shikara will take you to your house boat. You can spend some time in the house boat or explore the beautiful environ of the Dal Lake in a shikara and enjoy the refreshing Kava in the evening with snacks on your first day of Kashmir Backpacking.
The Kashmiri cuisine will surely surprise your taste bud at the dinner table. Have stomach full and finish your dinner with sweet and kava at night. You can either say good night to the day or sit at the houseboat porch and amaze yourself with the beautiful floating shikara with lamplights.
Day 1: Arrival to Srinagar
2
Day 2: Sightseeing in Srinagar
Wake up early to the amazing beautiful sounds of the Shikara Paddling waves and enjoy the breakfast with hot coffee in the morning. Today, we are going to get acclimatize to the mountains of Kashmir and its weather. If you are an early bird, you can visit the floating vegetable market in Srinagar (5am). Although this ride in not included in the itinerary cost but it is worth exploring for couple of bucks if you have to spare.
On second day of Kashmir Backpacking you are going to play hide and seek in the streets of Srinagar so get ready for it and pack up day pack bag to travel the beautiful Tulip Gardens Festival (It is one of the largest gardens in Asia). We will be doing a sightseeing of Srinagar which includes famous Mughal Garden, Chashma Shahi (Royal Spring), Nishat Bagh and Shalimar Bagh. This excursion trip will guide you to the famous Shankaracharya Temple located at a Hill which gives and panoramic view of Dal Lake and entire City. Post this, we will take you to the handloom center, a place which is famous production house of Pashmina/Shantoosh Shawls and carpet which is exported over the whole world. The day might end but the list of places to visit would not. If you have time, we can explore Nigeen Lake, Wular Lake, Manasbal Lake, Pari mahal and Jawaharlal Nehru memorial botanical garden. Today you will be checking into a hotel, have hot dinner and rest the night of Kashmir Backpacking.
3
Wake up and fresh up as today we are going to explore the outskirts of Srinagar and our first stop is Gulmarg. Have your breakfast with kava and pack your bags for an hour-long road trip to Gulmarg. The ride will surely allure you with its beautiful mountains, valleys and water streams.
Once you reach Gulmarg, the place will greet you with its beautiful meadow of flowers. The stay will surely amaze you with its beauty and you can explore some breathtaking attractive destinations and compel yourself for some leisure activities.
You can opt to try some golf, nature walk, bird watching or hope on the famous Gondola rides to Apharwat via Kongdori. Complete your third day of Kashmir Backpacking with some delicious dinner and sweet.
Day 3: Travel to Gulmarg
4
The fourth day of Kashmir backpacking would take you to valley of Pahalgam a.k.a “The Valley of Shepherds”. EnRoute you will have an opportunity to stop at Anantnag where you can explore the beautiful Saffron Fields, Avantipura ruins and Anantnag Sulpher Springs.
After exploring Anantnag, we would head to Pahalgam. After arriving your destination, you can check-in to the hotel and relax for some time. Later you can unleash your adrenaline with activities like river rafting, pony ride or take a short hike in dense alpine forest of pine trees.
You can also explore some cafes here for the refreshing coffee or Kashmiri chai. Later have your dinner and say good night to the well spent day in Pahalgam.
Day 4: Travel to Pahalgam
5
Today we are going to take you to a wonderful place called Sonamarg. So, wake up early and get ready to depart from Pahalgam. This is going to be an excursion day where we will explore the surroundings of Sonamarg valley. This place is called heaven for wanderlust travelers, vacationers, adventure seekers and couples in love.
The fifth day of Kashmir Backpacking will start with drive to Sonamarg which is yet another spectacular facet of country side Kashmir, Nallah Sindh which is the largest tributary of Jehlum River in the valley of Kashmir will guide you the way. You will be amazed by the Thajiwas Glacier in Sonamarg. The surreal natural beauty and vast mountain ranges will surely make your day.
After spending the day in Sonamarg, you will be returning back to Srinagar to spend the night with hot dinner and OfCourse kava.
Day 5: Travel to Sonamarg
6
Wake up to a hearty breakfast and head to complete the checking out formalities. Our tour leader will help you get to the Srinagar airport where you can say your adieus to the dreamy time you spent in beautiful Kashmir. If you have late evening flight, you can relax yourself with yet again Shikara ride in Dal Lake. Day 6: Departure with Sweet memories
Things to Carry
- Xerox Copy of you Aadhar/Voter ID (Mandatory requirement for forest permit)
- Water Bottle – 2 (1 liter each)
- Raincoat – if in case it rains.
- Torch with New Batteries
- Shoes with good traction on it.
- One cover sheet – Good to have one
- A cap
- Cargo/track pants -2
- T-shirt -2
- Extra pair of Socks
- Personal medication kit
- Soap
- Toothpaste
- Toothbrush
- Sunscreen
- Rain Coat/Poncho
- Flip-flops
- Portable chargers
- One bag to keep wet cloths
- Little extra cash for meal not included in the itinerary
Refund & Cancellation
- Please check out the cancellation policy:
- https://naturewalkers.in/cancellation-policy/
- you can send your cancellation request to connect@naturewalkers.in
Safety,Risk and Advisory
We develop our itinerary without compromising anything regards to Safety. We are aware that you would have concern regarding travelling this post covid lockdown but we take several measures to make the trip safe for you. We strongly recommend all the travellers in the trip to gain a Covid-19 Test certification. Apart from that we also sanitize the vehicle and homestay/campsite thoroughly before using it. We have made the use of face mask mandatory at public places and travel destination. Although its difficult to trek with face mask on, we strongly monitor the protocol of social distancing.
If you want to know more about what all other practises we use to make the trip safe. Please follow the link of "Safety at Nature Walkers".
FAQs
Nature Walkers shall follow all the basic Covid Guidelines like Face Mask, Hand Sanitizer, Vehicle and Homestay Sanitization with Temperature Check.
It is mandatory to carry Covid Vaccination Certificate if you have been vaccinated with both the doses on Trek. If you have Vaccinated only with one dose or have not got vaccinated, then you would need RTPCR Negative Test Report to join this Trek. As It might be inconvience if the state government rule changes after your do your registration or after you begin your travel and it would be difficult to find covid test centers nearby to your travel destinations.
Please read our article on "Is it Safe to Travel in India right now?"
The Spring is one of the best time to explore Himalayas and Southern Western Ghats. This is the time when flower blooms and animals come out of their winter sleep. Each trips host its special events during this time like Kashmir host its Tulip Garden Festival and the probability of spoting a cute Red panda in Sikkim is the highest.
These are the best Treks or Trips to do in March and April.
yes, you certainly can join. We often get many solo trekker/traveler on our trips and definitely you will find some likeminded people on the trip. Our objective is that we complete the trek/travel as a team. So, we always motivate people to come together and help each other.
We always believe in exploring our limits. Every Trek/Trip organized by Nature Walker would have outdoor leaders, who would help you motivate you in difficult times on the trek/trip. Also, we have shared the itinerary in a form of a virtual trek/trip which would give you basic idea of the difficulty level of the trek/trip, which will help you in decision making.
Yes, We always make sure that we take proper precaution in regards of girl’s safety. We have female outdoor leaders who have explored every trek/trip, Nature Walkers has, in regards of the facilities, sanity and safety of a female trekkers/travelers.
If you have more questions, Please check our “frequently asked question” (or) Ask in the comment section.
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Raj –
What type of food is included in the Kashmir backpacking trip?
Nature Walkers –
We include hot vegetarian food in the whole trip of kashmir backpacking. At some places you will also be able to experience some authentic local kashmiri delicacies.
Ujwal –
Which is the best month to go on Kashmir Backpacking?
Nature Walkers –
The best month to do Kashmir Backpacking is March and April. Also, the Tulip garden festival happens in April
Manoj –
Is the flight ticket included in Kashmir Backpacking trip?
Nature Walkers –
Sorry Manoj, the flight tickets are not included in the Kashmir Backpacking Trip.