Kashmir: 5-Day Srinagar, Pahalgam & Gulmarg Private Tour

4.99

(144 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The first thing I noticed was the way the light moved across Dal Lake—soft and kind of silvery, with those old wooden houseboats just floating there like they’ve always belonged. Our guide, Faisal, met us at the airport in Srinagar. He handed me a cup of kahwa (that spiced tea) right off the boat’s porch. I’m not sure if it was the altitude or just being somewhere so different, but my head felt lighter than usual. The air smelled faintly of woodsmoke and something sweet from a bakery nearby.

The next morning we glided out on a shikara—those long boats with bright cushions—while an old man paddled quietly and pointed out kingfishers darting between lotus leaves. Later we wandered through Mughal gardens: Chashme Shahi’s water tasted cold and almost metallic, Nishat was all roses and families picnicking under chinar trees. Li laughed when I tried to say “Shalimar Bagh” in Kashmiri; I probably butchered it. It rained for about ten minutes, enough to make everything smell green and earthy.

Pahalgam was further than I expected—a couple hours winding past saffron fields (they really do look purple in season) and those crumbling Awantipura ruins that Faisal said were from the 9th century. At one point we stopped for chai at a roadside stall where two kids tried to sell us walnuts from their pockets. The river Lidder runs fast here, icy blue—you can hear it before you see it. Bollywood movies film here sometimes; I kept thinking maybe I’d seen this valley before on TV.

Gulmarg felt colder—higher up, with mist rolling over golf greens that turn into ski slopes in winter. We took the gondola up (not included but worth it), and honestly my hands were freezing but I couldn’t stop staring at how far you could see: pine forests, snow patches even in June. Dinner back at the hotel was simple—rice, lamb curry—and everyone seemed tired in that good way after a long day outside. The last morning came too soon; we drove back to Srinagar airport while vendors set up their stalls along the road. Still think about that view from the houseboat window sometimes—you know?