Kashmir: Srinagar, Gulmarg & Pahalgam Tour with Houseboat Stay

4.82

(141 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I’ll be honest—I didn’t expect to feel so small in Srinagar. The city just sort of opens up around you: gardens everywhere, old stone temples above the rooftops, and that faint scent of saffron drifting from some stall I never managed to find again. Our guide, Imran, kept smiling at my attempts to pronounce “Cheshmashahi.” He said it means “royal spring,” but I probably butchered it every time. We wandered through Nishat and Shalimar Gardens while the light softened over Dal Lake; there were families picnicking under chinar trees and the sound of water lapping against shikaras. That first evening ride on the lake—honestly, I still think about the way the sky turned pink behind Hazratbal Shrine.

Sonamarg was colder than I expected—my hands went numb holding a cup of kahwa by the Nilagrad River. The mountains felt close enough to touch. We didn’t trek far (I’m not exactly built for glaciers), but just standing by Thajiwas Glacier with kids selling walnuts nearby made me feel like I’d stumbled into someone else’s story for a minute. Back in Srinagar that night, sleeping on a houseboat was surreal—the wood creaked every time I shifted and I could hear voices carrying across the water.

Pahalgam was all green valleys and horses clopping past our window at sunrise. There’s this moment when you drive past the saffron fields near Awantipura—Imran told us stories about Bollywood films shot here and pointed out an 1100-year-old temple half-swallowed by grass. We tried pony trekking (my horse seemed as skeptical as I was) and just walked along the river until our shoes got soaked. Dinner tasted smoky and rich—lamb curry with rice—and someone played old Kashmiri songs in the background.

The road to Gulmarg twisted past willow trees and streams so clear you could see pebbles on the bottom. It really is a meadow of flowers—even though it wasn’t peak season yet, there were bursts of color everywhere. Some folks went golfing; we just lay back in the grass watching clouds move over snow-capped peaks. Early mornings were chilly but peaceful in a way that stuck with me after leaving Kashmir behind.