Kashmir Trip 2.0

The day was cut short due as we landed at Srinagar late in the evening.

The Hotel was quite good; staff were friendly and Lal chowk and Dal Lake not that far from the Hotel; one can get an auto to commute. The Hotel was booked for 4 nights and 5 days and stay was quite comfortable.

Hotel dinning services (Breakfast and Dinner) was excellent through the 4 days we enjoyed the Hotel food.

As per our plan we left from Srinagar to Gulmarg around 9 am.

Gulmarg Gondola: Asia's largest and highest and world’s second-largest and second highest cable car project, Gulmarg Gondola is the top attraction in Gulmarg. In fact, a Gulmarg tour without a ride on the popular cable car is considered incomplete. This must-do activity in Gulmarg is perfect for family vacationers, romantic couples as well as adventurers seeking to get to the top the mountain.

Gondola Cable Car Riding Levels: The cable car ride takes place in two levels/stages.

Phase I: from the Gulmarg resort to Kongdori Station (2600 m) in the bowl-shaped Kongdori Valley which takes 9 minutes to reach.

Phase II: from Kongdori Station to Kongdori Mountain (3747 m), the shoulder of Apharwat Peak which takes 12 minutes.

Important Information: For Gondola Ride - Please book your tickets online a day in advance as per the link below.

Link for Booking: https://jkcablecar.payu.in/tickets

We had booked the Phase 1 Two Way ticket Gulmarg - Kungdoor; unfortunately we felt we could get the Phase 2 Kungdoor - Apharwat ticket on the same day but we could not due to the tourist crowd.

Other Important Travel Information

Entry Fee: The price is INR 740 for the first stage and INR 950 for the second stage.

Opening and Closing Time: The timing of the Gulmarg Gondola is from 10 AM to 5 PM. However, the timings are dependent on the weather condition.

Best Season Gulmarg Gondola: The winter season is the best time to enjoy the ride on Gulmarg Gondola due to the most amazing skiing opportunity. However, the cable car ride is available all through the year.

Time Required: The Gulmarg Gondola ride can take up to 2-4 hours depending on the rush and the season.

Experience: We had missed Gulmarg on our first trip to Kashmir mainly because the Gondola ride tickets were not available. In this trip our visit to Gulmarg paid off well. It is an absolutely enthralling experience and one that cannot miss when you plan your travel itinerary. Although we were at Phase I the view was quite spectacular.

Post Gulmarg we were dropped at our Hotel and then travelled to Dal Lake to meet a Kashmiri friend and enjoyed the Shikara ride at Dal Lake Ghat 15.

The distance between Srinagar and Sonamarg is 80+ kms (Around 2 hours); we started our day a bit early and left for Sonamarg.

On arriving Sonamarg we planned to trek to Thajiwas Glacier which was around 5 km one way. The trek was easy via road however we opted to hike via the meadows. While we trekked we came across spectacular views of the Glacier at one end and the mountain view on the other end.

About Thajiwas Glacier: Thajiwas Glacier, located at an altitude of 9,186 feet above sea level is enormous and blessed with magnificent beauty. Overlooked by the Thajiwas mountain and surrounded by meadows, it is one of the most beautiful sights you will ever come across. One must prefer to trek rather than pony ride.

While planning the trip I was confused to select between Doodhpathri or Yousmarg as both are quite similar and both are lesser visited tourist destination and then made up my mind to go with Doodhpathri.

Doodhpathri - Situated at an altitude of 8,957 ft above sea level; Doodhpathri is a gorgeous green meadow surrounded by pine trees and views of lofty snow capped mountains, it is indeed an unmatched tourist destination in Kashmir.

Very few people visit this bowl-shaped valley in Kashmir. Most of the tourists visiting Kashmir usually travel to Gulmarg; Sonmarg; Pahalgam. Majority of the people visiting there are mostly Kashmiri locals going there for picnics. However, you can include this place in your itinerary if you want to explore a bit of offbeat Kashmir.

The moment you reach Doodhpathri, the first sight you see is the vast meadow. It is really a sight to behold. You can walk around in the meadow and enjoy the natural beauty of the place.

History:

As the legend goes, once a famous Kashmiri saint Sheikh Noor din Noorani had come to this place to pray and when he was in search of water in the meadows, he used his stick to prick the ground to search water and instead milk came out. Sheikh Noorani, however, did not want to use the milk to wash his hands and feet. He thought that the milk was to be used for drinking purposes only. So by divine provenance, the milk again changed back to water! And the meadows got its name “Doodhpathri”.

Whether or not this legend is true, I do not know. The fast flowing water when strikes against the stones, gives a milky appearance. This could have been the reason why this place is known as Doodhpathri. After all, the name literally translates into the “Valley of Milk”.

Our experience

When the distance from Srinagar to Doodhpathri is around 45 km; we used Google maps to travel which misdirected us to use a different route with bad roads. Upon arrival to Doodhpathri we realized there was a better road from Srinagar and we used that while departing which is Doodhpathri - Khan Sahib - Badgam – Srinagar.

We did a Pony ride which was ok, one can trek via the road to Shaliganga river point it would take 1-2 hours but the trekking level is easy to moderate. While trekking you can capture mesmerizing views as compared to Pony ride.

On way back to Srinagar we visited the Shankaracharya Temple.

Shankaracharya Temple is situated on top of the Shankaracharya Hill on the Zabarwan Range in Srinagar and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is at a height of 1,000 feet above the valley floor and overlooks the city of Srinagar.

It was a good experience climbing over 200 steps.

From the top of the hill, Justine Hardy, a British writer, counted over 1350 boats on the Dal Lake and Jhelum is visible. The wide panorama covers major landmarks such as Dal Lake, Jhelum, and Hari Parbat.

Post visiting Shankaracharya temple we dropped by at Dal Lake Ghat 13 to meet couple of Kashmiri friends and took a Shikara ride again.

Shikara ride in Dal Lake is the best thing in Srinagar; we just love it especially Shikara ride in the evening is wonderful.

We had some spare time and felt to visit Hazratbal Shrine before departing from Srinagar.

Hazratbal Shrine: The name of the shrine is a combination of the Arabic word Hazrat meaning 'respected' and the Kashmiri word Bal meaning 'place'. In short it is called as the 'Respected Place'. According to local beliefs, it houses Moi-e-Muqqadas – the sacred hair of Prophet Muhammad's beard.

It is situated on the northern bank of the Dal Lake in Srinagar and is considered to be Kashmir's holiest shrine. It offers an enchanting view of Dal lake and Zabarwan mountains that makes it even more serene.