Itinerary
Day 1 - Amritsar: We reached Amritsar early morning; post-breakfast visited Jallianwalah Bagh and Golden temple and nearby market
Next, to Wagah border to witness the flag lowering ceremony at dusk (had lunch in a road-side dhaba mid-way);back to hotel at Amritsar
Day 2 - Early morning started for Katra (Jammu); Rested in a hotel at Katra for at least 4-5 hrs
Started for the Vaishno Devi Shrine on foot, around 8.30 pm night
Day 3 - Reached the Shrine around 1.30 am ; started our descent downhill around 2.30 am - back to hotel around 8.00 am in the morning
Day 4 - Started for Kashmir valley post-breakfast; entered Anantnag after a long drive (~6 hrs) - this is the gateway to the valley;
After a halt at Titanic View Point, started for Pahalgam; checked in a budget hotel at Pahalgam around evening
Day 5 - Explored the mind-boggling beauty of Pahalgam on foot; interacted with locals, visited a small market nearby
Day 6 - Took a rented car (from local car renting stand) for a day tour to nearby Aru Valley, Betaab Valley and Chandanwari
Day 7 - Visited the Mamal Temple (near the banks of Lidder river), next - went to Baisaran on horseback - it is often called the mini Switzerland of Kashmir; came back to hotel in the evening
Day 8 - After an early breakfast, left for Srinagar - en route we halted at Awantipora or Avantipura to witness the remains of the ancient Avantiswami Temple; reached Srinagar at dusk
Day 9 - Had breakfast in hotel and started for Sonamarg; the beautiful valley was totally awe-inspiring - reaching there, we began our journey on foot towards the Thajiwas glacier; mid-way had to return to starting point due to snowfall & bad weather
Returned to our hotel in Srinagar, in the evening
Day 10 - Went for Gulmarg post breakfast; reaching Gulmarg, took the Gondola ride to Kongdori ; view from the gondola is the one to die for
After a blissful day, returned to our hotel at Srinagar
Day 11 - Visited the Mughal Gardens throughout the day; went for Shikara ride on the Dal lake ; did some shopping at the local market
Day 12 - Went for Shankaracharya Temple and Pari Mahal; view of Srinagar from both these places are extraordinarily beautiful
Put up at the Dalgoma Houseboat at evening; was unique & great experience staying on the Dal Lake
Next morning, we left Srinagar for our journey back home.
NOTE : All images used in this blog are captured by me.
(You can visit my Instagram page @indrarupsaha to view posts from my travel and tours or other random clicks)
Thank you!!
Harmandir Sahib (The Golden Temple)
Wagah Border (Attari-Wagah Border)
Aru Valley
