We had already had a few adventurous days visiting Pahalgam, Gulmarg and Sonmarg and we wanted to spend a day just enjoying nature.. doing nothing.. just admiring it; Doodhpatri offers just that!
Translating to 'the Valley of Milk', Doodhpatri is a hidden gem and hasn't yet been discovered as a tourist heaven. It provides some un-matched views of lovely landscapes against the back drop of the Pir Panjal range of the Himalayas.
Situated at a distance of nearly 2hr drive from Srinagar, we started around 9:30 am and the plan was to get there and roll around, on the meadows - Simple! The road to Doodhpatri isn't the best and it took us a while navigating the potholes. We reached around 11:45am to see a huge cultural function organised by the Army - Doodhpatri 2021. We were invited, very warmly, to come & watch the show. We got chatting with a few of the jawaans and found out that this was organized to promote the destination among locals and school kids to come visit and enjoy nature, and bring along a picnic.
We got a front row seat to watch the various dance and music performance, many of which were performed by the jawaans. We had never been to any Army function and this felt like our moment of being on "Jai Jawaan". We thoroughly enjoyed the show, clicked a few pics and then headed off further inside Doodhpatri.
If this function wasn't there, we could enjoy the huge meadow all to ourself. If you're here, bring along a picnic basket, maybe a book, or a frisbee and just have a good time!
We drove down the winding mountain path to another section, where you can take a horse and ride up to a waterfall. That typically takes about 1.5 to 2 hours. We were done with our share of horse rides especially after Pahalgam and gave it a miss. We just walked around absorbing the sheer beauty of nature and the place; it felt so serene, so open and free. Do notice on either side of the road, dotted with huts called Dhoks where the local tribes reside. They move down to the town once the winter sets in.
After spending a while there, we got back into our car and started back to Srinagar, biding our good-byes to the jawaans we had be-friended.
We stopped at the base or entry point of Doodhpatri and grabbed lunch. There a few shops that we saw as soon as we entered the Doodhpatri checkpoint while coming and we had decided to stop there for our meal on our return.
Got back to Srinagar, shopped a bit and then called it an early evening to get back to the houseboat and enjoy the sunset at Dal Lake; reminiscing a really relaxing day.
We were initially thinking of dropping Doodhpatri, but we were so glad we went. Be it the Army program or even if it wasn't there, the purity of the place is something you should experience.
Things to keep in mind -
1. There is no mobile network at Doodhpatri. We lost network as soon as we started to climb the mountain.
2. There are no places to eat. Eateries are only at the entry point at the base of the mountain. We did see one tiny shop, but nothing prominent. There are no tents serving food like in Gulmarg or Sonmarg.
3. There are no washrooms available either.
Doodhpathri has a rustic beauty to it, un-touched and un-spoilt; an ideal place for a picnic - bring your own food and spend a relaxing morning or afternoon here...
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