Kashmir as we Hear "Heaven on Earth" justifies itself with its Beauty. The Beautiful Mountains Ranges covered with Snow and the Friendly People in the Villages makes it more special for Travellers.
Day 1:We Started our Journey from Amritsar early morning at 6 am as we headed towards Pahalgam a small Beatiful village 90 km from the Capital Srinagar and 450 km from Amritsar. We took an Innova for a comfortable journey. We took a hault near the border of Punjab and Jammu to have Breakfast in a small Dhaba to have the World Famous Breakfast of Punjab " Aloo and Gobhi " Parathe with a Big chunk of Butter on Top of it Served with Curd and Pickle. We headed towards Patnitop from there and reached there by 1 am. NOTE ( Pahalgam Do not have any Liqour Shops) So Buy your stuffs from Patnitop or any other place before reaching there. As we crossed Patnitop we had out lunch at " Sharma Dhaba" which was around 30 mins after Patnitop. They would serve you Rajma chawal ghee and Roti with Aloo Gobhi, thats all was there in their menu but i promise you the Rajma Chawal Ghee with a Special Pomegranate Chatni they servce is the Best i ever had in my Life. After a Delicious lunch we left for pahalgam and reached there at around 6:30 pm. This village is a very Beautiful place but there is no life for you after 7pm. So you just have a good time at your Hotel or Lodge.
Day2: The next morning we went to the main Tourist attractions of this Place Betaam Valley,Aru Valley and Chandanwari. All these place at this time of year will be covered with snow and you can enjoy if you love snow. The next Day we went to the Local Market to Buy some Local stuffs like Wallnut Kesar and Cricket Bats. After A Good walk in the Market and Buying stuffs we went back to our Hotel.
Day 3: We started a bit late, after having breakfast at hotel we went to this place commonly know as "Mini Switzerland" but we got nothing new there.. Just snow thats all so we came back early and had out lunch at "Hotel Pahalgam" one of the best property in Pahalgam with Delicious food (Expensive Though). After lunch we went to River Side Hotel "Hotel Heevan" to click some images and have coffee sitting River Side with the beautiful view of lidder river.
Day:4 We left for Gulmarg directly from Pahalgam which is around 120 km from pahalgam and takes 3-3:30 hrs to reach.we reached around 1 pm checked to our hotel "Vintage Gulmarg" secodn best property after "Khyber". After having lunch we took rest and just went for a walk in the local market. You wont find anything special in Gulmarg except snow covered mountains and Adventure sports.
Day 5: We booked our gondala ride online in advance because there is a lomg que for its tickets.( better book your ride before) There are two points A-B(1000) and B-C(600) I suggest you to take both rides. Generally people just go till the point B but you should go to the top point and feel the nature at its best. Guided would charge you around 500-600 for taking you to the top n getting your tickets etc but please if you can walk half a mile dont take a guide (not necessary at all) . At point B you'll find all the adventure sports and other activities for fun. You can try them But dont forget to bargain. At eve we came back to our hotel ay 6 coz just like pahalgam there is nothing to do after sunset in Gulmarg too.
Day 6: We left for Srinagar which is 45 km from Gulmarg and takes around 1-1:30 hrs to reach. On the way you can find various malls and shops for buying stuffs like shawls, saree, woolem items, blankets , jackets etc. You can stop at any of the place but again dont forget to bargain just start with 1/4th of the price which they quote you for the product. We booked hotel CH2 in srinagar which was 2km away from Dal Lake and was situated in a safe area. The Hotel was Good and the Food was Delicious. In Evening we went to Boulevard Road which is parallel to Dal lake, took a shikara they charged us 300-400 for an Hour. (Bargain Everywhere) Now the important part, as soon as you start your ride people om other shikara will approch you selling there stuffs like kessr, rajma, jewelery, woodem show piece and etc but please keep in mind they quote very high price for the things. Just ask them to give it on 1/4 th price or ask them to leave, they'l surely come back n sell you for that price( specialy wallnut wood items).
Day 7: We left for shankarcharya mandir which is one of the most famous temple situated at hilltop and you'l have to climb around 250-300 steps to reach there. After that we went to different gardens in srinagar but too be honest there is nothing to do at these places at this time of the season. So we just skipped few of them and went for street shopping at boulevard road after 6 pm. Bought some aritifical stuffs and went to hotel. Okay for food il suggest you to go to "Stream" restaurant at boulevard road. The food is too Good and Rates are Quite normal.
Day 8: Trip is over with our flight to catch for Delhi from Srinagar Airport( Do leave at least 2-3 hours before because there is Strict Security Check before you reach airport and that too more than couple of times)
So this was out overall experience of the "Kashmir Trip". I must say you should surely visit this place once before going out of india because the beauty of nature is at its best in kashmir.
Important Details
1. We took Innova from Luxury Cab Services Amritsar ( Experience 4.5/5)
2. Total Days-7
3.Hotel Amritsar- Golden Tulip (4.5/5)
Hotel Pahalgam- Grand Mumtaz (3.5/5)
Hotel Vintage Gulmarg (4/5)
Hotel CH2 Srinagar (4/5)
4. INR 40000-45000 per pax Trip Exp. (Inclusive of All)
5.Use online offers for your Hotel Bookings you'll get Great Discounts.
6. Bargain Everywhere
7. No Prepaid Services in Kashmir so Carry a Postpaid Sim.
