Kashmir, The Winter Wonderland

Since childhood I have always been fond of winter in Kashmir; its bone-chilling cold and an absolute fairy tale when it comes to visuals of Kashmir in winter. Everything turns to white and one cannot turn its eye away at any corner of the street. The surrounding peaks are filled with dazzling snow and the beautiful Dal Lake mirrors the ambient frozen beauty. Gulmarg is the hotspot when it comes to the tourism part; you would see skiers lining up early in the morning at the Gondola Cable Car Station and other tourists layered up in warm clothes with a big smile on their faces. Most of them have never witnessed snow before. I usually start my day with the fellow skiers with whom I have been skiing all my life for almost 22 years now.

Now if you are a traveler and are planning to visit Kashmir in Winters; following are the must places you should visit:

1. Gulmarg (meadow of flowers) a snow paradise for those who are in awe of mother nature. You have tons of activities to do when visiting Gulmarg with skiing being the most wanted sport. You can do the snowmobile biking rides around the meadow and do the infamous Gulmarg Gondola Ride which takes you to the top of Mt. Affarwat (14500ft) wherein you can see Nanga Parbat (26,600ft) and Nun Kun (23409ft). Gulmarg is nestled in the mighty Pir Panjal Range which receives the highest snowfall in the whole region.

2. Pahalgam- this place never ceases to amaze us even in winters. With all year road connectivity and excellent hotels to stay, this place is just the right fit if you're looking for a honeymoon or just alone time. Don't miss out on Betaab Valley and Aru Valley when in Pahalgam. Also when driving back to Srinagar don't forget to buy world class Saffron from Pampore region. Pampore reminds me of the lone chinar tree in the middle of massive saffron fields; the image went viral on social media and it was widely shared by big visual art companies. The tree sits in the middle with no one around; it's a classic example of how wilderness caters to its own.

3. Dal Lake- the place which you just cannot ignore when visiting the valley. I usually tell my friends who are visiting to wake up at sunrise and visit the floating vegetable market where vendors come in their shikaras to trade off the vegetables. It's usually foggy in the morning and you would just love the shikara ride that early with a cup of kehwa in your hands. The lake looks surreal when it's snowing; everything comes to a standstill with absolute peace. The shikara men rowing their shikaras in thick fog or heavy snowfall; you just don't want to miss that.

Until next time!!

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