Kashmir

Dal Lake, Gulmarg meadows and the Pahalgam valleys

Kashmir is the trip most people picture before they picture any other trip in India — a shikara on still water at dawn, a meadow with snow behind it, a river you can hear from the road. We plan it the way we plan the Northeast: a real route, a private vehicle for your group, and one person you can call the whole way. On the ground we work with partner agencies in Srinagar we know by name.

What you actually see

Dal Lake, Srinagar

A shikara at first light, before the lake wakes up.

The Mughal gardens

Nishat, Shalimar and Chashme Shahi — 400 years of terraces and chinars.

Sonamarg

The Meadow of Gold, with Thajiwas Glacier at the far end.

Gulmarg

Wildflowers in summer, deep snow in winter, and the long cable car up.

Pahalgam

Aru, Betaab and Chandanwari — three valleys off one small town.

Pampore

The saffron fields turn purple for two weeks a year.

Kashmir Group Holiday — Srinagar · Sonamarg · Gulmarg · Pahalgam

6 Days / 5 Nights · 3N Srinagar + 2N Pahalgam

Built for

Groups of about 20 — families, friends, office trips

Hotels

Deluxe category

Meals

MAP — breakfast and dinner daily

Vehicle

Private 20-seater Tempo Traveller

Pickup & drop

Srinagar

Complimentary

1-hour Shikara ride on Dal Lake

Day 1 — Arrival in Srinagar, gardens & Dal Lake

Land, settle in, and spend the first evening on the water.

•Arrival in Srinagar — met on arrival and transferred to your hotel
•Nishat Bagh — the Mughal 'garden of delight' stepping down to the lake
•Shalimar Bagh — chinar avenues and water channels laid out in 1619
•Chashme Shahi — the smallest of the Mughal gardens, built around a spring
•Pari Mahal — terraced ruins above the city, best in late-afternoon light
•Boulevard Road & Dal Lake — the lakefront promenade
•Complimentary 1-hour Shikara ride on Dal Lake

Overnight — Srinagar

Day 2 — Srinagar → Sonamarg → Srinagar

A full-day run up the Sindh valley to the Meadow of Gold.

•Drive out along the Sindh River — the road follows the water most of the way
•Sonamarg meadows — alpine grassland ringed by snow peaks
•Thajiwas Glacier (optional) — reached on pony or on foot from the meadow
•Return to Srinagar in the evening

Overnight — Srinagar

⚠️ Ponies and local jeeps at Sonamarg are paid on the spot and are not part of the package.

Day 3 — Srinagar → Gulmarg → Srinagar

The meadow of flowers, and the cable car if you want the high view.

•Gulmarg meadows — wildflowers in summer, deep snow in winter
•Gulmarg Golf Course — one of the highest golf courses in the world
•Maharani Temple — the small hilltop shrine above the meadow
•St. Mary's Church — the 1902 stone-and-timber church
•Gulmarg Gondola (optional) — Phase 1 to Kongdoori, Phase 2 towards Apharwat
•Return to Srinagar in the evening

Overnight — Srinagar

⚠️ Gondola tickets are sold by the cable-car corporation and are best pre-booked in season.

Day 4 — Srinagar → Pahalgam

A slow drive south through saffron fields and orchards.

•Pampore saffron fields — purple crocus in bloom late October to early November
•Apple orchards along the valley road
•Awantipora ruins — a 9th-century temple site beside the highway
•Lidder River — the river that runs through Pahalgam
•Check in to your Pahalgam hotel

Overnight — Pahalgam

Day 5 — Pahalgam at your own pace

The Valley of Shepherds — three side valleys, all worth the detour.

•Aru Valley — meadows and the trailhead for longer treks
•Betaab Valley — the pine-and-river valley named after the film shot there
•Chandanwari — snow bridges and the start of the Amarnath trail
•Evening free in Pahalgam

Overnight — Pahalgam

⚠️ Beyond Pahalgam town, only local union taxis are permitted to the three valleys — paid locally, on the day, by choice.

Day 6 — Departure

Breakfast, checkout, and the drop for your onward journey.

•Breakfast at the hotel and check out
•Transfer for your onward journey from Srinagar

What's included

✓5 nights in deluxe-category hotels — 3 nights Srinagar, 2 nights Pahalgam
✓Breakfast and dinner daily (MAP plan)
✓Private 20-seater Tempo Traveller for every transfer and sightseeing day in the itinerary
✓Driver, fuel, tolls, parking and driver allowance
✓Complimentary 1-hour Shikara ride on Dal Lake
✓All arrival and departure transfers in Srinagar

Not included

×Flights and train fare to and from Srinagar
×Lunch, and anything ordered outside the fixed menu
×Gulmarg Gondola tickets, pony rides and sledge charges
×Union taxi charges at Aru, Betaab and Chandanwari, and at Sonamarg
×Monument entry tickets and camera fees
×Anything not listed under what's included

When to go

April – June

Gardens in full bloom, long daylight, the classic postcard Kashmir.

July – September

The valley at its greenest, and the coolest escape from the plains.

October – November

Saffron fields at Pampore, chinar trees turning, crisp air.

December – February

Snow in Gulmarg — the gondola, the slopes, and very cold nights.

Good to know

→Best months: April to June for flowers and long days, July to September for the greenest valley, October to November for saffron and autumn chinars, December to February for snow.
→The Tulip Garden in Srinagar opens for a few weeks around late March and April — worth planning dates around if it matters to you.
→Gulmarg, Sonamarg and the Pahalgam valleys sit high. Carry a warm layer even in summer.
→The gondola and the union taxis run on their own schedules and rules. We build the day around them rather than promising them.
→Smaller or larger groups are easy to plan — the vehicle and the hotel plan change, the route mostly doesn't.

Booking, payment and cancellation terms are the same as every trip we run — see our Trip Policies.

Kashmir in photos

Kashmir photographs are used under free Creative Commons / public-domain licences from Wikimedia Commons; per-photo credits are recorded with the files. Photos from our own trips replace these as we run them.

Get your Kashmir quote

Send us your dates and how many people are travelling. We'll come back with the route, the hotels and one all-in number — no hold music.

Ask on WhatsApp