“Gar firdaus bar-rue zamin ast, hami asto, hamin asto, hamin ast”
Cliched it may sound, but the famous words of Amir Khusro still holds its meaning in the valley of Kashmir, despite being conflict-torn.
This blog post is about our 6D/5N trip in the month of June 2016.
We took a flight from Delhi to Srinagar Airport. We had booked our stay very close to Dal Lake in one of the city hotels. Srinagar has quite a few options to choose from, ranging from Home stays to Houseboats to Hotels for a comfortable stay. When we came out of airport, we were not surprised to see police and Indian Army check-posts every half a km or so!
Day 1: Srinagar – Dal Lake
After check-in formalities got over by late afternoon, we decided to take a stroll around Dal Lake. The stretch has a stone parapet and docking stations every few hundred feet. There are numerous colorful Shikaras docked alongside the stretch and with no surprise, you will have agents and street vendors pestering you throughout.
As we wanted to take a ride during the sunset, we hopped on to one of the boats. The ride was pleasant and we were taken to various parts where morning floating vegetable market is held or giant shikaras are parked for stay. We were very much surprised to see an entire city floating on Dal Lake, ranging from markets selling all sorts of paraphernalia, vendors selling food items and cold drinks, photographers taking photos in local costume and what not.
We concluded our ride when it was pretty dark and it was time for dinner. The same stretch alongside Dal lake has eateries of several kinds, mostly north Indian Punjabi style and ‘Indian’ Chinese but few western fast food chains as well. Sadly there were hardly any places to experience the local cuisine. We picked one of the place and called it a day.
Day 2: Local Srinagar
We had made an arrangement for a local cab through our hotel helpdesk. In my opinion, this is not only one of the best ways to experience Srinagar, but also to take one day trips to nearby places such as Sonamarg or Gulmarg.
We started early after breakfast and decided to cover a long list of places, starting with Mughal Gardens: Shalimar Bagh, Nishat Bagh and Chashmashahi.
Most of the local sightseeing places in Srinagar are scattered around Dal Lake. In between we took another Shikara ride and went to a small island which has four iconic Chinar Trees (Char Chinar).
As day progressed, we visited Hazratbal Dargah, one of the holiest places of worship in Kashmir. The intricate nakkashi is really beautiful but women can only visit a small outer section only.
Our local cab guide took us to Mehboob Ali Beigh, who is famous for Sozni Shawls and Jamavars. It is a craftsmanship preserved and passed along over generations which requires deliberate needle work and long hours to produce an artefact of this intricacy.
We quickly explored Jamia Masjid, which unlike Hazratbal Shrine, is accessible to both the genders. The mosque is equally beautiful with sufficient photo-ops.
In the last leg of our local sightseeing, we explored Apple, Apricot and Badam Baghs. It is quite fascinating to spot these fruits but to admire it fully, you need to visit it during the timed blossom seasons.
We requested our local guide to drop us near Lal Chowk as we wanted to explore that part of the city, including few eateries recommended by trip advisor.
Lal (or Red) Chowk is a name given by left-wing activists who were inspired by the Russian Revolution as they fought the princely state’s Maharaja, Hari Singh. This place has a big non functional Clock Tower and has historical significance.
After spending some time here, we decided to stroll towards our stay and have dinner en-route. Unlike the previous day, we were able to experience few local delicacies along with a cup of hot Kahwa!
Day 3: Sonamarg – Zozila Pass
We started early in the day to visit Sonamarg and experience the drive up-to Zozila Pass. Though we used the same cab from the previous day, we had to take another local four wheel jeep to visit the pass.
The road was a treacherous lot with loose gravel, hair-pin bends and narrow space barely fitting one vehicle. We spotted multiple Indian Army convoys en-route. The entire experience was somewhat scary but once we reached Zozila pass, we indulged ourselves into a sledge ride, hot plate of maggi and nun-chaai!
On our way back, we stopped multiple times as the drive was scenic with small streams flowing by. We returned back to Srinagar in the same hotel.
Day 4: On the way to Pahalgam
We left Srinagar for the last leg of our visit – Pahalgam. The drive from Srinagar to Pahalgam is quite picturesque with multiple stops for fruit orchards and Lidder river flowing by the side.
One can take the route going through Pampore, a place famous for the saffron gardens. Pampore is also a good stop for an authentic cup of hot Kahwa and to buy saffron and other spices.
We noticed heavier than usual presence of Army on Pampore National Highway. Only after we reached our stay in Pahalgam, we came to know of a terrible terrorist attack in the nearby area of Pampore by Lashkar-e-Taiba militants!
Our stay was booked with Kalahoi Green Resort, which is a nice scenic property, with Lidder river on one side and Himalayan range on the other side.
As much of the day was left, we decided to visit Baisaran.
Interestingly, Baisaran is a famous offbeat tourist destination, also known as mini-switzerland. It is a hilltop green meadow dotted with dense Pine trees and surrounded by snow-capped mountain. The easiest way to reach is pony-ride which takes you through a labyrinth of treacherous mountain slopes but is totally safe!
There are lots of activities one can do in Baisaran or simply admire the place. The beauty of the place only got enhanced by the drizzling and cool winds when we were there.
Day 5: Pahalgam
This was the most leisurely day of our trip where we started quite late and decided to visit only few places around local Pahalgam.
Pahalgam is one of the two starting points for the holy Amarnath Yatra, other being Lake Baltal. We visited the Chandanwari Glacier from where the Yatra starts.
Next we visited Betaab Valley, a place made famous by being part of multiple Bollywood movies.
Next day we started for Srinagar for our flight back home. The cab driver showed us multiple local factories for Kashmiri Willow tree cricket bats. We never knew Kashmir is famous for cricket bats as well!
GB Hacks:
- Pre-paid SIM cards bought outside J&K state will not work here. Postpaid SIM cards work fine.
- Srinagar Airport has extra layers of security and luggage checks. Factor in extra time accordingly.
- No cabin or hand baggage is allowed in flights departing Srinagar, again due to security reasons.
- The place is as safe as it can get. If you follow basic protocols, courtesy and common tourist sense, that will be enough to not land you up in trouble.
- In summer season, light jackets will keep you warm, especially during evenings. Daytime will be hot.
Kedia's Travelogue 