One of the best parts about Kashmir is a simple aspect – the drive. As you drive past, tall trees watch over you like sentinels guarding the region. You may be compelled to stop at almost every curve & admire the view.

A few views will make you come to a standstill because of their sheer beauty.

If you’re a first-time traveler to Kashmir, we bring you a simple itinerary.

Day 1

Land at Srinagar Airport. Drive towards Pahalgam (88 KMS). On the way, halt at Awantipora (31 KMS from Srinagar).

Awantipora is an ancient part of Kashmir. It was an erstwhile capital. It was founded in the 9^th century. Visit the Avanti Swami Mandir ruins here. There are ruins of two temples – one dedicated to Vishnu, another to Shiva.

ASI has partially restored the temples but, of course, the original sheen can’t be brought back. Instead, you may get an idea of its erstwhile glory seeing the stone carvings. Walk around the ruins, take in the sculptures, & wonder about its history.

Continue to Pahalgam (58 KMS from Awantipora). Rest today.

Day 2

On your 1^st full day in Pahalgam, you can visit Aru Valley, Betaab Valley & Golf Course.

Aru Valley is a little distance away; we recommend you begin early & visit it the first thing. When we visited, its approach road was bad. We hoped it better be worth the trouble & it was.

Aru Valley was surrounded by high green mountains on all sides, offering a panoramic view that took our breaths away. The calm & serenity was more than welcome. On a bright day, you can spend hours here.

It was raining when we visited but the beauty was not diminished.

Golf Course is 12 KMS from Aru Valley. It is scenic – green plateau surrounded by mountains. It covers an expanse of elevated but flat area in the narrow valley. Championships are hosted in the sprawling premises.

You can visit the deer park located on one end of Golf Course.

Betaab Valley is 6 KMS from Golf Course. When we visited, it was almost dusk but even in the diminishing light, we could see its beauty. A stream flows through it, on which many wooden bridges are built.

The surrounding mountains are completely green. The ground beneath our feet was slightly dewy. In good light, Betaab Valley is a beautiful place for photography. It is also a suitable place for morning & evening walks.

A must-visit!

Overnight at Pahalgam.

Day 3

On your second full day, you can ride a pony to Kashmir Valley. The pony ride goes till Baisaran. A voyage to this meadow is a treat for the senses. But if Baisaran is too far, you can do a shorter route.

The Kashmir Valley is spectacular & gives a panoramic view of Pahalgam.

Alternatively, you can visit Sheshnag Lake. According to Hindu mythology, Sheshnag (snake king) dug the lake himself. It is home to many fish types, including brown trout.

You can go by road till Chandanwari; from there, you can hire ponies to cover the remaining uphill 7 KMS. (Note that the pony can be expensive. You’ll have to bargain. The pony ride may cover a few other attractions too.)

Overnight at Pahalgam.

Day 4

Drive towards Gulmarg. On the way, take a slight detour just before Anantnag to visit the Martand Mandir (38 KMS from Pahalgam). The sun temple ruins are being maintained well.

Martand Mandir was built in the 8^th century. You will be able to see here how Kashmiri architecture was blended with other styles like Chinese, Greek, & Roman. You can spend time on photography here.

(Trivia – The Devil’s Dance sequence in the movie Haider was shot at Martand Mandir. As the sun temple was shown as an evil place in the movie, it generated controversy.)

Continue to Gulmarg (114 KMS from Martand Mandir). Rest today.

Day 5

Gulmarg (Meadow of Flowers) is a sight when flora displays colours with changing seasons. If you go in summer, there’s a high chance you’ll get to witness the colourful flowers still in bloom.

On your full day in Gulmarg, you can ride the Gondola. The two-stage Gondola lift ferries to and from almost the Apharwat Peak. Tourists come in droves for the Gondola ride. It can get quite crowded; so, ensure you begin early.

Also, you must do both the ride phases as the snow is found on phase 2. (If you reach phase 1 later than noon, don’t stop to enjoy the scenery but continue to phase 2 as it gets closed early.)

The Gondola tickets are costly. When we visited, they accepted only cash. So, carry enough cash, for tickets as well as for snow activities once you reach the top. We took an agent who not only queued up for us but also guided us throughout the trip.

(There is a website for advance booking – www.gulmarggondola.com.)

The ride itself is quite beautiful. As you keep ascending, you get panoramic views of the Himalayas. Once you reach phase 2, there is still an almost 45 minutes rocky climb to Apharwat Peak (where the snow activities take place).

From the peak, you can see LOC & POK. On the snow-covered slopes, you can give a shot to skiing. Let go of the child within! We had visited in August; there was still a little bit of snow at the top. So, in summer, you’ll get lots of snow.

Note – Elderly people or those with poor stamina may have a challenging time climbing up to the Peak. Also, it can be quite cold up there.

At the base, you’ll find ponies if you want to do horse-riding. If not, do note that the pony caretakers can get quite annoying with their persistence.

If you’ve time remaining today after Gondola & Apharwat Peak, you can try going for the Outer Circle Walk. It can be done on foot or even on an ATV. It’ll take ~2.5-3 hours to complete the walk at a leisurely pace.

You can spot Nanga Parbat, world’s 4^th highest peak on this walk. It’s quite mesmerizing to walk surrounded by green pine forests.

Overnight at Gulmarg.

Day 6

If you didn’t manage to go for the Outer Circle Walk the day before, you can start your day with this, as you just have a short ride to Srinagar (50 KMS) to complete today. If you choose not to do this, we still recommend you leave Gulmarg to reach Srinagar on time.

In Srinagar, you can start with Dal Lake. The Lake is integral to Kashmir & has been given many sobriquets – ‘Jewel in the crown of Kashmir’, ‘Srinagar’s Jewel’ etc. Around it, you can spot Mughal gardens like Nishat Bagh & houseboats.

Don’t miss the relaxing shikara ride, called ‘the Gondola of Kashmir’. You’ll be astonished to see the multiple uses of shikaras – ferrying visitors, vending of fruits etc., fishing, & aquatic vegetation harvesting.

On your shikara ride, you can spot ‘rad’ – vegetation that’s detached from the lake bottom but still anchored!

We believe you can swim & canoe in the Dal Lake too (not sure though). When we visited, the first thing that struck us about the Lake was its size. It’s gigantic. No wonder it’s so famous.

Truly, the icon to Srinagar…

Overnight at Srinagar.

Day 7

If you get up early, you can go for another shikara ride to see floating markets: a spectacle but be sure to get inundated with attention from vendors. The sight of the boat, on a lake, brimming with colourful flowers is a picture postcard come alive.

If you visit in the tulip season (The Tulip Festival is at spring beginning, between March & May.), then the first place you need to go to is the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden. If you look down from the top of the Memorial Tulip Garden, you will see a tulip montage – neatly laid, complimentary & contrasting flora, appearing to reach the Dal Lake.

The colours will dazzle your senses. You can buy souvenirs & try Kashmiri dishes from stalls outside the Tulip Garden.

You can now head to the Shankaracharya Hill. The Hill is home to a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.

The Shankaracharya Temple is said to be built in c. 200 BC! Note that there are 243 steps leading up to the Temple area, & another few to the Temple hall. Of course, the view from the hilltop is memorable.

An interesting bit is an inscription inside the Shankaracharya Temple. It mentions about a Yuz Asaf who renovated the Temple & proclaimed his prophethood here. This Yuz Asaf is mentioned as a prophet of the Israeli people.

Scholars think Yuz Asaf may be none other than Jesus Christ!

Head then to Nishat Bagh. The Bagh was built in the 17^th century. It’s 12 terraces representing the 12 zodiac signs. The terraces are filled with geraniums, roses etc. It has a Mughal central water channel with fountains, surrounded by Chinar trees.

The Nishat Bagh is delightful, photogenic & surreal. When we visited, the Sun was climbing the sky. It was already warm, but the flowers & greenery proved to be soothing to the eyes. Aptly called ‘the garden of bliss’!

We’d also got ourselves clicked in the traditional Kashmiri attire at Nishat Bagh. You may find quite a bit of crowd here. We recommend you come here last as you can get a spectacular sunset view of the Dal Lake.

Overnight at Srinagar.

Day 8

On your second full day in Srinagar, you can head to Sonmarg (81 KMS) for a daytrip. Sonmarg means ‘meadow of gold’. Against a backdrop of snowy mountains, it’s nothing less than gold!

Flower-laden fields & sparkling lakes! If you’re a nature lover, just unwind here. If you’re an adventure buff, you can try your hand at river rafting.

Or you can hire ponies or four-wheel drive SUVs for a trip up to the Thajiwas Glacier. Negotiate with them! The Glacier is stunning with meadows & waterfalls.

Or to Nilagrad River where the gushing river & rolling hills will cast a spell. This river has a reddish hue, making it different from others.

Back to & overnight at Srinagar.

Day 9

Depending on what time your flight is, you can do a little more sightseeing. Try a shikara ride at the Nigeen Lake. Even though this Lake is an offshoot of the Dal Lake, the association ends there.

Nigeen Lake is clean, peaceful & quiet. Lounging in the shikara and watching lotus flowers and birds float by, you will wish you didn’t have to leave this.

Depart from Srinagar airport.

P.S. Kashmir has a couple of strange rules. Srinagar cabs aren’t allowed to be used for local sightseeing in Gulmarg and/ or Pahalgam. Don’t be surprised if this happens. Our driver arranged for local cabs for us in these two places.

Please respect the local culture & refrain from asking for alcohol. It will also be wise to dress in modest attire.