5-Day Kashmir Valley Tour from Srinagar

Day 1:

Your guide will pick you up at your hotel in Srinagar in the morning and transfer you to your houseboat. After check-in, enjoy your traditionally served cashmere tea. Later, join a sightseeing tour of Srinagar. The lovely gardens of Srinagar, such as Shalimar Bagh and Nishat Garden, are dated back to the Mughal era and considered as a testimony to the aesthetic tastes of the Emperors. Take a ride on a small row boat, called a shikara, on Dal and Nageen Lakes with more than 1,000 boats floating on these lakes. See the floating market, then return to your houseboat for lunch.

In the late afternoon, take a walking tour in the old parts of the city. There are numerous shops displaying handicrafts, pashmina shawls and carpets. Visit the Shankaracharya Temple on a hill and experience the amazing sunset at Pari Mahal. Return to your houseboat for dinner and overnight stay. (L, D)

Day 2:

After an early breakfast, take an excursion to Sonmarg, situated at an altitude of 3,000 meters and approximately 98 km from your houseboat. En route, stopover at the waterfalls and streams, and enjoy the lovely view of the Himalayan mountains. If weather permits, you have an option to enjoy a pony ride to Thajiwas Glacier. Return to your houseboat for dinner and overnight stay. (B, L, D)

Day 3:

After breakfast, drive to Pahalgam, the Valley of Shepherds, located about 150 km away from your houseboat. Visit saffron fields at Pampore and Awantipura Temple, passing through a thick pine forest. Have lunch at a restaurant in Pahalgam. Be enthralled by the course of River Lidder and how its gushing water strikes the boulders that lie in its path. Return by the late evening to your houseboat for dinner and overnight stay. (B, L, D)

Day 4:

After an early breakfast, transfer to Gulmarg, Meadows of Flowers, situated 2,730 meters above sea level. Gulmarg is a wondrous mountain resort with the world's highest golf course and also India's premier ski resort. Check-in to your hotel for lunch and get some rest. In the afternoon, stroll along the grassy slopes and see the setting sun. Return to your hotel for dinner and overnight stay. (B, L, D)

Day 5:

After breakfast, leave for Srinagar. Visit Jama Masjid, originally built in 1394 and restored in 1672. As the largest mosque in Kashmir, Jama Masjid has 378 wooden pillars supporting the structure and is so large that it can accommodate thousands of devotees. Another great attraction is the Shah-e-Hamdan situated on the banks of River Jhelum. Astonishingly ornate, the frontage and interiors have intricate Kashmiri work. When the tour is concluded, you will be taken back to your hotel in Srinagar. (B)