Kashmir July End 7 Day itinerary

Please give your valuable comment on this itinerary
28 july 2012 to 04 August 2012 ( 7 Nights Trip)

Hoping--- Less Rain & less Crowd because of Amarnath Yatra

Kashmir Trip Starting from New Delhi T1 Airport Me & My Wife with aim to enjoy more spend less

I have read many itinerary of Indiamike so trying to make best for me from those already visited

No Advance Booking for Anything --- Go There see the thing & Bargain Hard
1.Reaching on 28th june 2012 at 7:00 am in morning through Go Air Flight
• I will take prepaid taxi for TRC Sringar & it will charge around 500 as no other option I can have JKSRTC will not be available in morning at that time + don’t like share Taxi as well
• Also Want to Book Tickets for Gandola 29th morning
• Reached 7:30 to TRC Srinagar ---- I have shortlisted Few Hotel which may give me Room For max of 1000 --- Hotel Dawn : Hotel Ab I hayat : hotel victoria palace Prefer on Boulevard road dal lake ( Nothing matter to me if from windows I cant see dal lake I got Good pair Of legs I can go down few stair & see the dal lake
• Around 1 Hour for Hotel Searching 8:30 I check in Take Some Rest for Hour then take breakfast & then starting doing for which we have gone there
• Area Interested Would be go through Auto for 600 I guess Any suggestion on that or jksrtc ?
• Shnkarcharya temple -- good veiw of dal lake
• Gurdwara Chhevin Patshahi : Sikh Temple (I am being Sikh love to Visit there)
• Chasemsha -- spring water
• Chinar Bagh -- dal gate musical fountain
• pari mahal --
• Botanical garden -- boating facility
• Nishat and Shalimar garden
• Hazratbal Dargah -- piegon feeding
• Harwan Garden :
How Much time it will take to Cover All these things.. Anything I can delete Above or can cover in Following days
Lunch Time
Shikara Ride For Around 300 Rs for 4 Hours Which will Cover if I am correct
• Nehru park -- for water sking
• Kabutur Khana, ---
• Charchinar,
• Floating Garden (I guess to see Lotus here
• Floating Farming
• Floating Market ( I got a lovely wife who do not wish to spend on shopping so saves lots of time there )

Light and sound shows at the Shalimar Garden and the Hari Parbat Fort In Night
2. 29 /07/2012 --- Gulmarg Day Trip
• if I am not feeling restless from yesterday trip wake up early in morning around 5:30 take a ride of shikara for wholesale vegetable market reaching Back to hotel around 7:30
• Getting ready For Gulmarg Now Either take indica / or jksrtc Bus I will try to enquire with TRC about the Hi tech Bus what facility I will get from that bus
Indica will Cost me around 1400 & Bus 260 for couple (as price listed on their site)
• While Going To Gulmarg or Coming Back I can stop at tantmarg to see APPLES there ? can I see them in july End ?
• Reaching Gulmarg my Vehicle will stop 1 km away from Gandola Ride is it correct ? then I don’t need any ponywallah I can walk my own to reach Gandola. Going For Phase 1 only ( Don’t know How Much time it will take there Depends on Rush + Weather
• If Time Permits for eg I will be free around 2:00 pm after taking my lunch… What I can do there heard about recent Open NAGIN Valley can I go there or I can visit Golf Course click some picture there & come back to Srinagar
• Reaching Around 8:00 in the night …
3. 30/07/2012 Sonmarg Day trip
• Firstly I will ask you is it worth going to sonmarg In july End
• Same either Indica which will Cost me around 1800 & Bus 280 ( Differnce is quite Big ) Anything in between I can see while going to sonmarg
But I got Little Confuse here please correct me – my vehicle will stop 4 km from sonmarg. Then I have to take another local vehicle to cover that 4 kms ? how much that will cost to me. Then I need ponywallah to go thajiwas glacier & how much this gentleman will take. & how much time all it takes…Please give me rough Idea
• Coming Back in the Evening
4. 31/07/2012 Recommend Day Trip to -- Yusmarg / Wular Lake / Manasbal lake / River cruise in Jhelum

• Places to see while going to that place
• Back to Srinagar in Evening
5. 1/08/2012 Pahalgam night stay (Recommend 1 night or 2 night)
By Indica only around 1800 because I don’t feel Bus will stop in between many places
Places to Cover While going to Pahalgam are
• Avantipur ruin --- temple + saffron fields
• Achabal
• kokernag
• Martand the sun temple – fish feeding
Reached Pahalgam Looking for hotel now around 1000 (End time for Amarnath Also) near lidder River any recommendation few I found are : Hotel Mir Lodge : Hotel Heritage : hotel brown :Himalaya House : beach resot guest house : Raina guest house
6. 2/08/2012 Pahalgam Sightseeing
• After Choosing the Hotel just relax there for rest of the time & planning next Day
• Few things want to clear my Indica can not move inside pahalgam does he will leave us to the hotel or till the border of pahalgam..
What will be the Waiting charges for 1 day ? Or I book taxi one way only & When we want to come back get another one to come back to srinagar
I don’t personally like pony ride so I can skip -- Baisaran,Pahalgam Valley,Dabaiyan valley or it is worth going there How much pony will charge for it & how much time required for it
• Another Taxi we have to book for chandanwari + Betab + Aru valley for 850/-
• Any Other thing We can do @ Pahalgam ( Zoo any thing different species there)
• Amusment park worth it ? as compare to what we find in Delhi
• If time permits we will drive back to srinagar or come nxt in morning
7. 3/08/2012 Just Relax Old City Tour Srinagar Any Other Suggestion
• If we Get Good deal On House Boat we will stay this night on House Boat
• Old Sringar Day tour with Guide (guide will cost around 200)
• If We miss Anything in Srinagar want to Cover up on this day
8. 4/08/2012 Final Day
• .If I Miss the opportunity to see Wholesale Vegetable Market in Dal Lake Earlier Want to make on this Day
• Gardens of Paradise festival :The historical Mughal Gardens of Srinagar are the venue for this festival. Food stalls showcasing authentic Kashmirs cuisines and cultural events are held amidst terraced landscape with cascading fountains.
• Got Go Air Flight 3:30 pm So have to reach Airport around 2:00 pm
• Posting my review on Indiamike
• Back to Routine Life…….

@ mehargags!

What an itinerary you have made! Really, you have almost done the job for me as well. I will simply "cut & paste" your itinerary for my trip and my job would be done. Awesome itinerary, mehargags! Fantastic home work. You have come up with a gem, really! Your itinerary followed by your trip report would make my day...for sure! You will be back by 4th Aug, whereas I shall start my journey on 18th September, so enough time...!!

By the way, you had mentioned Auto Rickshaw (@ 600/- for full day) as one of the options for local sight seeing at Srinagar. I also seem to have seen in one of the threads of IM that someone had actually used this option and possibly he had referred some driver's name & his phone number also. But now I am unable to retrieve the said name & contact number. By any chance, do you have it?

as you both return please submit your trip reports

thanks for appreciation, Many things i lift from this thread Thanks to Mr. S.P. Gupta
He Even Attached Contact Detail to His Thread Download to Get Full Contact + Wait For My itinerary for more contatcs

Back from 12 days trip from beautiful valley of Kashmir
These are the Charges mentioned
"Taxi charges :
For visting Yusmarg : Rs. 1500 ( Scorpio)
For visiting achabal, kokernag, Martand, matan and drop at pahalgam : rs. 2200 ( Scorpio)
For Visiting Gulmarg : Rs. 1400 ( Sumo)
For visting Sonmarg : Rs. 1700 (Sumo)
For visting Wullar lake (Watlab), Khir Bhavani, Mansabal : Rs. 1800 (Sumo)
Local visting of Srinagar in Auto on Day 1 : Rs. 600
Hiring of dress at Tangmarg : Rs. 100 per person"

Anybody Try Bike Hiring in Srinagar , Love to that also give you feeling of Ranbir Kapoor of Rockstar bike scene in kashmir ? I am 30 now i think i can enjoy bike trip also...

Otherwise i just lost the thread which i red earlier in which Trip report person has said try to get Shikara from Dal Gate "Gate no 2" For better reasonable rates" Also looking forward for that

@mehargags

Like Asish da, I really appreciate your home work...

Hi mehargags!

Exactly 10 more days to go...see, how I keep track of your trip!! Its simply because I love your itinerary, appreciate your detailing and your guts to proceed without any hotel or cab booking. I just love this kind of mentality..it suits me so well.

In this connection I wish to remind you please don't forget to post a very detailed Trip Report as soon as you come back to your base. Please keep it your mind that many of your readers, including present writer, are waiting eagerly for your report. I would request you to please check (a)local sight seeing option by Auto Ricksaw in Srinagar, (b) JKSRTC Bus from Jammu to Srinagar/Pahelgam & vice versa, (c) Economical Shikara Ride, (d) hotel & Restaurant etc. etc. I hope you are not over burdened with heaps of my quarries. Thanks. Bon voyage!!

Yes I liked the guts. He is traveling the way I travel.
And he would be more satisfied than others who prebook everything!

Shikara ride is not possible with those sight seen. You can at most do one hour 10 points shikara ride, not as mentioned above.

Light and sound shows at the Shalimar Garden and the Hari Parbat Fort In Night
2. 29 /07/2012 --- Gulmarg Day Trip
• Availabilty of Shikara at early morning is abig ???. Normally if you stay in HB then HB owner arranges Shikara for you on chargeable basis. In this case you have to check with the hotel manager.

• Sometiome bus takes lots of time so better take dedicated vehicle and spend maximum time at Gulmarg.

• NO•

Yes you are right and my advice in July you should go to phase II and there will not be much rush for sure.

• If Time Permits for eg I will be free around 2:00 pm after taking my lunch… What I can do there heard about recent Open NAGIN Valley can I go there or I can visit Golf Course click some picture there & come back to Srinagar
• Reaching Around 8:00 in the night …
3. 30/07/2012 Sonmarg Day trip
• Due to Yatra season the road will be full of traffic and you may face Jam also. However it is the route where scenery changes after few kilometers

To visit Glacier you can hire pony as you are young couple and if you can the trek can be done on foot also and there are many people who do that. Its your choice

• Yusmarg is best amongs them.

• Places to see while going to that place - Nilnag Lake, Doodh Ganga•
Back to Srinagar in Evening
5. 1/08/2012 Pahalgam night stay (Recommend 1 night or 2 night)
Indica will be with you only and park at hotel only. Only thing for Aru Vally, Chandanwari, Betab valley, you have to hire local taxi.

.

Stay charges you have to negotiate. I

From Laripora I just walked up to Baisaran and from market it is much easier and all these points are for name sake actual point is Baisaran only.•

You can visit zoo, can do river rafting, fishing.•
Amusement park is not in running condition• If time permits we will drive back to srinagar or come nxt in morning
7. 3/08/2012 Just Relax Old City Tour Srinagar Any Other Suggestion
• If we Get Good deal On House Boat we will stay this night on House Boat
• Guide may not require if you hire good auto driver•
8. 4/08/2012 Final Day
• .If I Miss the opportunity to see Wholesale Vegetable Market in Dal Lake Earlier Want to make on this Day
• Gardens of Paradise festival :The historical Mughal Gardens of Srinagar are the venue for this festival. Food stalls showcasing authentic Kashmirs cuisines and cultural events are held amidst terraced landscape with cascading fountains.
• Got Go Air Flight 3:30 pm So have to reach Airport around 2:00 pm
• Posting my review on Indiamike
• Back to Routine Life…….[/QUOTE]

Dear Mehar,
Please find my comments on your itinary, You can update your plan accordingly

Ashishda,
The auto driver name is Danish and his contact number is 09018543572

Always use quote - unquote tag () to separate your response from the quoted post, else it gets merged with the original post, as has happened in Post #8.

Thanks Prakaant for your suggestion, I will take care of same in future

You may edit Post #8 and fix the quotes! so that it could become readable to the visitors!

28
- your visit to Shankaracharya temple will take much time but its worth going there..get a good view of Srinagar city. Spend not more than half an hour for other places. You can skip Chasemsha if time doesn't allow you.
29- Gulmarg
Forget shikara & try reaching Gulmarg early morning. It will be much much better if you cover Phase2 Gondola ride(I bet you will appreciate this suggestion). You can also add night stay there and leave early for Sonmarg.

Houseboat stay normally provide you shikara rides to various locations which you are covering on first day. So better spend first day to cover other locations of Srinagar.
Bargain hard while dealing with ponnywallas & shopping..Never buy saffron during shikara ride..that's fake(coloured grass).

superb itinerary!!

@ spgupta1975!

Thanks a lot, buddy! I was looking for this info for quite some time.

Another question came to my mind: Is Gondola ride at Gulmarg is safe for elderly person like me? Specially, I want to know about Phase-II. I know there could not be any clear cut "yes" or "no" answer to this question. It depends on the health condition, ailments history etc. etc. Anyhow, what I want to know is whether you have seen senior people traveling to Phase-I & II and coming back safely? Did you notice any elderly person having trouble like breathing problem etc. on reaching higher altitude? I'm asking this question as I'm unable to decide whether me & my wife would be eligible to travel upto Phase-II!