Safety for westerner travelling to Kashmir in May 2012

Hi all

I am thinking of taking a 1 week trip to Kashmir staying at Pahalgam with a company called Himalaya Fun & Tours next week. Can anyone answer a few questions for me as I'm a little hesitant about the trip?

I was not planning on visiting Kashmir when I arrived in India & did not list it as one of my destinations on entry. Will this cause any issues when I arrive?

I will be travelling in by car from Himachel Pradesh & flying out from Srinagar. Is this advisable?

What is the general safety situation for foreigners in Kashmir at the moment? I have been researching previous posts on Indiamike & searching news articles on google but to tell you the truth I probably trust the opinions of the Indiamike community as much as anyone. I know in the end the decision is mine but any advice would be greatly appreciated.
The staff at from Himalaya Fun and Tours have been wonderful while staying in Mcleodganj but I would just like some independent advice if possible.

There is no problem with visiting Kashmir. Last year only there were around tens of thousands of tourists who visited kashmir. Even me and my girlfriend visited Kashmir for Skiing in gulmarg. It was amazing. There are some issues but only at the places where normal people don't go. Near the Indo-Pak border which you won't be visiting anyway.

People are helpful and help foreigners more than anyone else. Visit www.vimeo.com and search for Kashmir or Gulmarg videos and you will see foreigners enjoying Kashmir.

It is a place to be in summer. Gulmarg for mountain biking. Imagine cycling down from 14,000 feet peak or Miles of 3-5 Grade white water Rafting in sonmarg.

My girlfriend who actually is my Ex now wants to visit again this summer.

I am planning going to srinagar in coming June. Staying in Srinagar for a week or two and continue to train for my cycle trek to Khardungla from Leh. Apparently I would be cycling the worlds highest motor able road and if my fitness lets me I plan to run back to Leh ( 39 km - almost a marathon). Need to train hard though.

It is a safe place for sure unless one runs out of luck and in that case no place can be safe

Have a safe and happy holiday.

Any more queries let me know
salx

I had to fill out a form at FRRO at the airport, both when I arrived and when I left. I guess it is the same thing for you even if you arrive by car. Found this link where you can read more:
http://www.immihelp.com/nri/foreigne...-officers.html

About that you didn´t list it as one of your destinations on your entry that should´t be any trouble. That list is what you are planning to do, but plans change. I didn´t list Kashmir when I entered in April but had no trouble when I arrived there.

Hope you will get a really nice time in Kashmir. I am planning to go back in July again. :-)

There are no major problems to be encountered. Everyone I have met on the 3 trips I have taken there in recent years have been pleasant and helpful.

Try staying on a houseboat and taking a shikara ride across Dal and Nageen lakes.

You can either travel around or do day trips to Sonamarg, Pahalgam and Gulmarg. It is also a stopping off point for those traveling to Leh.

I have only filled in paperwork at the airport. When I arrived by shared taxi and rode through on an Enfield there was no paperwork to fill in, just the odd security checkpoint where passports are checked and destination etc noted.

You are missing out on the biggest advantage with including Srinagar in a Ladakh itinerary. Srinagar-Leh is an ideal way of shifting in to Leh´s altitude , and Manali-Leh is the opposite : plan the 5000+ passes and potentially the highest nights of your life at the end of your trip , and you´ll get a lot more out of it. My take on the Manali-Leh route ( love/hate relationship over two decades ) here.

Historically this is way off the mark. The border areas has not been a problem for travellers since the day I for the first and only time heard the ominous phrase " This may be a problem , sir " when trying to buy a bus ticket .. i.e. last time Kargil was shelled by artillery , more than decade ago. Problem has been in the heart of the Vale , a lot of it centered on Srinagar. Last major upheaval 2010 : five thousand plus detained , more than a hundred shot dead , and long periods of curfews in the second half of the year. FO`s have long enough attention span to rembember stuff like this , that tourists and yatras occasionally have been targeted as well and the fact that Srinagar still hasn´t had a single grenade free year over the last two decades , so you should be aware of that your travel insurance is an iffy topic.

Still , with an Kashmiri perspective : things are a lot calmer now. Just don´t take this for granted , or in second hand : read the news. Any major events will land in my news sticky.

This weekend in the Vale :

* 70 kilo bomb defused in the outskirts of Srinagar
* grenade against Batmaloo police station - no casualties
* grenade against Sopore police station - ten to fourteen wounded, four said to be critical
* minor confrontation in Srinagar between stone throwers and police after Friday prayers


From your blog I see that you left the Vale in 2010 before the long curfews and confrontations picked up. (Were you there in 2008 ??? ) Still , from your last two days :