How to plan a budget tour to Kashmir

You feel like going to the mountains and experiencing the first snow in your life, and you wonder whether it is safe to go to Kashmir and also how expensive the trip to Kashmir will be. These videos and information were shared by two domestic  tourists, Arun and Prateesh who went on a budget tour to Kashmir.

Overall expense on the budget tour to Kashmir

They say their entire expense for the trip including airfare, taxi, food and accommodation for 5 days cost them less than 15 thousand indian rupee. In the budget tour to Kashmir they went skiing in the white expanse of Gulmarg, enjoyed the snow showers in Palagam, stayed in a boat house and went on a Shikara ride through the Dal Lake.

Unprecedented arrival of domestic tourists

Kashmir the Paradise on earth, cradled in the himalayas, this top tourist destination in India is surrounded by lakes, valleys, mountains and gardens. With a rich tradition of the finest food, garments, furniture and ornaments, Kashmir is a much sought after destination globally. Pashmina wool, saffron, and almonds are the favourite takeaway for tourists.

This Christmas an unprecedented flow of tourists reached Kashmir to celebrate white Christmas. Tourists are still flowing to Kashmir for the New Year celebrations. And the tourism peak is said to continue till march. Tourists started arriving in September and in November around 1.3 lakh tourists reached Gulmarg to experience snow. 

They say that if you travel in a group of 4, in the budget tour to Kashmir your expense per head for the entire trip will be around 10 thousand Indian rupee. 

Gulmarg

Gulmar is one of the top skiing destinations in the world, favoured by foreign tourists because of the amazing snow slopes. But due to travel restrictions and omicron, the foreign tourists are unable to come to Kashmir. After two year of low tourist presence, this year domestic tourists reached Gulmarg on a record breaking footfall. This year the snow is 1 to 1.5 inch deep. People come here for snow skiing, snowboarding and skating. 

You need not worry about buying a thick warm outfit to play in the snow. Jackets and boats are available on rent in Gulmarg. Sledging is one of the favourite activities here. If you are trained in skiing then enjoy world class skiing, or else paid skiing trainers are available. 

Pahalgam

After Gulmarg, pahalgam is another snowy tourist destination. Snow covered peaks, white pines and mountains covered in blankets of snow provide you a once in a lifetime experience. Today the temperature was minus 2 degrees. The only respite from the freezing cold is the warmth provided by the sun shining brightly through the white pines, and the snow white mountains. 

While travelling through the snow filled roads, make sure that the car tyres are affixed with chains or else the consequence will be like this.

Dal Lake

No tour to Kashmir is complete without  a ride on a Shikara through the Dal Lake. On both sides of the lake floating houses, floating shops, floating hotels, floating Atm’s and floating vegetable gardens form a unique visual experience. The floating garden is a traditional occupation, handed down by one generation to the next. The gardens are made from weeds found in Dal lake. The weeds are woven together to form a mat and in 3 years the weed becomes thick enough to grow vegetables. In the winter, Spinach, Radish, turnip and green peas are grown here. Also collard spinach is one popular vegetable grown here. 

Every morning at 4:00 am the farmers take their vegetable produce on their shikara to the vegetable market for sale. The vegetables get sold out by 7:00 am.  The Dal lake vegetable market is a must watch tourist destinat. ion.

While sightseeing through the dal lake, salesmen with traditional Kashmiri items like saffron, dry fruits and cuisines will approach you. To your surprise, they will flatter you by communicating in your mother tongue. Shopping can also be done from the floating Meena bazar for the traditional, intrinsically designed and indigenously made garments, carpets and furniture. No one returns from Kashmir without buying saffron and dry fruits.

Houseboat stay

Two days, Arun and Prateesh, stayed in a 20 year old boat house made of Cedar wood. Therefore the wood is resistant to moisture, so they remain durable in water  for a very long time. For the past two years the houseboat did not have any tourists. The stay included breakfast and dinner in the package. Also, Ample heat and electricity made the stay comfortable. 

There is much to explore in Kashmir from the tradition to the snow – the food, the kashmir tea Kahwa , the traditional warming device Kangiri and the traditional kashmiri attire. Hence to explore every aspect of Kashmir one week tour is required.

According to the latest news, Pahalgam received fresh snowfall on Dec 28th. So why not plan a budget tour to the Switzerland of India or the Paradise on Earth, Kashmir. 

Conclusion

Plan a budget tour to Kashmir. You can enjoy the snow to the utmost.