North India · Mountain Tour
Kashmir
Shikaras drifting past floating gardens, framed by snow.
SrinagarGulmargPahalgam
Shikaras drifting past floating gardens, framed by snow.
Kashmir earns its old nickname honestly. This circuit centres on Srinagar, where you sleep aboard a traditional houseboat on Dal Lake and drift between floating gardens by shikara, then reaches out into the surrounding valleys — the ski-town meadows of Gulmarg and the pine forests of Pahalgam — for the mountain scenery the region is known for.
Fly into Srinagar and settle into your houseboat on Dal Lake. An evening shikara ride past the floating gardens.
Visit Shalimar Bagh and Nishat Bagh, the terraced Mughal-era gardens along the lake, and the old city's wooden mosques.
Drive to Gulmarg (about 1.5 hours). Take the gondola up towards Apharwat Peak for views across the valley, weather permitting.
Meadows of GulmargDrive to Pahalgam through pine forest along the Lidder River. Free time to walk the riverside trails or arrange a pony ride.
Drive back to Srinagar with time for last-minute shopping for Kashmiri pashmina and papier-mâché crafts before your flight out.
Tourist areas of Srinagar, Gulmarg and Pahalgam see millions of domestic and international visitors yearly; we monitor conditions and route planning accordingly and brief travellers before departure.
Traditional Kashmiri houseboats are wood-panelled and surprisingly spacious, with proper beds, dining rooms and attached bathrooms.
December through February for snow sports; April to October (our recommended window) is for green-meadow scenery and gondola rides.
Mughal monuments, the Taj Mahal at sunrise, and Jaipur's pink-city forts. The classic first-time India route.
Lake palaces, blue old towns and a desert fort on the edge of the Thar. Rajasthan's four most storied cities in one circuit.
The Golden Temple by day and by candlelit night, plus the ceremonial flag-lowering at the Wagah border.