The soul of Kashmir floats on Dal Lake. Stay aboard a cedar houseboat, drift past floating gardens at dawn, wander Nishat and Shalimar Bagh at golden hour, and lose yourself in the old city's craft workshops and centuries-old shrines.
Read the Srinagar guide →
A cup-shaped meadow ringed by pines, Gulmarg is Kashmir's playground. Ride the world's second-highest gondola to 3,980 m, ski legendary powder in winter, or tee off on one of the world's highest golf courses in summer.
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Where the Lidder river tumbles through pine forests, Pahalgam moves at the pace of grazing flocks. Picnic on riverbanks, trek to hidden hamlets, cast for trout, or simply watch the mountains change colour from a café veranda.
Read the Pahalgam guide →
The last meadow before the great Himalaya, Sonamarg glitters beneath glacier-hung peaks. Ride to Thajiwas Glacier, raft the Sindh river, or begin the trek to the sapphire chain of Vishansar, Krishansar and the Great Lakes.
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Across the Razdan Pass lies a Kashmir few ever see — log-wood villages, the turquoise Kishanganga, and the pyramid peak of Habba Khatoon. Gurez is for travellers who collect silences, not souvenirs. Permits arranged by us.
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Named for streams that froth white as milk, Doodhpathri unrolls emerald meadows just 42 km from Srinagar — yet feels a century away. The perfect unhurried day: bare feet in cold grass, spiced tea from a samovar, nowhere to be.
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Past the shrine town of Chrar-e-Sharief, the road runs out and the pine opens into grass. No gondola, no shops, and on most days more horses than people — with Nilnag lake an hour's climb above and the Doodh Ganga running white through the trees.
Read the Yusmarg guide →
Three hundred square kilometres of grass at 3,000 m, split into the greater and lesser meadows, four hours north-west into Kupwara. There is nowhere to stay and nothing to buy. That is precisely the appeal, and it is not for everyone.
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Named after the film shot here, Betaab Valley is Pahalgam's postcard — willow-lined lawns against snow peaks. Continue to Aru for alpine trailheads, or Chandanwari where the snow bridge lingers into summer.
For a few short weeks each spring, 1.5 million tulips carpet the foothills of the Zabarwan range. Pair it with the terraced Mughal gardens of Nishat and Shalimar — four centuries of imperial romance overlooking Dal Lake.
Read the The Gardens guide →