Twelve ways to spend a day here
Sorted by season and effort, so you can build a trip that matches the month you're coming and the legs you're bringing.
Shikara & houseboat life
Hand-paddled cedar boats through lotus channels, floating gardens and the 5am vegetable market.
Skiing & snowboarding
1,300 m of lift-served vertical off Apharwat, plus guided backcountry and heli-drops in Gulmarg.
High-altitude trekking
The Kashmir Great Lakes, Tarsar Marsar and Warwan crossings with cooks, ponies and a trek leader.
Paragliding & zorbing
Tandem flights over the Gulmarg bowl and Sanasar ridge with certified pilots.
White-water rafting
Grade II–III runs on the Lidder at Pahalgam and the Sindh at Sonmarg.
Wazwan & kahwa trails
A 36-course wedding feast, a masterclass with a waza chef, and kahwa poured from a copper samovar.
Craft studios
Kani shawl looms, papier-mâché painters, walnut carvers and crewel embroiderers in downtown Srinagar.
Saffron harvest
Pick crocus flowers at dawn in Pampore and sort the red gold with the family.
Trout fishing
Permitted beats on the Lidder and Sindh, fly rods and a riverside grill included.
Gondola & cable rides
Phase I and II of the Gulmarg gondola, one of the highest cable cars on earth.
Camping under the stars
Riverside domes at Aru, alpine tents at Sonmarg, bonfires and rogan josh.
Photography walks
Golden-hour routes with a local photographer: chinar avenues, bakers' ovens, lake reflections.