This Is What Heaven Is Made Of: Our Family Trip To Kashmir Was A Series Of Breathtaking Experiences!
Jammu and Kashmir! Probably a common appearance on every Indian’s bucket list and just like every other Indian, it was there on ours too. The only difference was that we really wanted to make our family trip to Kashmir happen and we did.
For our family trip to Kashmir, we booked our tour package from TravelTriangle, an online marketplace for travel agents. They gave us customized quotes and itineraries and we were more than happy to select the best one from Milli Group Of Tour & Travels.
7 Days Family Trip to Kashmir
- Day 1: Starting our trip on a holy note – Vaishno Devi
- Day 2: Hello Pahalgam
- Day 3: Khajjiar a.k.a the Mini Switzerland
- Day 4: Gondola ride in Gulmarg
- Day 5: A heavenly experience in Srinagar
- Day 6: A day at lush green Khrew
- Day 7: The icing on the cake-Sonmarg
Our Kashmir Family Package details
- Cost: INR 72250
- Duration: 6N 7D
- Inclusions: Transfers, Sightseeing, Hotel, and Breakfast
- Exclusions: Flights and other personal paid charges and activities not included in the package
Lots of excitement and a bit of tension – this is how the journey from Hyderabad to Jammu started. Excitement, as every one of us 6 were visiting Kashmir for the first time; a slight bit of tension as each one of us had heard about the unrest in the state.
Kashmir Tour Packages On TravelTriangle
Visit Kashmir and experience skiing in Gulmarg, trekking through the breathtaking mountains lakes, trout fishing in Sonmarg and a romantic stay in houseboats in Jhelum River. Book packages inclusive of airport transfers, cab, resort, sightseeing, and meals.
Day 1: Starting our trip on a holy note – Jai Mata Di!
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An early morning flight landed us in Jammu by 11 am and we were greeted by a nice Sardarji who was also our driver for the day. A swift drive took us to Katra, to visit the holy shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi. After a quick stop at the hotel, we started our journey upwards to the shrine which was a 14 km trek. Scenic beauties welcomed us to the magnificent place of divinity and poise and a great Darshan in the temple concluded the day. Jai mata di!! It was Jai mata di all day!!
Day 2: Hello Pahalgam
Our journey to the Mighty Kashmir Valley started. Our driver, for the rest of the tour, Mr. Zulfkar, started telling us a lot of things about J&K. Later on our way, we took a small break to buy very yummy Patisa, a local sweet delicacy, at Prem di hatti. It was very tasty!
Hair pin bends, river and streams, lovely mountains in the backdrop, and great Indian soldiers in the foreground – this was how our route to Pahalgam looked, which was our next stop.
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Enroute, we also stopped over at Surya temple at mattan a.k.a. Mattan mandir. This is one of a kind temple which has a huge pool and an island temple in the centre. The water is believed to have come from Holy Amarnath and there are thousands of fish in it.
Cold! Beautiful! Holy!!
Later, we continued our journey to witness a sudden change of atmosphere, cool breeze, lovely sunset, melodious chirping of birds, chilled water streams running parallel to road. Pahalgam was beautiful!
Overnight stay in resort
Day 3: Khajjiar a.k.a the Mini Switzerland took our breath away
Following morning, we took a horse trek to visit a few local attractions and these were – Kashmir valley, Pahalgam Village valley and Khajjiar, also known as Mini Switzerland. Out of all the places, Khajjiar was the best since we were in a lush green meadow with snow capped mountains on the backdrop. The trek was a little scary but very enjoyable. Khajjiar aka Mini Switzerland is a must go place if you happen to be in Pahalgam.
After the horse ride, we had lunch at the very famous Dana Pani restaurant. We enjoyed an awesome thali and yummy Kashmiri Kehwa. Later in the afternoon, we took a local cab to visit Betaab valley and Chandanwadi glacier. The views here were stunning and the weather was simply heavenly. Sledge ride was real fun at Chandanwadi glacier.
Tip: Don’t forget to have hot almond milk at cafes that have wonderful views.
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This great excursion in the cab took us about 4 hours in all and every moment was well spent!
Day 4: An incredible Gondola ride in Gulmarg
Next morning, we took an early morning drive to Gulmarg and enroute took a swift halt at an apple orchard and bought very yummy handmade apple jam.
Saffron fields, dry fruit shops, willow carpenters making professional cricket bats, army vans transporting army supplies – it was a very gripping journey and we enjoyed it thoroughly.
At around mid-day, we reached Tangmarg, a town at the foot of Gulmarg. Zulfkar suggested us to hire a guide and we very rightfully did so. The guide explained us a lot of things about Gulmarg, got us the tickets to gondola ride – both phases, negotiated for our Sledge and Ski activities and was really helpful overall. 70 year young dynamic boy he was!
The Gondola ride, highest cable car in Asia, was a magnificent and a mind-blowing experience. Words can’t describe the level of happiness we were experiencing during the journey. About 20 mins of cable car extravagance took us to the top of Gulmarg, standing at about 15000 feet above sea-level.
One may not be a professional skier but don’t miss the trial piloted skiing activity at 15000 feet, it is an adrenaline rusher; incredible experience! Overnight stay was at a resort in Gulmarg, which is worth mentioning.
Marigold Resort – their dedication in maintenance and passion in service are of a different level. So, make a note- Hotel Marigold it is!
Day 5: A heavenly experience in Srinagar
It was nice visiting the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. Our sightseeing in the city included – Mughal gardens, Cheshma Shahi, pari mahal, Shankaracharya temple, and finally the Dal Lake, where we also had an overnight stay in the houseboat.
It was astonishing to see around 1200 houseboats floating on the lake and the Shikara ride that we did was too good. There were floating restaurants, floating stalls, shopping on water, and much more. The icing on the cake, however, was watching India play Pakistan on houseboat with so many other tourists.
Tip: Don’t forget to visit the very famous Kheer Bhavani temple and Sarika Devi temple in Srinagar.
Day 6: More greenery than you can imagine
Next morning, we visited the Jwala Devi temple in Khrew near Pampore. All the temples in Kashmir valley are under the protection of Indian Army. The Army personnel at the temple gave us a very warm reception, talked to us for a long time, and treated us just like a family member.
It was the best thing that happened in the entire tour. Jai ho Indian Army!!
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Doodhpathri was the next place on our cards and believe me when I say it, it is one of the best places in Kashmir. Our craving for countryside, greenery, and majestic sceneries was fulfilled here. There were cattle, sheep, carpet like green meadows, natural water streams, snow mountains, and much more – all well arranged by nature only to make it a feast for the eyes.
The place brought out the children in us. We jumped, danced, played, ran and have definitely made memories worth remembering!! The entire tiredness of last 5 days was gone, thanks to the refreshing natural experience here.
Day 7: The icing on the cake
The most awaited journey of our lives was calling us. Sonmarg to Zeropoint through the Zonzula pass. How did they even manage to pave a rod on that hill? Hairpin bends, no barricading, just enough for a vehicle to pass by, all at a height of about 5k feet. It was a mind blowing adventure!
The route offered us spectacular views of the valleys and we could also see the base camp of the Holy Amarnath yatra at Baltal.
When ice started forming on the rocks and walls and the water started flowing, we knew, we had reached zero-point, the snow paradise.
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We had a great time relaxing in cold snow, enjoying hot coffee, eating maggie, and taking a lot of pictures.
Carrying all the wonderful experiences worth a lifetime, we left the place and proceeded towards the airport for our flight back home. This was a very special trip and in the end, I would like to thank Kaisher from TravelTriangle, Heena from Milli Tours, and Zulfkar, our amazing driver, for planning and executing our tour to perfection.
Our family trip to Kashmir was a heavenly experience and would stay with us forever. If you too would like to witness the same, we recommend you to book a customized Kashmir Tour Package via TravelTriangle for a hassle-free and enjoyable trip experience.
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To make people travel and see a way of life through it is what Pranav strives to achieve with his content. He firmly believes that the more places anybody visits, the better are the chances for them to truly evolve and become their best version. If he is able to make even one person get off the couch and go explore, then in the words of mighty Thor himself, he is “worthy”.
