1 week, Family of 5: Places in Kashmir??? OR elsewhere? April 2011

frankmehta · 14th March 2011, 21:13

Hi all!! It's been a LONG time since my family went for a holiday, so mom suggested we go to Kashmir.
I would LOVE to go there, and would like to ask a few questions.

1. Is April a good time to go there?
2. Terror/Police/Curfew/ any other tension???
3. MOST IMPORTANTLY: Which places do I visit? How many days for each place?
4. How to go about it??? Will you'll be kind enough to suggest hotels too?? Good hotels. Maybe 3 and 4 star hotels only.
5. Should I book independently or should I contact a tour operator?? Do I book a car in advance for the duration of the week or should I go there and book one?
6. Which places have snow?? I would also like to go to a place with snowfall. Please suggest.

More questions to come, but waiting for replies on these first. THANK YOU SO MUCH in advance!

SumitB · 14th March 2011, 21:26

I was in Kashmir last April and to be honest I was disappointed. Was based in Srinagar. To be honest, I did not find it worth visiting. Srinagar itself was too dirty. Visited Gulmarg, Sonmarg, Tanmarg. These were relatively clean and worth a visit but not worth the hype.

I suggest you come and visit Shillong. You'll be pleased that you did. However, if you want to visit Kashmir just for the snow, then you have no choice. Kashmir has been a better experience for me than Shimla, Kullu and Manali which in my opinion were worse than Kashmir. I have been born and brought up in Shillong and have been fortunate to see most of the hill-stations of the North and can tell you one thing, these places are too dirty and I think commercialization is to be blamed for this. Shillong is way better in terms of cleanliness and is still relatively less commercialized. Only thing that Shillong lacks is the snow.

Just my 2 cents.

frankmehta · 14th March 2011, 22:09

1. Leh Ladakh
2. Shillong
3. Gangtok
4. Lachung
5. Darjeeling
6. Jammu and KAshmir

Take your pick. Not much historical interest. Just breathtaking beauty, clean, good hotels and pure old school leisure! Which ones guys?

hvkumar · 14th March 2011, 22:28

I think if it is just snow you are looking for in April, the best places would be:
- Manali, on the way to Rohtang Pass, snow till May
- Nathu la, in Sikkhim, snow till end-April

Gulmarg in Kashmir also should have snow.

There are 2 reasons to choose either, in Apr:

Sikkhim:
+ quite green in April too
+ orchids
+ snow in Changu Lake & Nathu la
+ easy accessibility, but you cannot fly in directly
+ easy to have a week's holiday
+ reasonably priced hotels
- Kashmir is more exotic, has more variety
- long way from Bombay

Kashmir:
+ definitely more exotic than Sikkhim - gardens, lakes, mountain scapes, food
+ as easily accessible as Sikkhim
+ snow in Gulmarg and also near Sonmarg
- not fully green, winter fading away
+ unique Kashmiri cuisine
+ houseboats on Dal Lake
- terrorism & violence

If it is Kashmir, I would have the following circuit, assuming one flies into Srinagar:
D1: Arrive in Srinagar
D2: Srinagar - gardens, etc
D3: Gulmarg & back, cableways, snow/meadows
D4: Sonmarg & back, glacier views, snow/meadows, beautiful landscapes
D5: Pahalgam
D6: Back to Srinagar
If religiously inclines, the temple shrine of Khir Bhavani near Ganderbal (close to Srinagar) is a must.
In normal circumstances, Kashmir is as normal as any other Indian states, but for the heavy Army presence. However, if there is escalation in terrorist activity (happens with the coming of spring/ summer), one can expect bandhs and sporadic incidents of violence although it is not targeted at tourists.

If it is Sikkhim, I would have the following circuit:
D1: Fly down to Bagdogara and drive down to Gangtok
D2: Gangtok - orchids, monasteries, zoo (for snow leopard/panda) & shopping
D3: Changu Lake & Nathu la & back
D4: Excursion to Rumtek Monastery, Pelling/Pemayangtse, Kechopari Lake & maybe Rabangla, with stay at Pelling
D5: Gangtok
D6: Maybe a 2-day excursion to North Sikkhim - Yumthang & Gurudongmar

hvkumar · 14th March 2011, 22:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankmehta

1. Leh Ladakh
2. Shillong - Maybe, but combine with Kaziranga
3. Gangtok - good choice
4. Lachung - part of Sikkhim circuit
5. Darjeeling - avoid - not exciting, Gorkha problems
6. Jammu and KAshmir - my choice

Take your pick. Not much historical interest. Just breathtaking beauty, clean, good hotels and pure old school leisure! Which ones guys?

My views are indicated in bold above

SumitB · 14th March 2011, 22:41

Frank, if you are looking for leisure and pleasure, I would like to bring in the prospect of visiting Arunachal Pradesh. Breathtaking beauty, warm people and peaceful. Also has snow! In fact, I plan to visit these parts of the country this year. However, you will need to obtain a permit to visit Arunachal. More information can be found here.

Also, if I were you, I would avoid Sikkim as far as possible. The reason being the unrest in the hills of North Bengal (which will have to be accessed to visit Gangtok). I have a few relatives in Siliguri and according to them, there is too much unrest there currently and its best avoided as far as possible.

zipperone · 15th March 2011, 09:00

I am looking forward to a similar trip in the summer. Would anyone know if it is possible to drive with a 4x4 on some routes beyond Pahalgam, specially the routes on the Amarnath trail and the village of ARU. Are they still motorable and safe from the terror threat?

prabingade · 26th March 2011, 18:20

Hi,
Just booked a trip to Srinagar. But not driving down due to infant and time pressures. Will be reaching Srinagar on 02 Apr and returning on 10 Apr.

Booked majorly(6N) into a hotel called Blooming Dale based on the excellent reviews in TripAdvisor. 1 night in Pahalgam and 1 night in a houseboat.

Please PM me if anyone would be visiting Srinagar during the same period.

regards,
Prabin.

selfdrive · 9th February 2018, 13:06

Reviving an old thread. I am planning for 10 days in/ around Srinagar. We will most likely be 7 people, including 3 kids aged 11, 5 & 5.
we would be looking to see more of the 'snow, mountains & meadows' with not more than an hour's worth of hiking.
Should we stay in one place in Srinagar and venture out with day trips to Gulmarg/ Sonamarg/ Pahalgam? Or move base to these places and return to Srinagar for a day or two only (for the gardens and Dal lake).
Either way, please provide any recommendations you have for clean family accomodation in the locations mentioned.

We will look to hire local car rentals, so any advice there would be appreciated.

14th March 2011, 21:13	#1
frankmehta Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 4,000 Thanked: 3,577 Times View My Garage	1 week, Family of 5: Places in Kashmir??? OR elsewhere? April 2011 Hi all!! It's been a LONG time since my family went for a holiday, so mom suggested we go to Kashmir. I would LOVE to go there, and would like to ask a few questions. 1. Is April a good time to go there? 2. Terror/Police/Curfew/ any other tension??? 3. MOST IMPORTANTLY: Which places do I visit? How many days for each place? 4. How to go about it??? Will you'll be kind enough to suggest hotels too?? Good hotels. Maybe 3 and 4 star hotels only. 5. Should I book independently or should I contact a tour operator?? Do I book a car in advance for the duration of the week or should I go there and book one? 6. Which places have snow?? I would also like to go to a place with snowfall. Please suggest. More questions to come, but waiting for replies on these first. THANK YOU SO MUCH in advance!
	() Thanks

14th March 2011, 21:26	#2
SumitB BHPian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Shillong Posts: 986 Thanked: 263 Times	Re: 1 week, Family of 5: Places in Kashmir??? OR elsewhere? April 2011 I was in Kashmir last April and to be honest I was disappointed. Was based in Srinagar. To be honest, I did not find it worth visiting. Srinagar itself was too dirty. Visited Gulmarg, Sonmarg, Tanmarg. These were relatively clean and worth a visit but not worth the hype. I suggest you come and visit Shillong. You'll be pleased that you did. However, if you want to visit Kashmir just for the snow, then you have no choice. Kashmir has been a better experience for me than Shimla, Kullu and Manali which in my opinion were worse than Kashmir. I have been born and brought up in Shillong and have been fortunate to see most of the hill-stations of the North and can tell you one thing, these places are too dirty and I think commercialization is to be blamed for this. Shillong is way better in terms of cleanliness and is still relatively less commercialized. Only thing that Shillong lacks is the snow. Just my 2 cents. Last edited by SumitB : 14th March 2011 at 21:27.
	() Thanks

14th March 2011, 22:09	#3
frankmehta Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 4,000 Thanked: 3,577 Times View My Garage	Re: 1 week, Family of 5: Places in Kashmir??? OR elsewhere? April 2011 1. Leh Ladakh 2. Shillong 3. Gangtok 4. Lachung 5. Darjeeling 6. Jammu and KAshmir Take your pick. Not much historical interest. Just breathtaking beauty, clean, good hotels and pure old school leisure! Which ones guys?
	() Thanks

14th March 2011, 22:28	#4
hvkumar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 7,369 Thanked: 3,454 Times	Re: 1 week, Family of 5: Places in Kashmir??? OR elsewhere? April 2011 I think if it is just snow you are looking for in April, the best places would be: - Manali, on the way to Rohtang Pass, snow till May - Nathu la, in Sikkhim, snow till end-April Gulmarg in Kashmir also should have snow. There are 2 reasons to choose either, in Apr: Sikkhim: + quite green in April too + orchids + snow in Changu Lake & Nathu la + easy accessibility, but you cannot fly in directly + easy to have a week's holiday + reasonably priced hotels - Kashmir is more exotic, has more variety - long way from Bombay Kashmir: + definitely more exotic than Sikkhim - gardens, lakes, mountain scapes, food + as easily accessible as Sikkhim + snow in Gulmarg and also near Sonmarg - not fully green, winter fading away + unique Kashmiri cuisine + houseboats on Dal Lake - terrorism & violence If it is Kashmir, I would have the following circuit, assuming one flies into Srinagar: D1: Arrive in Srinagar D2: Srinagar - gardens, etc D3: Gulmarg & back, cableways, snow/meadows D4: Sonmarg & back, glacier views, snow/meadows, beautiful landscapes D5: Pahalgam D6: Back to Srinagar If religiously inclines, the temple shrine of Khir Bhavani near Ganderbal (close to Srinagar) is a must. In normal circumstances, Kashmir is as normal as any other Indian states, but for the heavy Army presence. However, if there is escalation in terrorist activity (happens with the coming of spring/ summer), one can expect bandhs and sporadic incidents of violence although it is not targeted at tourists. If it is Sikkhim, I would have the following circuit: D1: Fly down to Bagdogara and drive down to Gangtok D2: Gangtok - orchids, monasteries, zoo (for snow leopard/panda) & shopping D3: Changu Lake & Nathu la & back D4: Excursion to Rumtek Monastery, Pelling/Pemayangtse, Kechopari Lake & maybe Rabangla, with stay at Pelling D5: Gangtok D6: Maybe a 2-day excursion to North Sikkhim - Yumthang & Gurudongmar
	() Thanks

14th March 2011, 22:41	#6
SumitB BHPian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Shillong Posts: 986 Thanked: 263 Times	Re: 1 week, Family of 5: Places in Kashmir??? OR elsewhere? April 2011 Frank, if you are looking for leisure and pleasure, I would like to bring in the prospect of visiting Arunachal Pradesh. Breathtaking beauty, warm people and peaceful. Also has snow! In fact, I plan to visit these parts of the country this year. However, you will need to obtain a permit to visit Arunachal. More information can be found here. Also, if I were you, I would avoid Sikkim as far as possible. The reason being the unrest in the hills of North Bengal (which will have to be accessed to visit Gangtok). I have a few relatives in Siliguri and according to them, there is too much unrest there currently and its best avoided as far as possible. Last edited by SumitB : 14th March 2011 at 22:45.
	() Thanks

15th March 2011, 09:00	#7
zipperone BHPian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: new delhi Posts: 186 Thanked: 51 Times	Re: 1 week, Family of 5: Places in Kashmir??? OR elsewhere? April 2011 I am looking forward to a similar trip in the summer. Would anyone know if it is possible to drive with a 4x4 on some routes beyond Pahalgam, specially the routes on the Amarnath trail and the village of ARU. Are they still motorable and safe from the terror threat?
	() Thanks

26th March 2011, 18:20	#8
prabingade BHPian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 123 Thanked: 30 Times	Re: 1 week, Family of 5: Places in Kashmir??? OR elsewhere? April 2011 Hi, Just booked a trip to Srinagar. But not driving down due to infant and time pressures. Will be reaching Srinagar on 02 Apr and returning on 10 Apr. Booked majorly(6N) into a hotel called Blooming Dale based on the excellent reviews in TripAdvisor. 1 night in Pahalgam and 1 night in a houseboat. Please PM me if anyone would be visiting Srinagar during the same period. regards, Prabin.
	() Thanks

9th February 2018, 13:06	#9
selfdrive Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Zurich Posts: 2,962 Thanked: 3,534 Times	Re: 1 week, Family of 5: Places in Kashmir??? OR elsewhere? April 2011 Reviving an old thread. I am planning for 10 days in/ around Srinagar. We will most likely be 7 people, including 3 kids aged 11, 5 & 5. we would be looking to see more of the 'snow, mountains & meadows' with not more than an hour's worth of hiking. Should we stay in one place in Srinagar and venture out with day trips to Gulmarg/ Sonamarg/ Pahalgam? Or move base to these places and return to Srinagar for a day or two only (for the gardens and Dal lake). Either way, please provide any recommendations you have for clean family accomodation in the locations mentioned. We will look to hire local car rentals, so any advice there would be appreciated.
	() Thanks