An Autumn Affair @ Kashmir !!!

Day 01 : Arrive in Srinagar / Transfer to houseboat at Nageen Lake: (18 km / 45 minutes)
Fly to Srinagar. A short boat ride across the lake by a Shikara and we are at the deck of our houseboat. After check in, we spend the evening enjoying the views of the lake with a cup of Kahwa in hand and an assorted cookie platter by the side. Later we will embark on a 90 minute Shikara ride and visit the backwaters of Nageen.
Overnight at Houseboat

Day 02 : Explore Srinagar (The Dawn Vegetable Market tour / Old City walk / Evening Stroll to Chinar Bagh 
We are up very early in the morning for an adventure that awaits us. We get up before sunrise and move on the gentle waters of the lake to a place that is quite unique in this part of Indian Himalayas. We arrive at the market place which is packed by country boats that enthusiastically sell and buy the food that later goes around the city and the people. We spend the morning here before paddeling back to the houseboat and spend the late morning having coffee and breakfast at the porch overlooking the beautiful lake.

Post breakfast, embark on a 02 hour Heritage walk in the old city.
We drive to a famous 14th century shrine of Shah – E – Hamdan, Grand Jama Masjid that heavily influenced by Indo Saracenic and Damascene style of architecture, visit the famous perfume shop where the family who runs it, has been on this art for decades, walk through the copper bazaar, where you can see hundreds of utensils made of copper and with unique designs.

Relish Wazwaan lunch at a city restaurant.

Our last stopover before going back to the houseboat will be a stroll in the University gardens of which Naseem Bagh is a part of the campus. Here stand glorious Chinars—and no tourists. The Chinars are graceful giants and you can spend hours staring at them, awed by their majesty. We wrap the day here and then drive back to the lakeside and to our houseboat. Evening at leisure and we stay overnight in Hotel. 

Day 03 : Zabarwan Hike + Mughal gardens of Shalimar & Nishat
From the hotel we will drive along the boulevard road and later embark with our guide on a 02 to 03 hour hike in the Zabarwan mountain trail. The well trodden path begins from Brein – a village above and overlooking the Dal Lake. We walk along a moderate path and encounter small huts, encampments and fruit orchards as well. A undeveloped motorable path will also come into view. The hike culminates in a small clearing where an ancient Buddhist monastery lies. We will explore the monastery and later drive/walk to the hotel for some lunch and rest.

Shalimar & Nishat:
We headed to Shalimar, everyone’s favourite bagh, its centrepiece the famed pavilion made of black marble. The water channels are mostly dry, in preparation for winter.

At Nishat Bagh, that magical garden of the 12 terraces on the banks of the Dal, the ground is at this time carpeted in Chinar leaves, which crunch softly under one’s feet. Kashmir often romanticised in autumn.

We drive back to the hotel and spend the evening at leisure.

Day 04 : Drive to Sonamarg via Wular & Manasbal Lake : (Full day tour)
After an early morning breakfast, we will drive to Sonamarg.

This scenic drive will be via Manasbal and Wular Lake. The drive through the countryside in autumn makes up for more photo opportunities.

Post lunch, we explore the lake area and the surrounding villages before hopping back to our cars and driving further to Sonamarg where we check in and stay overnight at a boutique hotel in the midst of a mountain village. We stay overnight in hotel.

Day 05 : Explore Thajwass Glacier by foot. Evening village walk
From the hotel, we will drive to visit Sonamarg main town and here, will begin a 2-3 hour hike to the Thajwass glacier on foot. Blessed with magnificent beauty, overlooked by the Thajiwas mountain, surrounded by meadows and conifer trees, it is one of the most beautiful sights you will ever come across.

You may decide to relax on the last evening of your Tour or decide to embark on a spectacular walk through the terraced fields and forests of Pine and Oak. It is to take time to breathe with the views of the snowy peaks of the Himalayas and enjoy the simple pleasures of village life.  We spend the evening at the helm of a roaring camp fire overlooking the Sindh River and after dinner retire to bed.

Day 06: Departure
After breakfast, we will bid a good bye to this wonderful valley and drive to the airport for the flight home.