Kashmir Backpacking
Houseboat · Gulmarg · Pahalgam · Srinagar
- Pickup
- Srinagar
- Drop
- Srinagar
- Next departures
- 24 Oct
What you are signing up for
Six days in Kashmir, from the water to the mountains. Sleep on a houseboat on Dal Lake, ride the Gulmarg Gondola, stop at the Avantipur ruins on the way to Pahalgam for the Aru and Betaab valleys, then spend a day by the glaciers of Sonmarg. We sort the stays, the shikara, permits and every drive. You just pack and show up.
Highlights
- A night on a houseboat
- Shikara ride
- Gulmarg Gondola
- Aru and Betaab valleys
- Sonmarg
- A Trip Captain, start to end
All 6 days
Srinagar— 1 night
Part One · Srinagar & Gulmarg
Land in Srinagar before 12 PM and check in to your houseboat; sightseeing starts at 1 PM.
Visit the Mughal Gardens: Shalimar Bagh, Nishat Bagh and Chashme Shahi.
An hour-long shikara ride on Dal Lake, then dinner on the houseboat.
Drive to Gulmarg
Gulmarg— 1 night
Part One · Srinagar & Gulmarg
Breakfast, then a two-hour drive up to Gulmarg.
Ride the Gulmarg Gondola for big views of the valley (tickets subject to availability).
Free time for a pony ride to Khilanmarg or café hopping, then dinner at the hotel.
Drive to Pahalgam
Pahalgam— 1 night
Part Two · Pahalgam
Breakfast, then a scenic four-hour drive towards Pahalgam.
Stop at the Avantipur ruins, the remains of ancient temples in Pulwama.
Reach Pahalgam, settle in and have dinner at the hotel.
Drive to Srinagar
Srinagar— 2 nights
Part Two · Pahalgam
Explore Aru Valley's meadows and Betaab Valley's clear streams.
Go on to Chandanwari, weather permitting (pony rides at your own cost).
Drive back to Srinagar for dinner and the night.
A three-hour drive along the Sindh river to Sonmarg.
Free time to explore, or a pony ride to Thajiwas Glacier (at your own cost).
Back to Srinagar for dinner.
Breakfast and check out.
Head to Srinagar airport for your flight home.
Fly home with a tin of kahwa in your bag.
5 nights, town by town
Srinagar
Houseboat
1 night
Gulmarg
Hotel, twin sharing
Pahalgam
Hotel, twin sharing
Srinagar
Hotel, twin sharing
What is and is not included
Included
- Airport pickup at 11 AM on Day 1
- Private vehicle for the whole itinerary
- 5 nights: houseboat 1, Gulmarg 1, Pahalgam 1, Srinagar hotel 2
- 10 meals: dinner Day 1, breakfast & dinner Days 2-5, breakfast Day 6
- One-hour shikara ride
- Gulmarg Gondola phase 1 tickets (subject to availability)
- Local transfers to Aru, Betaab and Chandanwari
- Trip Captain throughout, plus a medical kit
- Permits, driver charges, tolls, fuel and parking
Not included
- 5% GST
- Flights to and from Srinagar
- Food and drinks not listed
- Pony rides and other activities
- Personal expenses and shopping
- Costs from weather, road closures or other events beyond our control
Other information
Built for solo travellers after a crew, friends who hate planning, and couples who'd rather not hold the itinerary.
Pack this
- A warm jacket, gloves and a beanie
- Comfortable shoes with grip
- Sunglasses and sunscreen
- A government photo ID
- A postpaid SIM (prepaid SIMs from other states don't work here)
- Cash for ponies and small shops
Sort this before you fly
- Land in Srinagar before 12 PM on Day 1; sightseeing starts at 1 PM.
- Gondola tickets depend on availability; if none are left, we refund them.
- Weather can close Sonmarg or Chandanwari; we swap in the best alternative.
Plans can move Weather, roads and closures can change a day. We carry an alternative for each one rather than cancelling it.
What to eat in Kashmir
Rogan josh
Mutton curry.
Gushtaba
Meatballs in yogurt.
Modur pulao
Sweet saffron rice.
Kahwa
Saffron green tea.
Dum aloo
Spicy potato curry.
When to go
Every town on this route has its own weather. Pick a month to see the real numbers for each one.
Oct on this route
Kashmir averages 22° by day and 8° after dark, with rain on 5 days of the month.
Typical conditions, not a forecast — weather models only run about a fortnight ahead. Daily records averaged per calendar month (Open-Meteo ERA5 reanalysis). Temperature bars scaled 15 °C to 35 °C, rain bars to 30 days.
Real stories, real escapes.
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Was deciding between two operators and picked this for the itinerary. No regrets. Sonmarg day trip is the bit I keep describing to people who did not go. Worth every rupee, and I am not easy to please on that.
Ananya Chawla, Kolkata
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5 nights was exactly right — long enough to settle, short enough to take off work. Transfers and check-ins were sorted before we arrived anywhere, which I had not expected at this price. Tell your friends to go before it gets busy.
Uday Joshi, Jaipur
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Paid, packed, turned up. That was genuinely the whole job. Stays were simple rather than fancy, clean, and always where they said they would be. Would do it again with the same crew.
Devika Menon, Lucknow
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Went in with low expectations about travelling with strangers and came back with a group chat that is still going. Srinagar was the day everyone had come for, and it delivered. Worth every rupee, and I am not easy to please on that.
Uday Malhotra, Thane
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First group trip for me, and Srinagar on day one took the nerves out of it. The pace was honest — a couple of early starts, and they told us in advance rather than springing them. Would book with them again without checking anywhere else first.
Rahul Verma, Bengaluru
Not sure it is your group?
Tell us who is coming and when you are free. We will say honestly whether this departure fits, or build a private one that does.
Chat on WhatsAppOne message. A person replies, usually within the hour.