Must See Places in Kashmir

Sonamarg
The word Sonamarg literally means the Meadow of Gold. The tourist destination of Sonamarg lies at a distance of 84 kilometers from Srinagar, Kashmir, India. Sonamarg lies at an altitude of 2740 meters above the sea level. To be precise it lies on the Srinagar-Ladakh road. The Sindh River flows through the region.
Sonamarg is a Hill Resort. It is also a base camp for those visiting Ladakh.
As far as activities for tourists are concerned, travel to the Sindh River in Sonamarg offers ample opportunities for Fishing. The Krishnasar Lake is also a site for fishing. Sonamarg is also a Trekking Base. A number of Hiking and Trekking Trails makes Sonamarg an interesting place to travel to. Sonamarg is known for its natural beauty; in fact it is popular for its alpine flowers, sycamore, silver birch and pine trees. Discover Himalyas aims to make tours and travel to Sonamarg a memorable experience by providing you with all the relevant details.

Gulmarg
The tourist destination of Gulmarg lies at a distance of 56 kilometers from Srinagar, Kashmir. Gulmarg is one of the most frequented Hill Resorts in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The word gul means flowers, and thus the name Gulmarg stands for a Meadow of Flowers. Tours to the meadow of Gulmarg will transport you into a beautiful world of flowers. Those who aim to embark on a tour to the Gulmarg region must make it a point to travel to the picturesque Gulmarg Biosphere Reserve and Alpather Lake. In fact the prime tourist attractions for those who travel to Gulmarg include Skiing and Heliskiing, Green Golf Courses and the Gondola Lift .
As far as adventure sports is concerned Gulmarg is a trekking base for those who Trek to the Pir Panjal Range, Nanga Parbat and Khilanmarg. Tours to Gulmarg offer you facilities for hiring trekking equipment and local guides. Most of the resorts in Gulmarg provide all the facilities along with world-class equipment for those keen on skiing. Khilanmarg is an important skiing center. The skiing season in gulmarg commences in December and goes on till the month of April. The Gulmarg biosphere reserve is located at a distance of 48 kilometers from Srinagar and offers one of the most attractive Wildlife Tour and Travel Packages.

Pahalgam
The Pahalgam valley is situated at the confluence of the Seshnag Lake and the Lidder River. Pahalgam is basically a cluster of eight villages. The word Pahalgam literally means, the Valley of Shepherds.
Tours to Pahalgam is associated with the annual Amaranth Yatra. The region is extremely popular among tourists for its outdoor activities like Fishing, Horse Riding, Golf and Trekking. Pahalgam is a popular take off point for treks to the Kolahoi glacier, to several high altitude lakes, to the Amarnath cave and to Sonmarg.
There are excellent Fishing opportunities at the Lidder River. Tourists are issued permits to go fishing on the Lidder River. These permits are issued for maximum three days at a time. Most tours and travel packages to Pahalgam offer opportunities to tourists for outdoor activities such as fishing. There are ample opportunities for tourists to enjoy Horse Riding upto the Thajwas glacier.

Water Trekking
A recently introduced Kayaking and Canoeing tournament in the state of Jammu & Kashmir is another event that will definitely attract the sports lovers. Organised by the J&K Kayaking and Canoeing Association in collaboration of the J&K Sports Council and the Departments of Youth Services and Sports and Tourism, this event takes place in Srinagar and works as a platform for the popularising water sports athletics. The winners of the tournaments are then selected as contestants for the National Kayaking and Canoeing tournament.
White water canoeing has extensive possibilities. Lidder, Sindh, Drass, Suru, Indus, Zanskar, Chenab and for the less adventurous, even the Jhelum river can present interesting trips. The time to raft is either in May/June or in September/October. Equipment is available with some local agents.

Adventure Sports
Discover Himalayas aims to provide you with all the relevant details regarding the scope, arrangements and facilities for adventure sports in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The most popular tourist activities in Kashmir include whitewater rafting, fishing, skiing, hunting, backpacking, kayaking, bicycling, canoe trips, snow skiing, water skiing, camping, surfing, rock climbing, hiking, white water rafting, snow boarding trans-Himalayan jeep safaris and paragliding.
Tourists can enjoy the ultimate white water rafting experience at reasonable prices. In India white water rafting activities is almost confined to the north Himalayan Rivers and Jammu and Kashmir is one of the most popular regions where rafting on a full scale takes place. The budget for rafting packages offered by several tour operators is usually all inclusive of equipment, life jackets, food, helmets and accommodations.
The best time to go river rafting on the north Himalayan rivers is summer, as during the winter months most of these waters are frozen. In certain areas river rafting can be done only after obtaining special permits from the state government. White water rafting is done on the Zanskar, Indus, Beas, Chenab, Teesta, Sutlej, Spiti and the Kali Ganga.