Beauty of Kashmir

Hi, there

Excited to be a part of #Speakeasy2.1 blog challenge hosted by Dipika and Ruchi.

Travelling is one of our (me and Mr. hubby) favorite thing. We do travel a lot and love to collect the memories and hence my blog is “Memory Flies”

 

As soon as I read the theme “Most memorable travel” my mind starts hopping and makes me realizes our all memorable travels. It is very difficult for me to pick out the one. My dream destination of India is the South pole "KANYAKUMARI" and the North pole “KASHMIR”. Thanks to Mr. Hubby fulfilled my both dreams.  Today I am sharing my KASHMIR tour which was in 2018 with small kiddos and family. Traveling in hilly areas with small kids is not that much difficult.

KASHMIR the word itself gives the feeling of immense beauty and warmth. Kashmir is the place that you can feel and rejuvenate yourself. The peaceful nature and beauty of Kashmir attract travelers from all over the world every year. Due to its geographical location, it is one of the coldest regions of the country. Beautiful grassland and valley mostly covered with white snowflakes char chand laga dete hain in beauty of Kashmir.

  

Jammu and Kashmir is the northern state of India. Due to its impeccable beauty, it is called the crown of India. The lush green garden, snow-capped mountains, cold water valley through the green mountains, sky touching pointed long pine trees, lakes and streams, and many more due to which it is one of the best travel destinations in India.

We visited Kashmir two years back but still whenever I saw the snaps of our trip I can feel that heavenly beauty. We traveled with small children including toddlers and it was not at all hectic travel for us and kids. Trust me, our kids enjoyed this tour more than us.

Wanna feel the heaven? Stay tuned with the full post.😊

 

The best places in Kashmir :

There is a huge list on the internet of which place you should visit in Kashmir. Here I am sharing my favorite places in Kashmir.  Enjoy this virtual tour with me.

1. Srinagar :

Srinagar is the largest city and summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It lies in the Kashmir valley on the bank of Jhelum River. Throughout our tour the Jhelum River with us at every point and at every nook. We were surprised to see the varied beauty of the Jhelum River at varied points. Srinagar looks beautiful from the sky. Check out the real beauty of Kashmir here.

 

2.   Dal Lake :

Dal lake is named the “Lake of flowers” and known as the “Jewel in the crown of Kashmir”. It is one of the most beautiful lakes in India and is the main tourist attraction. The beauty of Dal lake is filled with a floating garden, colourful shikara, and houseboat.  

Dal lake is not only about the floating garden but yes it is a floating city too. I was surprised to see that people have their houses on this floating lake and use boats for traveling like we used to have bus or auto. 

The floating market is one of the most beautiful places where you can have a variety of shopping with a vide range of food items, clothing, shawls, and antique pieces of Kashmir. Ask your boatman and he will land you at your spot and will wait for you till your shopping is over. Don’t forget to buy the wooden shikara antique piece. Be sure to bargain properly otherwise you will end up paying a huge amount for tiny things. 

 

3.   Shikara ride:

 

“Dal lake gaye aur shikara ride nahi kiya, aisa to ho hi nahi sakata.”  Shikara is the colourful oak boat where they can take you on a ride for site seeing. This 2 hours shikara ride gives you the immense beauty of the floating world. The floating garden is one of the most wonderful experiences.

PS: Google

The up and down movement of the oars cutting the lush-green water creates a magical sound at every interval. That gives you the soothing peace. Just lie down inside the colorful boat and give a beautiful treat to your eyes and peace to your mind.

 

The best time to have shikara ride in the early morning if you want to see the beautiful lotus. Otherwise, you can have this ride in the afternoon too. But make it as early as possible because the day closed very soon. Once you went on the floating shopping market then your times will go up.😀

Another wonderful experience was the photography - Kashmiri girl costumes with flowers and jewellery. This should be the must must part of your shikara ride.

 

4.   The Mughal garden:

One of the best places in Srinagar. I want to stay over there 😎 with all our kids. We all moms had lots of masti with small kids and feel good to be a small again with them. The landscape and architecture mesmerized you. Surprised to see such three-tier big green landscaped with colorful flower bed, maintenance and cleanliness. Everything was awesome.

 

The details of this Mughal Garden:
 

Chasm-e-shahi, Shalimar, and Nishat bag constitute the famous Mughal gardens of Srinagar. The Shalimar bagh is considering the high point of Mughal horticulture. The Shalimar Bagh was built by Mughal Emperor Jahangir for his wife Nur Jahan in 1619. This garden is lined with trails of chinar trees.

 

The most beautiful garden is Nishat Bagh. This was built by Nur Jahan’s brother Asif khan in 1633. Nishat Bagh is a garden with views of the Pir Panjal mountain range. It has 12 terraces representing 12 zodiac signs

 

The Chasm-e-shahi garden: It is one of the smallest gardens from the two of Mughal gardens. The garden is renowned for the natural spring of refreshing digestive mineral water. This water is so pure that you don’t need to use any filtration.  It tastes awesome as I filled two-three bottles from here.

 

5.   Gulmarg :

The most awaited spot in the whole tour was postponed for regular three days due to the atmospheric condition. Finally, we got a chance to visit there. 

 

Gulmarg is a town, a hill station, a popular skiing destination. Gulmarg lies in a cup-shaped valley in the Pri panjal range of Himalaya at an altitude of 2650m from Srinagar.

Some important tips for the Gulmarg visit.

#Always listen to your tour guide as they have full knowledge of everything.

#Do not go for pony riding over here especially with kids.

#There is a long queue for Gondola so do try to reach over there as early as possible. Before 6 a.m.

#Be aware of the costing of each activity.

#You have to know the skill of bargaining.

#Do not waste your money if you don’t know skiing, diving, or any complicated activity. Because you can not learn in 15 minutes and it is practical. So take a smart decision.

#Do try to have a small activity which is pocket friendly and give you toons of memory.

#Prefer to have your own woollen jackets and shoes.

#You will have Maggie and Kavaha and not fancy fast food over here. It is at high altitude so please avoid eating chips kinds of fast food.

 

6.   Betab Valley at Pahalgam :

 

Betab valley is situated at a distance of 15 kilometers from Pahalgam. Pahalgam is one of the most beautiful places and I cannot sum up here in a small paragraph. It is the best spot to visit everyone. It is famous for the movie Betab starring  Amrita Singh and Sunny Deol.

 

 

You will find yourself in the middle of the mountain. The valley is surrounded by snowflakes mountains. The landscape is fulfilled with Chinar, deodar, pine, trees and the main attraction is River LIDDER with its bluish and greenish water. You will surprise to see the clean water and it does look like 3D water.  You can have sightseeing, trekking, and camping or have a family picnic by spending the whole day.  Just plan your stay for 2, 3 days to enjoy this beautiful spot.

 

 

 What is the best time to visit Kashmir?

 

Ideally, March to October is the best time to have your Kashmir tour. Winter is the most beautiful where you can have snowfall and beauty. But the most preferred season is summer where you can have a visit to almost every tourist spot especially the Tulip Garden and Sonmerg. We are unfortunate to have this place.

 

This was one of the most memorable travels in my life. What is yours? Do you feel the heavenly beauty of Kashmir? Do share your thoughts.

 

 

Thank You Dipika and Ruchi for such awesome prompt and challenge.

 

This blog post is a part of  #Speakeasy Blogging Challenge by Dipika and Ruchi.  

 

For details geographical information Reference: 

www.wikipedia.org

www.kashmirhills.com

©Neeta Kadam. This article and image are the property of Memory Flies. Any unauthorized use or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author is strictly prohibited.