Gulmarg

Gulmarg is a hill station of Kashmir situated at a distance of about 60 km from Srinagar and takes approximately 2 hours to reach. There are two ways to sightseeing in Gulmarg:

1. Stay in Srinagar and go on a day trip to Gulmarg ( private taxi costing Rs.2700-3000 or shared taxi Rs.400-600 per person)
2. Book an accommodation in Gulmarg. (Hotels here might be costly: >Rs.4000)

• Just before you reach Gulmarg, you cross a place called Tangmarg. The ascent starts from here. You get to see picturesque scenes here all worthy of being filmed.
• Your taxi will drop you at the taxi stand as soon as it enters Gulmarg.
• From the stand, you may take pony and do some sightseeing or you may walk less than 1 km uphill to reach the gondola entrance-gates (during summers).
• If you take a pony it will take you around the golf course along a longer route upto gondola entrance. It would be worth it because the views are breathtaking. You would feel being transported to a different world.
• Summer Gulmarg is completely different from winter Gulmarg. In summers, you would find a true meadow all green with dark pine trees all around. While in winters it is a snow paradise. All covered in snow and offering snow enthusiasts a trip of a lifetime. The snow sports and other activities like sledge, snow bike, skiing etc. are open only during winters.

Caution

1. If it snows very heavily in winters, your regular taxi will drop you at Tangmarg. From there you will have to take another taxi whose wheels are chained to operate in the snow. you will have to pay extra for it.
2. The pony operators, sledge or skiing operators all combined will try to scam you into paying exorbitant prices for everything. Be alert! Keep one formula in mind – offer one-forth of every quote. This would keep you from getting scammed.
3. Although you will be lured into hiring a guide through incorrect information, remember that you do not need a guide for anything. Save your money.
4. In winters the only thing you would need to rent is gum boots. The snow will kill your feet if you do not wear boots. To enjoy the snow to your hearts content you need to protect your feet.

Drung Waterfall

This is the same waterfall that you have seen in pictures which is all frozen and makes for a stunning picture. It is a manmade waterfall at Tangmarg. You will have to ask your driver to take you there as you have to take a different road en-route to Gulmarg to reach this stunning waterfall. It is visit worthy only in winters as it does not have much water and unless frozen it is an ordinary stream-like fall. But if you are there in winters, it is a must visit.

Rani Temple

When you get out of your taxi at the taxi stand you will see a red coloured temple situated on a nearby hill just a little far from the taxi stand. If you have the stamina to climb those 100 odd constructed steps leading up to the temple, you should visit it. If not, you may skip it!

Al – Pathar Lake

It is a frozen lake in Gulmarg. You can ask your pony operator to take you to this lake. The pony operators will also take you to “strawberry valley” and “leopard valley“. Good luck with the strawberries and the snow leopard sighting, though.

Gondola

This is the main attraction of Gulmarg. Gulmarg’s gondola is the highest in the world. There are two phases of the Gondola ride. Phase-I to a height of 8530 ft and Phase-II to a height of 12,293 ft. The ticket counter is in a bit of an obscure location just a little away from the entrance with no sign boa rds. Therefore, unsuspecting tourists fall into the guide trap which is to hire a guide to help you in getting tickets and assisting you to the gondola ride. The price of Phase-I is Rs.750 and Phase-II is Rs.950. You can buy tickets for both the phases at the counter or for Phase-I only. Phase I is enough to enjoy the gondola ride and have some scenic views.

From your cabin you will be able to see mud houses of the nomadic tribes living there who migrate in winters to lower lands. In winters it is all covered in snow. It can get very windy here. There is also a stream with super clear water here. If you did not buy Phase-II tickets, you can buy them here in case you feel like going further up. From the top of phase 2 you will get a feeling that you are on top of the world as you will be able to see the tips of surrounding peaks. It is cooler here and very windy. So be prepared! Even a little amount of old frozen snow was enough for the scammers to scam you into skiing. Overall it is one unique experience to have.

Phase I views:

Phase-II views: