Enchanted by Dodhpathri we started our journey towards Gulmarg, one of the most popular tourist destination in Kashmir. Gulmarg is a magnificent hill station in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir. The name ‘Gulmarg’ means Meadow of Flowers. It is situated in Pir Panjal Range of the Himalayas, at an altitude of 2,650 m (8,694 ft), 56 km from Srinagar via Tangmarg. On our way we made a halt at Tangmarg for lunch.
Watch the entire video of Gulmarg:
This heavenly Hill station is also known for the Gulmarg Gondola, which is one of the highest cable car ride in the world reaching 3,979 meters. Each one of us was very excited to experience this exhilarating cable car ride. Unfortunately till the time we reached the ticket counter for the Gulamarg Gondola it was closed. Due to this we decided to spend the night in Gulmarg because none of us wanted to miss that gigantic cable ride. Our Kashmiri friend had some contacts there which helped us to get a decent cottage for the stay at a reasonable price. Though it was August the climate of Gulmarg was freezing at night.
The next day we directly went to the Gulmarg Gondola Ticket counter. The line there was quite long. The charges for first phase was 600 Rs per person which takes you to Kongdoori at 3,080 m. While the charges for second phase was 1400 Rs which takes passengers to a height of 3,950 m (12,959 ft) on the Apharwat Peak. We decided to go till the second phase of the ride. On your way up you’ll witness some breathtaking landscapes of Gulmarg with greenery spread far till you can see. Once you leave the first phase the ride becomes more thrilling. It feels like the cable car is slicing through the clouds on its way to the top of the mountain. Gondola Ride till phase 2 is highly recommended if you ever visit Gulmarg.
Gulmarg is a famous destination for various winter sports like Skiing, tobogganing, snowboarding or simply enjoying and playing in snow.
Spending some memorable time in Gulmarg we then left again for Srinagar. It was decided that we would spend the night in a house boat at Dal Lake which would be our last night in Srinagar as the next morning we would leave for Dras. From Gulmarg we first went to our Kashmiri friend’s house to collect our luggage. There we were treated with authentic Kashmiri Kawah. It was refreshing. Bidding his family a goodbye we left for Dal Lake.
The sun was about to set when we reached Dal Lake. The lake was beaming wearing the glow of the sun. It was surreal.
Watch the magical sunset at Dal Lake:
Our House Boat!
Post dinner we went for a late night Shikara ride. It was all dark and silent. Coming back we rushed towards our rooms as it was quite late. The next day i.e Day 4 was going to be a challenging one as we would cross the dangerous Zojila Pass to reach Dras.
Read my next blog as we cross the Deadly Zojila to reach Dras – The Gateway To Ladakh.
Aawara hoo 