Jammu & Kashmir - As we saw it - Day 2 - Gulmarg

Day two of our Valley visit, we decided to go farther in search of greener pastures. Oh what’s that saying “Grass on the other side is always green”, well if green is what you are looking for, head straight to Gulmarg to be embraced by the rolling clouds and luscious meadows (remember we went in the month of September).

Around golf course in Gulmarg

A quick 90 minutes from Srinagar, through the apple orchards and paddy fields will lead you uphill to Gulmarg. The drop in temperature confirms that you are gaining altitude.

Somewhere before Tangmarg, sights on either side of the roads were beautiful

If you are on a budget, board one of the regular buses carrying locals till Tangmarg and find another from there to Gulmarg. If your adventurous self peeks out, choose to ride a pony or walk along with the locals through the forest trail starting from Tangmarg. What could be more enchanting than walking through forests with the locals listening to their tales? For someone who is meticulous and well planned, reserve your seats in advance at TRC Srinagar for the Gulmarg tour package, which includes to and fro tickets.

Somewhere between Tangmarg and Gulmarg

Irrespective of your choice, you would love the Gondola ride for sure, unless of course you had already been in one. Gondola is operated in two stages and in intervals of every hour starting from 9. You could book your tickets at the online counter from Srinagar Airport. The lady managing this counter is very helpful and when probed further provides additional information about the rides. The fare for stage 1 is Rs 600 and for stage 2 it is Rs 800. If it’s a clean weather day both the stages will be operated, else it all depends on your luck to go up even till stage 1.

As for us, we had a long wait before the Gondola could be operated due to the snowfall uphill the previous day. We decided to use this time to our best and ventured into the meadows, interacting with the locals. Words cannot explain what eyes have seen. Maharaja Palace was under construction but it offers a breathtaking view of the valley below.

View of the valley from Maharaja Palace

There is also a small temple of religious importance to the locals. We decided to skip this and chattered on about their livelihood. Shepherds who are basically nomads move up to the higher grasslands for 2 to 3 months in summer to feed their cattle. Their humility and simple love touches your soul. We had the privilege of visiting their temporary huts and it is truly a sight to behold.

 
 

Relishing the homemade breads to go with tea we chatted on about various things under the sky. My constant thought was, would I live here, with mountains as my backyard, small streams as my natural source of water, fresh cold air to breathe and unconnected from the rest of the world. I don’t know for sure if I could be put up in the same place for the rest of my life but a true nomadic life just like theirs, which keeps moving every season, most certainly interests me.
 

After almost a two and a half hour delay, the Gondola was opened for rides and you must have seen our faces. Well only when we went in for our ride did we know that the rides were operated for that day only till stage 1. Stage 1 would do for now as I know already that I must come here again. We hopped onto our Gondola and thoroughly enjoyed the ride. When did we become kids? Weeds and shrubs growing on mud houses, gondolas on their way downwards, shepherds and their families, locals walking up the mountains and other such small sights enroute brought excitement.

View from Gondola

Soon, we exited at stage 1 and were welcomed to the splendid display of color; green pastures, blue sky, snow capped mountains and the valley below. A picture is worth a thousand words they say, but this still doesn’t sum up the beauty in its entirety.

View outside stage 1 exit

Rolling clouds masking the mountain range

With growling tummies we decided to head to the pop up stalls for a quick bite. It was a delight that we had temporary roofs above our tables as no sooner than we sank our tired legs into the folds of the chairs, thunders and lightning started rocking the mountains.  Before we realized, it started raining. Hold on, these weren’t rain drops that came down, they were ice pellets. 

 

“It must be snowing above” said the elderly gentleman pointing to the hills above. He was the owner of the stall that we walked into. He welcomed us heartily with the Kahwah. I cannot insist more on its benefits. You need to drink one to know what I mean. It was still raining when we had finished our lunch and rather than deciding to sit on these chairs we decided to gather ice from the tents above us. We were all smiles holding the white gold; we couldn’t be more thrilled for a fantastic day so far.

Hotels in the plains are surrounded by mountains offering a breathtaking 360 degree view 

Soon the rides were being stopped due to inclement weather and we had to catch ours downwards. As we left Gulmarg and proceeded towards Tangmarg, beauteous sights beheld us. 

As seen from the view point between Gulmarg and Tangmarg

Once we reached Tangmarg, our driver surprised us by taking us to an apple orchard. After listening and witnessing for the first time the numerous variety of apples, we also had an awesome time with apple picking in there.
 

Reaching Srinagar earlier on gave us another opportunity to visit Dal Lake but not before booking our tickets to Leh for our journey next day. 

Houseboats in Dal Lake

Ready for a Shikara ride?

We went on exploring Dal Lake in the evening before bidding adieu to Srinagar. Exhausted with happiness after an awesome day we proceeded to our accommodation for a good night’s rest.

Some useful tips

There are few options for hotels and tourist bungalows to choose from for one’s stay. If you are visiting here in the season, a couple of days stay here is a must. You could spend your time by soaking in the beautiful vistas around you or by taking a leisurely walk to explore the park and its fun activities such as Zorbing.

Food can be bought in your hotels or from the pop up hotels at stage 1. They are simple but as delicious as one can find at this altitude. Kahwah is essential to keep you warm and what better place to sip it than in those pop up food stalls right outside stage 1.  Also, Tangmarg provides you the best opportunity to buy apples from this region. Green apple at 40/kg was a great deal for someone from the plains so we bought them for our journey ahead.