The tour to Kashmir in India is equivalent to taking a tour to heaven on this earth. This tour was not operative since many years due to the terrorist activities in this region. However, this area has now become almost safe and the tourists have started visiting Kashmir recently. I had an opportunity to visit Kashmir last year in November and I felt that the old golden days have really come back again. The place was full of visitors and tourists from all over the world. You have to start your tour of Kashmir from its winter capital city of Srinagar. Srinagar is situated at a height of 1730 meters from sea level and the weather here remains pleasant during the summer. The best season to visit Kashmir is from March to August as it is extremely cold during the winter months. However, if you are interested in snow skiing and other winter sports, you will have to come here in winter to enjoy such activities.
Srinagar is well connected by air from Delhi, Jammu, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, and Chandigarh. You can reach up to Jammu by train and then, you can travel to Srinagar by road that is around 300 kms away from Jammu. This route has its own beauty and finally you can make a grand entry to Srinagar through fantastic Jawahar tunnel. This is the longest tunnel of Asia and is having total 6 lanes for the traffic. This tunnel is 2500 meters long. Srinagar has lots of hotels in all the varieties ranging from Rs. 100 ($2.5) for the most ordinary lodges to Rs. 10,000 (around $250) for 5 star hotels. There are number of house boats available for stay. These house boats are mainly at two locations. Firstly, the house boats in the dal/Nagin lake, and then, the house boats in Jelum River. The house boats in Nagin/dal Lake are slightly expensive in the range of Rs. 2000 ($50) to Rs. 7000($175) per day per person.
This rate includes all lodging and boarding charges and the to and fro shikara trips for going to shore and coming back. These house boats are extremely well decorated from inside and are having complete suites with all sorts of ultra modern facilities. However, you have to finalize the rates with the house boat owner in advance to avoid problems at the time of payment. Make sure to specify the food items of your choice in advance so that the house boat cook can serve you those items. The house boats in Jelum River are situated at the shore only and you do not require making the trips through Shikaras. The area of such house boats is also slightly dirty and the toilet facilities are also not up to the standards. The rates for such house boats are in the range of Rs.500 ($12) to Rs. 1600 ($40). You are required to stay at least for a week to get the real feel of the Kashmir and its interiors. Out of this one week, it is preferable to stay in the hotel for around 4 days and the remaining 3 days in the house boats. Always make it a point to stay at least for a day or two in the house boats in the midst of the famous dal lake. It is a very special treat to stay in such luxurious house boats.
There is a tourist reception center from where you can get all the information you want. There are some hotel rooms available for stay at this reception center also. However, this place may not be considered that safe as one of the bomb blasts had occurred here before about couple of years. All types of food are available in Srinagar. The Mughlai food is the most famous variety of food available here. The special non-vegetarian items of chicken and mutton are really very tasty and spicy. The breakfast generally comprises of Parautha and vegetables with lot of curd in the morning. There are many dhabas/hotels serving all food items at very economical rates. The people here are very poor but honest and straight forward. You have to carry the clothing depending upon the season you travel. There is practically no night life available now a days in view of the terrorist threats and every body has to reach back to their hotels, latest by 9 pm. The security arrangement of the Indian army is very satisfactory and the army keeps on taking rounds of the city, particularly during night hours.
In spite of this, Kashmir is still worth visiting due to its ravishing beauty. Do not hesitate in visiting this heaven on earth when you visit India next time.
