12 Things To Do In Kashmir You Can’t Afford To Miss

The vast expanse of Kashmir with difficult terrains provides blossoming beauty and a cold desert experience too. That is certainly why Kashmir cannot be just limited to sightseeing but is a popular place for many adventure and sports activities, as well as great delights for nature enthusiasts. You can never get enough of Kashmir; more so if you are an avid nature lover, trekker, or photographer.

Listed below are some great activities for a very fulfilling experience in the valley:

Skiing

Kashmir is a blessed ground for the most popular sport-skiing. Gulmarg, Pahalgam, and the Thajiwas glacier in Sonamarg are havens for skiing. J&K Tourism runs many hotels at these difficult locations too so that adventure seekers can stay comfortably and enjoy the sport as well as natural beauty.

Snowboarding

After skiing, this is the next popular activity. Gulmarg with its fabulous slopes and plenty of snow makes for an ideal snowboarding location. Enjoy the upslope on a Gondola ride and once you reach your location enjoy the snowboarding experience.

River Rafting

Coming down from these gorgeous mountains are furious rivers with gushing waters that are absolutely perfect for rafting. The Himalayan Rivers Indus, Lidder and Zanskar provide many thrills to sports enthusiasts.

Camping

Nature is at its best in Kashmir and can be best savoured by camping. Gulmarg, Sonamarg, Pahalgam, Yusmarg, Aru Valley, Pangong Lake and, Nubra Valley, are some mind-blowing sites for camping. Many adventure companies also provide full camping gear to ensure you enjoy every bit of this scenic land.

Mountain Biking

Biking is the right way to explore snowy peaks and clear rivers. From Pahalgam to the extremely difficult Ladakh, mountain biking is considered a very thrilling and challenging activity. Ladakh, though, has many challenging cycle treks for extreme enthusiasts as well.

Paragliding

Paragliding has recently become quite popular as it offers mesmerizing views of the valley and snow-clad peaks along with the essential adventure quotient. Gulmarg, Baderwah, Sanasar, Sonamarg, and Harwan (Srinagar) are places where this activity is carried out in full swing.

Mountaineering

Seasoned trekkers and serious mountaineers would find the peaks of Kashmir ideal for this activity. The varying altitude of these peaks offers easy and difficult degrees of mountaineering. Stok Kangri, Gulap Kangri and Kang Yatsey in Ladakh and Harmukh, Tattakutti, Sunset and Kolahoi in Kashmir Valley are good peaks whereas White Needle, Z-1, Z-8, Bobang, Nun – Kun of Zanskar Range are ideal for mountaineering.

Trekking

Trekking brings life and zing to your valley experience and Kashmir is heaven for trekkers. From easy to challenging, one can opt for any trek route. There are short-duration walks to trans-mountain treks lasting for a couple of weeks. The Ladakh corridor is also quite well-known for its challenging treks through rugged terrains.

Fishing

A good river system has ensured that the Piscean population is abundant in the Himalayan Rivers. It thus is a great place for Fishing and angling. The Lidder River in Pahalgam, the Dal Lake, and the River Indus have plenty of brown and rainbow trout. Beware of fishing in Ladakh as it is not permitted owing to the religious sentiments of the Ladakhi people.

Golfing

There are four world-class golf courses in Kashmir amid beautiful landscapes of meadows and peaks. Indulge in the sport to enjoy nature too. The Gulmarg golf course is known to be the one at the highest altitude.

Hot Air Ballooning

Take fun and adventure to the air. Though a newly introduced activity, hot air ballooning has instantly become very popular in the valley. Pahalgam and Gulmarg are good spots to cherish panoramic valley views.

Bird Watching

Another unusual and pleasurable activity is bird watching since the natural settings here are replete with water and are very conducive to breeding birds. There are 500 bird species documented at over 24 wetlands across Kashmir. A lot of local and migratory birds can be spotted in the Eastern Ladakh region, Gharana and Surinsar wetlands. Amongst these are the Black-necked crane, Bar Headed Geese, Falcon, and the European Blue Whistling Thrush Vulture. Quite exciting for the enthusiasts.