The vast expanse of Kashmir with difficult terrains provides blossoming beauty and 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 too. 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. The J&K tourism runs many hotels at these difficult locations too so that the 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 Gandola ride and once you reach your location enjoy the snow boarding 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 savored 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 of exploring 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.
Also Read: Top 10 Destinations For Paragliding In India
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 River Indus have plenty of brown and rainbow trout. Beware of fishing in Ladakh as it is not permitted owing to 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.
Also Read: Best Places For Hot Air Balloon Rides In India
Bird Watching
Another unusual and pleasurable activity is bird watching since the natural settings here is replete with water are very conducive to breeding birds. There are 500 bird species documented at over 24 wetlands across Kashmir. Lot of local and migratory birds can be spotted in 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.
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