For people who want to wake up in the snow. Start with a night on a Dal Lake houseboat, then go up to Gulmarg for two nights. The snow 4x4 from Tangmarg and the gondola's first stage are included, so there's no bargaining at the bottom of the hill. Your second day is free: try skiing, ride the gondola higher, go sledging, or sit by the fire and watch the snow fall.
Why you'll love this trip
Two nights in Gulmarg, with snow outside your window.
Snow 4x4 and gondola Phase 1 to Kongdoori included: no surprise jeep fares.
A free day in the snow for a ski taster, Phase 2 or a sledge.
A first night on a houseboat on Dal Lake.
Is this trip right for you?
It's a snow trip: two of your three nights are in Gulmarg, with no other sightseeing.
Gulmarg hotels are simple at the Budget level; choose 3-star or Luxury for more comfort.
Trip facts
Duration
4 days, 3 nights
Starts
Srinagar airport or railway station
Ends
Srinagar airport or railway station
Trip type
Private tour
Group size
Your group only, from 2 people
Minimum age
All ages
Best time to go
1 November to 31 March. The deepest snow is usually from January to February.
Highest point
About 3,080 m (Kongdoori, gondola Phase 1)
Meals
3 breakfasts, 3 dinners
Fitness
EasyShort drives, and as much or as little snow time as you like.
Where you stay
1N Dal Lake (Houseboat)
2N Gulmarg (Hotel)
Itinerary
4 days, day by day.
Your driver meets you at the airport or railway station. See the Mughal gardens of Nishat and Shalimar, take a sunset shikara ride, then check in to your houseboat: carved cedar rooms, a heater, and kahwa on the deck.
Included
Pick-up at the airport or railway station
Nishat and Shalimar gardens
Sunset shikara ride on Dal Lake (1 hour)
Houseboat check-in with welcome kahwa
You can add
Photo session in Kashmiri dress on a shikara
Overnight
Houseboat, Dal Lake
Meals
Dinner
Getting there
40 minutes (17 km)
Drive to Tangmarg, where a snow 4x4 takes you up the last stretch to Gulmarg when the road is snowbound. After checking in, ride the gondola's first stage to Kongdoori at about 3,080 m for wide views over the snowfields, then come down for a walk past St Mary's Church as the lights come on.
Included
Snow 4x4 between Tangmarg and Gulmarg
Gulmarg gondola, Phase 1 (to Kongdoori)
You can add
Gulmarg gondola, Phase 2 (towards Apharwat)
Sledge ride
Snowmobile ride
Pony ride in Gulmarg
Snow coat and boots on hire
Overnight
Hotel, Gulmarg
Meals
Breakfast, Dinner
Getting there
About 2 hours (52 km)
The Gulmarg gondola is closed on the 2nd and 4th Monday of every month, and Phase 2 often stops in strong wind. Tickets are sold online, up to 120 days ahead.
A whole day in Gulmarg. Book a ski taster with an instructor, ride the gondola higher towards Apharwat if the wind allows, take a sledge down the slopes, or just walk through the fir forest and warm up by the fire.
Included
A free day to spend as you like
You can add
Ski taster: 2 hours with an instructor
Gulmarg gondola, Phase 2 (towards Apharwat)
Snowmobile ride
ATV ride in the snow
Sledge ride
Pony ride in Gulmarg
Snow coat and boots on hire
Overnight
Hotel, Gulmarg
Meals
Breakfast, Dinner
Getting there
No driving
After breakfast the snow 4x4 takes you down to Tangmarg, where your car drives you to the airport or railway station.
Included
Snow 4x4 down to Tangmarg
Drop at the airport or railway station
Overnight
End of trip
Meals
Breakfast
Getting there
About 2½ hours (60 km)
We can arrange any of these if you'd like them. Tick them when you enquire, or ask us, and they'll be in your written quote.
What November to March is usually like in the places this trip visits, so you can pick your dates.
Srinagar and Dal Lake
Snow possible
Some Januaries bring city snow; heavy falls can ground flights.
Day about 7°C Night about -2°C
Cold spells can freeze parts of Dal Lake
Harissa and kahwa to beat the cold
Chillai Kalan, the coldest 40 days, runs 21 Dec–31 Jan
Short days: sunset about 5:30–6 pm
Gulmarg
Snow likely
Usually snowy as the ski season starts; dry spells happen.
Day about 1°C Night about -8°C
Ski season usually under way
Sledging and snow play on the meadows
Gondola views over snowy Apharwat
Gondola shut 2nd/4th Mondays; Phase 2 often stops in wind
After heavy snow, only chained 4x4s go from Tangmarg
Snow is never guaranteed in any month, so if weather, roads or closures get in the way, we swap your plans to whatever is open.
Prices
Per person, based on two people sharing a room, including 5% GST.
OptionWhat you getStarting from, per person
BudgetStandard houseboat, then a simple heated hotel in Gulmarg₹14,799
3-starDeluxe houseboat, then a 3-star hotel in Gulmarg₹19,399
LuxuryTop-category houseboat, then a 4-star hotel in Gulmarg₹36,699
Travelling as a group of 4
₹10,899 per person, Budget level, four sharing one car and two rooms
Christmas and New Year (20 Dec – 5 Jan)
₹16,099 per person, Budget level, two sharing
Starting prices for travel from 1 November 2026 to 31 March 2027. Your written quote gives the exact price for your dates, hotels and group.
Terms for this trip
Prices are per person, two sharing a room, and include 5% GST. Minimum 2 people.
Travel from 1 November 2026 to 31 March 2027. From 20 December 2026 to 5 January 2027 the Christmas–New Year price applies.
The group-of-4 price is for four people sharing one car and two rooms, at the Budget level.
Pay 50% to confirm and the rest 30 days before you travel. Booking within 30 days of travel: the full amount.
Hotels are the ones named in your quote, or similar in the same category. Every room is heated (a heater or an electric blanket in budget hotels).
The Gulmarg gondola is closed on the 2nd and 4th Monday of every month, and Phase 2 often stops in strong wind. Tickets are sold online, up to 120 days ahead.
Snow can't be guaranteed in any month. If snow, a road closure or an official order stops a day out, we swap it for a place that's open.
These are the main points. The full booking terms apply to every booking.
Things you can add to your trip
We arrange any of these if you'd like them. Tick them when you enquire and they'll be in your written quote.
Gulmarg gondola, Phase 2 (towards Apharwat)
Ski taster: 2 hours with an instructor
Snowmobile ride
ATV ride in the snow
Sledge ride
Pony ride in Gulmarg
Snow coat and boots on hire
Photo session in Kashmiri dress on a shikara
What's included
Included
1 night on a Dal Lake houseboat and 2 nights in a hotel in Gulmarg
Snow 4x4 between Tangmarg and Gulmarg, up and down
Gulmarg gondola, Phase 1 (to Kongdoori)
Breakfast and dinner every day (3 breakfasts, 3 dinners)
Heated rooms (a heater or an electric blanket in budget hotels)
Private car with a heater and driver for every transfer and day out in the itinerary
Pick-up and drop at Srinagar airport or railway station
Sunset shikara ride on Dal Lake (1 hour)
Fuel, tolls, parking and the driver's costs
5% GST
Not included
Flights and train tickets to and from Srinagar
Lunches
Entry tickets (Mughal gardens, Betaab Valley)
Gulmarg gondola tickets, unless listed above
Local union taxis, ponies and sledges in Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonamarg
Activities you add to your trip
Travel insurance
Tips and personal expenses
Before you book
Good to know
In Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonamarg some places can only be reached by local union taxis, ponies or snow 4x4s. We arrange them if you'd like and they go in your quote.
Prepaid SIM cards from outside Jammu & Kashmir don't work here. Postpaid connections do.
Carry a government photo ID. Hotels ask for it, and it can be checked on the road.
Winter in Kashmir
The coldest weeks (Chillai Kalan) run from 21 December to 31 January. Nights can drop well below freezing, so pack thermals, a warm jacket, gloves, a cap and waterproof shoes.
Days are short: the sun sets around 5:30 pm in December and January, so we start early on day trips.
Snow can close roads for a few hours or a day. We keep you informed and swap the plan to whatever is open.
Morning fog can delay flights in December and January. An afternoon flight home gives you a cushion.
Booking and cancellation
Pay 50% to confirm your booking and the rest 30 days before you travel. If you book within 30 days of travel, we ask for the full amount.
Prices are per person, unless a package says per couple or per skier, and include 5% GST. They're based on two people sharing a room.
Flights, gondola and helicopter tickets, and peak-date hotels we've paid for in advance, can't be refunded. If you cancel, we charge the cancellation charge or these costs, whichever is higher.
You can change your dates once for free up to 30 days before you travel; any difference in price applies. Later changes count as a cancellation.
If weather, landslides, road closures, curfews or government orders stop your trip before it starts, choose new dates, a full credit valid for 12 months, or a refund minus costs we can't recover.
Refunds go back to your original payment method within 10 working days.
If you cancel
If you cancel
Cancellation charge
45 days or more before you travel
10% of the trip price
30 to 44 days before
25%
15 to 29 days before
50%
7 to 14 days before
75%
Less than 7 days before, or a no-show
100%
These are the main points. The full booking terms apply to every booking.
Ready to plan this trip?
Leave your name and number and we'll call you back. Tell us your dates, who's travelling, the hotel level you like and anything you'd like to add, and we'll send a written quote. There's nothing to pay until you're happy with it.
