Kashmir Under Snow

You land at Srinagar Airport. Your driver is waiting in a heated 4WD. The road to Dal Lake is lined with bare chinar trees, their branches holding the last snowfall like outstretched hands. Everything is quieter in winter. Fewer tourists. Fewer cars. The Valley feels like it belongs to the people who live here. Your heritage houseboat is moored on Dal Lake. In winter, the lake partially freezes along the edges, and the water is a deep, dark green. The houseboat staff greet you with noon chai, the salted pink tea that Kashmiris drink all winter, and a kangri, a traditional clay fire pot wrapped in wicker that you hold under your pheran to stay warm. It sounds old-fashioned. It works better than any heater you have ever used. Take the afternoon to settle in. The houseboat has thick quilts, carved cedar walls, and a silence that is hard to find anywhere else. Dinner is served on board. The cook makes rogan josh and haak saag, and the warmth of the food against the cold air outside is one of those small pleasures that stays with you.

The drive to Gulmarg takes about ninety minutes in winter. Your 4WD handles the snow without drama. The last stretch, from Tangmarg to Gulmarg, is the most beautiful winter road in Kashmir. Pine trees bend under the weight of fresh snow. The road is white. The sky is white. And then the meadow appears, buried under metres of snow, with the Pir Panjal range rising behind it. Gulmarg in winter is a different world. The Gulmarg Gondola, one of the highest cable cars in Asia, is your way up. Phase 1 takes you to 3,980 metres. The view from the top is a panorama of snow-covered peaks stretching to the horizon. Phase 2, if weather permits, goes to 4,267 metres. Up there, the landscape is pure snow and rock. Silence and wind. If you want to ski, this is the place. Gulmarg has some of the best powder in Asia, and certified instructors are available. If you do not ski, the views and the snow play are more than enough. Sledging, snowball fights, snowman building. It sounds childish. You will do it anyway. The drive back to Srinagar in the late afternoon light, with snow on every surface and the mountains turning pink, is spectacular. Dinner at your hotel.

Pahalgam is about two and a half hours from Srinagar. The highway in winter is lined with snow, and the Lidder River, which runs alongside the road for the last stretch, is a deep turquoise against the white banks. Your driver has done this route hundreds of times. He knows where to slow down and where the views are best. Betaab Valley in winter is unrecognisable from its summer version. The green meadow is buried under thick snow. The pine trees are white from top to bottom. The river runs between snow banks, and the only sound is the water. If you want to sledge, this is the best place in Kashmir for it. The slopes are gentle and the snow is deep. Aru Valley, further up, is even quieter. Nomadic Gujjar huts stand empty in winter, half-buried in snow. The silence is extraordinary. You walk through it slowly, your boots crunching in the snow, your breath visible in the cold air. Lunch is at a local restaurant in Pahalgam town. The rajma-chawal is hot and simple and exactly what you need. The drive back to Srinagar arrives just as the streetlights come on and the city settles into its winter evening rhythm.

Srinagar in winter is the most atmospheric version of itself. The city moves slower. Smoke curls from chimneys. People walk with kangris under their pherans. The morning chai shops have steamed-up windows. Your first stop is Hazratbal Shrine, sitting white and peaceful on the banks of Dal Lake. In winter, with snow on the domes and the lake grey and still behind it, the shrine is one of the most beautiful sights in Kashmir. Then Shankaracharya Temple, perched on a hill above the city. The walk up takes about fifteen minutes, and the view from the top shows you the entire Valley covered in snow. The mountains, the lake, the old city with its tin roofs and wooden balconies. After that, the old city itself. Jama Masjid, with its 370 wooden pillars, is quiet in winter. The Nowhatta bazaar is less crowded, and the shopkeepers are happy to talk. This is where you find the best Pashmina shawls. Your guide knows which shops are genuine. Polo View Market, near Lal Chowk, is good for saffron and dry fruits. In the evening, back at your hotel, the staff set up a kangri session in the lounge. You sit around the fire pots, drink noon chai, and listen to stories about Kashmir in winter. It is the most local experience on this trip.

Your last morning in winter Kashmir. Breakfast at the hotel. The cook makes Kashmiri bread and honey, and the tea is hot and strong. Check-out is relaxed. If you want a last walk by Dal Lake, there is time. The frozen edges of the lake, the houseboats sitting still in the grey water, the mountains behind it all. Your driver takes you to the airport. The flight home is always shorter than the flight in. Most of our winter guests tell us the same thing. They came for the snow. They are leaving because of the warmth. Not the temperature. The warmth of the people, the food, the chai, the conversations with their driver and guide. Kashmir in winter is not just a destination. It is a feeling. We will be here next December.