India Mike » India Travel » States in India » Jammu & Kashmir » Katra to Sonmarg -or- Katra to Srinagar ... which is better?
Katra to Sonmarg -or- Katra to Srinagar ... which is better?
We are 3 families (with kids) on a trip to J&K from May 5 to May 16.
There are 6 adults & 6 kids (Ages: 6mnth; 4, 6, 7, 11 & 12 yrs) in all.
Should we break the journey at Srinagar instead of continuing to Sonmarg?
Should we add a day to Sonmarg for relaxation (fun in snow at high altitudes can be tiring) and decrease a day at Pahalgam?
Is the JKTDC 2BHK hut nearer to the glacier? Do they have gas/milk arrangement (considering we will be reaching late)?
Are my travel time estimations correct?
Is this a good itinerary?
May 6: Reach Katra. Relax in Katra.
May 7: Start very early in the morning. Reach the Bhavan by noon so that we can come back to hotel same day/night! [Not to worry ... except the youngest 2, these kids have trekked on foot to the bhavan 5 yrs back].
May 10: Head early to glacier point. Enjoy the snow!
May 12: Sightseeing in Pahalgam (Aru Valley, Betaab Valley, Chandanwari).
May 13: Cover Baisaran (mini switzerland). Relax.
May 15: Shopping in 1st half. Catch evening train to Delhi (overnight train).
May 16: We reach New Delhi Rly Station (NDLS) @ 5:00AM.
Rush straight to the airport to catch the 8:30AM flight.
The itinerary has been planned based on lots of posts & discussions which i've been reading through for a fortnight now.
Thanks in advance to my dear fellow IMers.
Others may answer rest of queries.
My take: Srinagar is on the way, so you may have a night stay there and proceed to Sonmarg after one or day.
Thanks for your reply Prakaant.
The question really is whether it is advisable to continue to Sonmarg ... a few people (offline) have told me that the road from Srinagar to Sonmarg is narrow and risky since it would be night by the time we arrive at Srinagar.
If there's no risk and its doable, then i'd rather continue to Sonmarg and avoid the very early wake up we will have to do to reach sonmarg.
What would you suggest? And how much time does it take to reach Sonmarg (from Srinagar)?
Wow, the plan sounds great, will wait to see pictures.
May 10: Srinagar local sightseeing - Shikara ride, various gardens (Mughal, Nishat, Tulip). Anything else?
May 11: Head early to Sonmarg ... leave by 7AM (2-3 hrs). Checkin to JKTDC huts and then head to Glacier. Snow fun!
May 12: Leave early for Pahalgam. Mattan Suntemple , Achabol garden enroute. Checkin and then local sightseeing in Pahalgam (Aru Valley, Betaab Valley, Chandanwari). Can all this be done?
May 13: Cover Baisaran (mini switzerland). Relax. Is it possible to cover Aru, Betaab, Chandanwari & Baisaran in one day?
Your itinerary seems to be too tight to me.
If purpose of your tour is to enjoy the trip, then you should either add at least four to five days in your itinerary or reduce the stations.
You should start your trek to Bhawan on May 6 itself.
Can't increase the no. of days since the flights + trains are already booked.
But know what you are saying ... But really confused on what to drop - Sonmarg or Pahalgam.
The other families want to enjoy snow ... which I don't think we'll get at Pahalgam in May.
But then Pahalgam is too beautiful to be given the miss.
So essentially it is a choice between Sonmarg v/s Pahalgam.
How would you vote on this?
It is the real Heaven.
Kindly note, For Pahelgam Sight seen, you have to book Local Car.
Originally Posted by aviramkar Always Pahelgam.
What do you think of revised itinerary now? And plz help with the resulting questions.
May 6: Reach Katra. Try to book accommodation at Bhavan for the night. Check-bags to the Hotel and then start for the Bhavan.
May 7: Reach the Bhavan by evening/night. O/N at Bhavan.
May 8: Early morning Darshan. Head to Bhairon. Then head down back to Katra.
May 10: Local sightseeing in Pahalgam (Aru Valley, Betaab Valley, Chandanwari). O/N at Pahalgam.
We should get snow at Chandanwari in May as well, right?
May 12: Head to Patnitop. Cover Verinag on the way. O/N at Patnitop.
May 13: Visit Nathatop (maybe snow there?). Head to Jammu. O/N at Jammu.
May 15: Relax. Pack. Catch evening train to Delhi (overnight train).
May 16: We reach New Delhi Rly Station (NDLS) @ 5:00AM. Rush straight to the airport to catch the 8:30AM flight.
Without taking permission, I have tried to do a little bit touch up in your itinerary.
May 6: Reach Katra. Freshening up and Leave for Bhawan latest by noon. Reach Bhawan by late evening.
May 9: Local sightseeing at Pahelgam.
May 10: Local sightseeing at Pahelgam.
May 12: Head early to Sonmarg ... leave by 7AM (2-3 hrs). Checkin to JKTDC huts and then head to Glacier.
May 16: Reach New Delhi Rly Station (NDLS) @ 5:00AM.
You will have to book accommodation online in advance. You may not get accommodation after reaching Katra.
Thanks for taking the effort to clean up the itinerary.
I think your suggestion for heading to Pahalgam first is good ... not sure why we need to head back to Jammu? We can take NH1 from Katra via Tikhri (adjacent to Udhampur), right?
Checking in to Srinagar on 11th & then again on 13th seems tedious ... we'll have to pack/unpack as many times.
I'm thinking to then do away with the O/N at Sonmarg on 12th ... although everyone in the group (including kids) were sort of looking forward to O/N in snow clad land.
Also, any idea on what would be total travel time from Srinagar to Jammu?
I understand that it takes close to 12 hrs from Phalagam to Jammu itself. Kids tend to become cranky on extremely long road journeys.
Really appreciate your advise and guidance. Thanks!
Please note the sentence: My preferred night stay would be at Jammu, if a vehicle has not been booked in advance.
If you have a vehicle booked in advance, you may proceed straight to Pahelgam.
We also prefer to visit Sonmarg as a day trip.
I would go by Prakaant's itinerary. Regarding your preference of snow , Gulmarg Gandola 2nd phase will let you have that in plentiful.
Thanks once again Prakaant. And iamsomnath.
May 7: Start for Katra very early in the morning. Night stay at Katra.
May 11: Leave for Srinagar in morning so that reach Srinagar by noon (slight detour for Mattan temple, achabol garden). Check in and if possible local sightseeing.
May 12: Head early to Sonmarg ... leave by 7AM (2-3 hrs). Back to Srinagar in evening. Night stay at Srinagar.
May 13: Local sightseeing at Srinagar.
May 16: Reach New Delhi Rly Station. Rush straight to the airport to catch the flight.
Any contacts for renting a good Tempo Traveller?
Have already seen Gulmarg ... hence not visiting ... also think it's much more commercial as compared to Sonmarg.
The itinerary seems to be okay to me.
You may discuss with Tempo Traveller driver on May 7 at Katra. You may find one.
On May 14 if you start by 7 AM Srinagar to Jammu will be maximum 10 hours journey.