KASHMIR -

Arrive around 12 pm at Srinagar airport (SXR). We will head to one of the famous restaurants among locals & then move to our houseboat via shikara, freshen up & then head to Hazrat Darga. People who are coming in later flights will join us directly at Hazrat Darga.

Next , We will visit the excepteionally beautiful small teeny tiny island in the middle of the lake called Char chinar. When the sun is just about to set we will head back and the view is outstanding as shown below.

We have also planned a local food tour as we pass through this evening, so make sure to not have a heavy lunch. Trust me, this will be a super authentic experience .

If not tonight, one of the nights we will try some Kashmiri Wazwan - a multi-course meal in Kashmiri cuisine, the preparation of which is considered an art and a point of pride in Kashmiri culture and identity. It consists of 20 dishes. Read More

Now let's head to our beautiful houseboat & spend few hours knowing each other. Did i say its almost 15 degree outside the houseboat. What an apt weather to sit on grass and talk.

Whoever is interested & i highly recommend , should go for an early morning floating market ride next day. It is unconvincing beautiful.

DID YOU KNOW?

Capital of the state changes based on the seasons. Jammu is the winter capital of Kashmir and Srinagar is the summer capital of Kashmir.

DAY 2 : HEAD TO ARU VALLEY

Enroute we will visit the Darga shown in the movie Bhajrangi Bhaijaan. Aishmuqam Durgah is a very emotional place to be and visiting it is very powerful experience in a leisure trip. People from all around Kashmir comes here to pray for better health of their family.

After which, we will head to our super cozy hotel in Aru valley. You will fall in love with this place. Garaunteed. On the way, we will stop at the only kesar farm in india, the bat factory & a few shops to buy Pashmina Shawls.

Above is the flower from which kesar is taken.

DID YOU KNOW?

Kashmir is the only state in India which has its own flag.

DAY 3 : HIKE TO BAISARAN VALLEY

You can't finish a trip with us without a hike eh ? 😀 .It's time to head outdoors and have a great day out there.

If you have never hiked, this is your chance to do a great small hike . It would take 2 hours max to reach the valley & about same time to reach back.

We will have a simple lunch on the top & will head to our breathtaking homestay in Aru.

DAY 4 : HEAD TO GULMARG

The first 3 days were pretty relaxed but next 2 days would be, I would call , ambitious as we are covering a lot of distance through difficult terrains.

We leave Aru early morning to reach Gulmarg on time. Expect to leave from hotel by 7am both on day 4 and day 5.

Today we will take the Gulmarg Gandola ( 3747 M ) . This is one of the highest gondola rides in the world. The ride takes place in three phases.Today is the day to try your hands on skying . The view from the top area is unparalleled. The cost of gondola is not included.

• Phase 1: Gulmarg to KongdoorI.

• Phase 2: Kongdoori to Apharwat

After coming back from quite a good amount of snow and altitute exposure. Feel free to relax in some of the roadside stalls and a small cafe thats there in Gulmarg. We will have dinner at one of the best places here . You will love the ambience here.

DID YOU KNOW?

The Tibetan Calendar is followed as opposed to the regular world calendar.

DAY 5 : ROADTRIP TO DRAS

Today its a long journey of 6.5 hrs to Dras. This day is not about visiting any specific spot but more about the roads that we take. You will see the landscapes changing from green to brown as we cross Sonamarg. By evevning , we will cross the zozi la pass too.

The only stops for today would be Lunch break, Tea break beside the River and Zoji la pass . We will reach late to the hotel, so be prepared with your jackets as the sun goes down.

We will try to take an evening Chai break at river side with some great views

I have got thermos full of tea .

Have you got your favourite evening snacks ?

Previosly we had 2 days of halt in Sonamarg but we thought of changing it to a mixed itinerary with Leh would give a better value for the people coming. Hence Yay!!, here we are, heading to Leh ( Dras for tonight ).

DID YOU KNOW?

Drass is the second coldest inhabited place in the world.

DAY 6 : DRAS TO LAMAYURU

Alright now that we are inside Ladhak, the roads are going to be amazing & today we have an Incredibly stunning ride ahead of us.

We will start the day by visiting kargil war memorial: A tribute to all the soldiers who lost their lives in 1999.

As we continue, we will stop at Mulbekh Monastery . The reason of its fame is the 30 ft tall sculpture of Maitreya Buddha or Future Buddha carved on a limestone rock, above which the monasteries are built. The sculpture of the Future Buddha overlooks the National Highway 1D, which was once the old trade route.

Just before sunset , we will visit the Lamayuru monastry and call it a day in Lamayuru. You will be stunned by the views this place has to offer.

DID YOU KNOW?

There is a stretch of road called magnetic hill from Kargil to Leh where if you put your car in neutral gear on a downward slope, you will think the car is going up.

DAY 7 : LAMAYURU TO LEH

Since we only have to cover 3 hours of distance today, we can afford to wake up late. Soak in the beauty of this remote village, walk around, have tea from stalls, meet locals, get some souvenirs specific to this place : Basically just a relaxed start for the day.

Today our only plan is to reach Leh and head to the shanti Stupa there. More than the stupa itself, you will get an incredible view of the valley from here. You can even see Stok Kangri, A famous 6000M trekking peak.

Since today is also the last day of the trip, let's go out to the market & have dinner with some nice ambience.

Around midnight as you pack your bags today, just imagine the number of places we went and what a Fab trip we had.

And when you feel it, stop packing & come meet the bunch of people who are still sitting together and just talking because we don't want the trip to end & just dont want to sleep on the last day of the trip. Who knows when we all will ever meet.

DID YOU KNOW?

Leh - Ladakh is called the land of festivals. Some of the most famous festivals are Losar festival, Ladakh festival, Hemis Tsechu festival, Sindhu Darshan festival.

DAY 8 : DEPART FROM LEH

Today we say goodbye hugs & exhange notes filled with words that we somehow couldn't express when they were sitting just beside. Strange huh.

I will see you all in the mountains again 🙂

Note : Itinerary has pictures from all seasons. The picture of snow are from winter trip.

PHOTO CREDITS : Apna Akshay sawant

Kashmir Leh Roadtrip

SLOTS AVAILABLE :

0

GROUP TRIP DATES:

April 21 - 28

Aug 20 - 27

FLIGHTS CONSIDERATION :

Onwards : Around 12 pm Outwards : After 2pm

COST ( excluding 5% GST )

Rs. 29,999 / person ( Before May 1 )

Rs. 30,999 / person ( After May 1 )

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. Homestay/Lodging

2. Transportation: Srinagar airport to Leh airport

3. Accommodation: 7 Nights in hotels

4. Breakfast Bed tea/ coffee with a “Wake uuuuup guys” call from me

5. Permits

6. Local Transportation

7. A Trained Outdoor leader to keep you safe. We Promise 🙂

1. Lunch and dinner

2. Any expenses due to deviation from the itinerary.

3. Gandola pass and Chair lift passes

1. Before 45 days of trip, there will be 25% cancellation charge.

2. Before 30 days and within 44 days of arrival, there will be 50% cancellation charge

3. Before 15 days and within 29 days of arrival ,there will be 75% cancellation charge.

4. Within 14 days of trip there will be 100% cancellation charges. All this been said if you or me can find a replacement for the slot. I will be happy to refund the entire amount. 🙂

Sure . Here are the bank details:) : once done , don’t forget to email us on : [email protected]

BANK DETAILS :

A/C HOLDER’S NAME: Orange Jacket Adventures LLP

A/c No : 169105000957

RTGS/NEFT IFSC CODE : ICIC0001691

BANK NAME AND BRANCH: ICICI , Thoppumpady

Account type : Current account

UPI : 9746721789.ibz@icici

Ofcourse my friend. After Article 370 has been removed since 2018, the special rights given to Jammu and Kashmir completely ended. It is just like any other Indian state and you can move freely in most of the kashmir region.

About people , they are anyway one of the most hospitable people you will find any of the mountain regions.

Yess..most of the places..!!

Haan haan... Ofcourse.. Infact this would be the best way for me to introduce you to hiking. It's a simple trail, and let me tell you it will be phuuuunn .

1. *Mandatory : Original ID Proof

2. Clothes : 3 Synthetic / cotton pants ,4 Full sleeves tees , Sunhat , 1 fleece/ hoodies ,Towel , 1 pair of thermals , 1 down jacket ( zero degree equivalent ), Water proof jacket or poncho.

3. Shoes & socks: High ankle waterproof shoes or good sports shoe , 5 cotton socks

4. Skin care essentials : Sunglasses with UV protection ,Lip balm Cold cream, Sunscreen lotion

5. Toiletries : Wet wipes, tissues

Most people come alone for my trips. About 25% of the people bring a friend or partner.Honestly It really doesn't matter. I have seen on all the batches I have lead. Most people really gel with everyone, even the ones who thought wouldn't gel up, surprise themselves always with the way they got comfortable with everyone.

Each trek/ trip is rated according to the number of days we spend outdoors . If you aren't sure where to start, go with an easy trip or trek.

For trips,

I dreamed of trips where we could go out hike , get exhausted , come back to hotel and have a great evening. This is exactly why some of my trips have Day hikes in it. It is a perfect chance for people who have never hiked in their entire life. Don't worry, We are there :).

For treks,

you can start with Sandhakphu or Chandrashila . You can also benchmark yourself for the treks.

If you can run for 30 mins and cover around 3-3.5 km , then you can go ahead with an easy trek
If you can run for 30 mins and cover around 3.5-4 km , then you can go ahead with an moderate trek
If you can run for 30 mins and cover around 4-5 km , then you can go ahead with an difficult trek

If you have never done a high altitude trek, then start with a easy or Easy- moderate trek. That way you will understand how your body reacts to high altitude and you can check you cardio strength too.

Usually, most batch sizes are between 12-20 people who are aged between 16-38. Most people come alone or with a friend. The trip would feel like you are travelling more with college friends than strangers. We tend to do more outdoorsy things than regular trips .

For example : If we find a very pretty waterfall/ a beautiful sunset / Rainbow on the way. We would stop the vehicle right away to catch the beauty of it.

We usually sleep very late on these trips as we play a lot of group games and most people feel they will miss the precious time with the group members and decides to stay awake.

Here are few places you can read more about the brand and trips

HOW TO BLOCK A SLOT ?

Step 1 : Block the slot

You can block the slot by paying a token amount of 10,000 INR for this trip either by UPI , credit card/ EMI or by Bank transfer.

Block the slot

Be Proud Of You. A Trip Is Gift To Self. When Was The Last Time You Gifted Yourself ?

Step 2 : Refer 2 people to get a Discount

You are loosing Rs.500 by not referring this trip to your friend ( Refer to 2 friends who might join you & all of you gets Rs.500 off each while you book together )

Refer the trip