My experience of Kashmir Tour from Kolkata

My experience of Kashmir Tour from Kolkata

Kashmir is the prettiest state of India with clear lakes, magnificent forest, lush vegetation, skiing places, picturesque meadows, kahwa tea, pristine rivers, breathtaking mountain setting, and the smiling face of Kashmiri people. Srinagar is the capital city of Kashmir, and it is famous for its houseboats, canals, and of course, Mughal gardens. You can witness rich biodiversity, and many are unique to Kashmir.

We were looking for the best Kashmir holiday Package and after searching web we came across NatureWings. We were impressed by their customized Kashmir Tour plan and hence decided to book the Kashmir Package Tour from Kokata through NatureWings. NatureWings is the best travel agency in Kolkata, specialized in customized Kashmir Tour.

This blog of mine will take you virtually through our 9-day travel experience to Kashmir. It will indeed also help you to plan your Kashmir Tour Package from Kolkata.  We spent nine days traveling in the Kashmir valley, and the Kashmiri people are so warm welcoming. They are curious to learn where we were from and what we do. The most amazing part was we had the privilege of being pulled into a family home and sharing lunch with the entire village.

Do you want to have an offbeat travel experience? Then Kashmir is the right destination waiting for you. You can explore popular tourist destinations of Kashmir like Srinagar, Pahalgam, Gulmarg, Sonmarg, and Yousmarg in your Kashmir Package Tour from Kolkata.

I am very excited to share my Kashmir Tour experience with all of you. The tour was our best tour, and we choose Kashmir as our destination above all those beautiful cities because we always felt Kashmir was no less in beauty and experience.

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Kashmir during autumn

Do you want to explore Kashmir but are confused about the right time to visit, let me help you navigate this dilemma? Kashmir has four seasons, and each one tells a different story of its land, culture, and food in autumn. It will make you fall in love with this place instantly. So those of you who want to know about the beauty of Kashmir in autumn, I will share my travel experience. The autumn season sets in from mid-September to mid-November, and it is the most magical time to visit Kashmir.

The lively valleys, the fragrance of flowers, and the rustle of the Chinar fallen leaves are there to enthrall you. It is Kashmir’s golden season and indeed romantic too.

 

Witness the Chinar trees shedding the leaves in autumn

The Chinar trees shedding the leaves in autumn are a symbol of Kashmir and gives a unique value to the beauty of Kashmir. I learned from my tour guide in my Kashmir Package Tour Chinar trees are the soul and heritage of Kashmir. In the local Kashmiri language for Chinar trees, it is called Boon or Buen.

When I talk about beautiful Kashmir, I cannot forget the king of seasons in Kashmir, the  season of gold which paints the beautiful valley in the shades of the dead leaves of Chinar. Who does not want to witness the hues of yellow, gold, and orange with the shedding of Chinar leaves right.

For me, it was attractive to see the shedding of Chinar leaves, and it is a top attraction among other tourists as well. One fine day when I was walking down the street, the rustling of fallen Chinar leaves created a magical sound that one cannot forget easily. The beauty of it is the fallen leaves showcase the beautiful cycle of loss, regeneration, and regrowth.

The pleasant morning and cooler nights, beautiful gardens, and roads filled with the sound of the fallen leaves of the majestic Chinar made our Kashmir Package Tour from Kolkata more enchanting and beautiful. Autumn comes as an essence of charm that no one can overlook.

You can walk around Srinagar during the autumn season to witness the different bright colors of Chinar leaves. The other interesting fact about the shedding of Chinar leaves that I noticed in my Kashmir tour was local people starts wearing woolens and changing their food habits to suit the weather.

 

The beauty of the Saffron harvesting season of Kashmir-Pampore

Before my Kashmir Tour, I knew Kashmir only because of its natural scenery and landscape, but then after my visit, it added a beautiful Saffron flowers picture in my mind. My tour guide showed us tilled fields and asked me to guess the name of plants there. I said some vegetables and cereals named. The guide said it is saffron and informed us Kashmir is one of the largest producers of saffron in the world.

This saffron flower is the most expensive and precious spice considered to be premium quality. When you are in Kashmir, one of the best places to start your purple hunt is Pampore. Pampore is situated 15km from Srinagar.

The uniqueness of this Saffron is that the saffron plant is small and the only flower part seen above the ground. If you like to see the beauty of Saffron then autumn is the best season to plan a Kashmir Trip and seeing how they harvest it will be another beauty of it. In late October- early November, Kashmiri people will harvest Saffron, and it is the specialty of autumn and pride of Kashmir. They use to pluck these beautiful purple flowers, and even the weather has to be pleasant. 

To me, harvesting saffron was not the only back-breaking part of saffron cultivation, and even the preparation of the saffron field also required intensive labor. One of my family members collected the flowers, the other separate the precious stigmas from the blossoms. The purest red Kashmiri saffron in neat bunches is more valuable than gold.  

In my visit to Pampore, I have noticed the local saffron farmers are friendly, and we can freely roam the saffron fields or enjoy the saffron experience.

If you plan a Kashmir Tour Package during the months of October-November, you take out some time to have a stop at Pampore to enjoy Saffron beauty. This fragrance saffron isused for coloring, the ingredient in meat, mayonnaise, and cheese. 

 

What activities to do during autumn in Kashmir?

In autumn, you can visit the apple orchards and help the farmers with apple-picking. The other notable sites to experience the full glory of autumn include the trek to Shankaracharya Hill, then experiencefamous Shikara ride on Dal LakeNehru Park, a unique experience of floating gardensa family outing at Shalimar and Nishat Bagh garden. Furthermore, you also explore the beauty of misty autumn morning, autumnnight view at Dhani waterfallsplendid views of the rivers in autumndifferent shades of autumn, mesmerizing autumn view of patnitopHazratbal Mosque, Pari Mahal, Dachigam National Park, and finally experience houseboat. 

In my Kashmir Package Tour, I was mesmerized to see the valley of Kashmir when it wears autumn’s golden crown. You can feel the breeze filled with the smell of Chinar leaves, and the sound of the crunch of these leaves under your step makes you crazy. 

 

Wazwan- the Kashmiri famous cuisine

The beautiful Kashmir has distinct local cuisine that kept my taste buds wanting more in my Kashmir Tour. Onone day in my Kashmir Package Tour, I indulged in some Kashmiri Wazwan. The rich, authentic taste of Kashmiri cuisine will attract you like a magnet as it did to me as well. 

I learned from the local, Wazwanis Kashmir’s pride, and it is a multi-course meal prepared from chicken or lamb. This cuisine prepares for the special occasion. Do you know that Wazwan comprises 36 mouth-watering dishes? The first dish I started with Tabak Maas, made of lamb breast. Wow, it was delicious as it was deep-fried and crispy outside. The pumpkin and walnut chutney gave me the best combination to Tabak Maas. I kept enjoying the Tabak Maas, but in between, the main course proved even more mouth-watering. 

My main course ended with Aab Gosht and then proceeded to the Kahwa and Phirni. It is always lovely to try out Kahwa, a splendid mix of saffron and cinnamon in the autumn. In your Kashmir Tour, you must try Wazwan as it is the pride of Kashmiri identity and culture.

 

Conclusion

Kashmir’s natural beauty will surely capture your heart, and it will make you plan your next tour as well. At the end of the Kashmir Tour, it will give you those memories of days that are not too hot or cold, that pleasant weather that kept you calm. It gives you unforgettable memories filled with shades of fallen Chinar leaves and majestic saffron. As the autumn season starts progressing towards its end, it reminds us of the beautiful cycle of seasons.

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