KASHMIR – THE ENCHANTING KINGDOM

You will be met on arrival in Delhi and transferred to your luxury hotel quite close to the airport. This is an oasis of quiet with exemplary service and amenities.

This morning fly into the ‘Vale of Kashmir’ necklaced by snow capped peaks and settle into your hotel overlooking Dal Lake and the distant alluring mountains. 
Meet your local guide Muzaffar, who after years leading international tours has ‘come home’ to his beloved birthplace about which he feels passionately. With his younger twin brothers he also manages an elite company producing by hand, highly crafted pashminas of singular design.

You will be rowed in your private shikara across the lake before dinner in a local restaurant.

This morning is a fascinating walk through the by-lanes of the old city observing the markets, heritage buildings and day to day life, as well as gleaning an understanding of Sufism. The amble begins at Badamvari (Almond Garden), awash in blossom and includes stops at a significant Sufi shrine, a famous Mughal Garden, the beautiful Jamia mosque built in 1400 AD and the wooden architecture of grand homes built by wealthy merchants. 
After lunch, visit a special village where you have entrée to the homes of master weavers to see at first hand the production and skills involved in producing famous pashmina shawls, from the spinning and dyeing, to setting up of the loom and elaborate almost lost weaving techniques such as ‘kani’.

Pre dawn take colourful painted shikaraa to be amongst the colourful tranquil floating fruit and vegetable markets where local merchants ply their fresh produce, saffron and flowers.

This afternoon go out to the stunning surrounding countryside, a rich tapestry of agricultural land growing pulses, vegetables and flowering orchards with snow capped peaks in the distance. The destination for lunch is Manasbal Lake – abundant with lotus, rich in bird life and on its periphery an ancient Hindu temple.

Today take up residence in an eco luxurious houseboat on Dal Lake before visiting a number of specialist artisans: boat builders with the skills to carve exquisite walnut panels, carpet makers who create paintings in silk, and papier-mâché artists who produce small decorative objects and grand vases and furniture.

This morning, travel in shikaras to the backwaters of the lake where people farm on manmade (hydronic) islands cultivating flowers and vegetables, school children are ferried by boat, and communities believed to derive from Noah’s time live in Gandolas. 
A picnic lunch will be enjoyed at Yusmarg (the meadow of Jesus), where it is believed Jesus once came and stayed. A beautiful meadow surrounded by snow-capped mountains and deep green pine forests affords a leisurely walk to Nilnag lake and a visit with the Gujjar community who are cattle herders. 
A special Kashmir farewell dinner this evening is in the elegant home of our guide whose family are custodians of exceptional family recipes. The meal will be traditionally served by the women of the household seated on the floor

This morning, garden lovers have the opportunity of an early start to visit some of the famed Mughal gardens including Pali Mahal and Shalimar and time permitting the modern tulip garden in full bloom if it is spring. Or climb to the top of the famous Shaiva shrine, Shankaracharya Temple.
This afternoon fly to Delhi.

SUGGESTED TOUR EXTENSIONS:
- Leh/Ladakh
- Kashmir Trek
- Amritsar – Golden Temple