Optional Tour to Kashmir

Pricing: $2899/couple

May 11, 2013 | Delhi - Srinagar

Transfer to the Airport for the flight from Dehli to Srinagar
Transfer to your private House Boat on Dal Lake
Welcome Drink of a Special Saffron Tea
Lunch on your House Boat
Shikara Boat Tour of Dal Lake
Dinner at a local restaurant

After breakfast you will be transferred to the airport to board your mid morning flight over the Himalayas, to Srinagar.

You will be welcomed on arrival at the Srinagar airport and then you will be transferred to your private house boat on famous Dal Lake. Enjoy a welcome drink of Kashmir Kahwah. Kahwah is a green tea made with saffron, spices, and almonds or walnuts. Over 20 varieties of Kahwah are prepared in different households.

Lunch will be serviced on your private house boat.

Kashmir and its House Boats: Pleasant sounds of rolling waters, mist filled mornings, sunny afternoons and calm and serene evenings are some of the beautiful moments that can be enjoyed in the land that is sometimes called the Venice of the East. A land dotted with natural landscapes, exotic mountain valleys, picturesque villages and comfortable houseboats, Kashmir has been rightly pronounced as Paradise on Earth. The Kashmir houseboats are associated closely with the valley's culture and traditions. Dating back to the British rule, houseboats became home to these people after they were denied land grants in the state. A brilliant idea that started from constructing small boats was later revolutionized with transforming these boats into spacious modern styled floating hotels. House boats are all made of the finest cedar wood that follows with intricate walnut wood carvings, paneled walls and tiled baths.

In the late afternoon, we will take a shikara ride on Dal Lake soaking in the sun overlooking the majestic Himalayas. The shikara communities have lived for centuries on the Dal, and so complete is their infrastructure on the lake, that they never have to step on land! Doctors, tailors, and bakers - you'll see them all in wooden shops on the lake, near veggie gardens and acres of lotus gardens.

Dinner will be at a local restaurant and you will stay overnight on your private house boat.

May 12, 2013 | Srinagar

Breakfast on your House Boat
Tour of Mughal Gardens
Lunch at the Lalit Grand Palace
Kashmiri Handicraft Shopping
Dinner at a local restaurant

In the morning breakfast will be served on your house boat in the dining room or on the rooftop. After a leisurely start we will proceed to visit the famous Mughal Gardens of Kashmir. Shalimar Bagh, Emperor Jehangir's "Garden of Love", built for his beloved queen Nur Jehan in 1619, is famous because of their celebrated romance. The garden follows the traditional symmetrical pattern with a central stone channel carrying water through descending terraces in a delightful series of cascades, falls and pools. There are white marble pavilions on the first three terraces and a black marble pavilion on the fourth - the baradari or summer house, which was reserved for the emperor and ladies of the court.

Nishat Bagh or the "Garden of Pleasure", designed in 1633 by Asaf Khan, brother of Nur Jehan, is the largest of the Mughal Gardens. Rising from Dal Lake in a series of gardened terraces and avenues of fountains playing against the blue mountain background, the gardens offer a beautiful view across the lake to the Pir Panjal range to the west. The 12 terraces represent the signs of the zodiac and are planted with cypresses and cedars. The gardens also have the remains of some Mughal buildings including a double storey pavilion with latticed windows.

Chasma Shahi or the "Royal Spring" is the smallest of the gardens. The freshwater spring which supplies the fountains and falls in a fine cascade to the lower terrace is reputed to have medicinal properties. The garden, planned by Jehangir and completed by Shah Jehan in 1632, is situated in the slope of the circling hills with the still waters of the Dal Lake below.

Lunch will be served at The Chinar Restaurant in an open garden at The Lalit Grand Palace Hotel already steeped in the magnificent surroundings of the Dal lake and the beauty of the Srinagar valley, complimented with the vivid memories of the palace; a steaming cup of Kahwa along with the freshly baked coconut macaroons will be served, followed by lunch. This restaurant is under the cool shade of the 120 years old historic Chinar (maple).

Kashmiri Handicraft Shopping: This afternoon, shop for some of the most beautiful and unique handicrafts that Kashmir is famous for. Kashmir boasts an unrivalled tradition of craftsmanship and some of its specialties are finely carved and chiselled woodwork of walnut and oak; brilliantly coloured and painted papier-mâché; chain stitch embroidered rugs; crewel work; leather and fur; onyx and semi-precious stones and beautifully worked silver. Another specialty is shawl-making - the pashmina goat's wool of extreme fineness and intricate embroidery and the even finer shahtoosh or 'ring' shawl, so called because it can pass through a ring. One of the best known and most popular handicrafts for which Kashmir is famous is the variety and design of its carpets. The art of weaving carpets, which first came from Samarkand in Central Asia, was later modified by artisans from Iran and given a new direction during Emperor Jahangir’s reign when the Persian knot style of weaving was brought in by Kashmiri craftsmen. This art can be observed in one of the factories, where weavers work on hand looms with wool and silk.

Dinner will be served at a local restaurant and you will stay overnight on your private houseboat.

May 13, 2013 | Srinagar

Breakfast on your House Boat
Excursion to Gulmarg
Lunch at Highland Park
Visit to Dachigam National Park
Kashmir Wazwan Dinner

After breakfast on the houseboat, drive to Gulmarg (2 hours) the ``Meadow of Flowers``, situated at an altitude of 2730 m. The valley of Gulmarg is a broad bowl of sloping meadows fringed by gigantic fir and pine forests. The air is crisp and cool. From here one gets magnificent views of the surrounding Himalayan ranges with Nanga Parbat visible to the north, Haramukh to the south and the Apharwat ridge and Sunset Peak to the east.

Gulmarg boasts one of the highest natural golf courses in the world and is also a winter sports resort with some of the finest ski slopes in the country. You can walk up a few kilometres to Khilanmarg, an upland meadow carpeted with wild flowers in the spring, which offers a memorable and unrivaled spectacle of snow capped peaks and the shimmering waters of Wular and other lakes in the Kashmir valley. This is also the site of Gulmarg's winter ski runs.

Optional Golf Tour (departure is at 06:30 AM): After an early breakfast you will proceed to Gulmarg for your game of golf. Afterwards, you will meet the rest of the group for lunch. Kashmir offers outstanding opportunities for the golf players all through the summer - from April to November - in inspiring surroundings, through trees of Chinar and pine. The Gulmarg Golf Club was established in the early days of the British rule by Sir Neville Chamberlain. The golf course at Gulmarg is situated at an incredibly high altitude of 3730 metres above sea level and is surrounded by a lush green trees, alpine flowers and crises crossed by snow fed streams and rivulets; gently twisting slopes covered with a natural mossy terrain, and a crispy cool caressing weather. The golf course was redesigned by the famous golf architect, Peter Thompson. Today its has a 6,760 yards, par 72, 18 hole. The layout of the course too is strikingly different from most golf courses - hardly any stretch is flat - the land slopes and inclines along the complete area of the course which has a par of 72. This highest golf course in the world, also boasts of India's longest hole, a par five, 610 yards. The most interesting and trying hole on the Gulmarg, course is unquestionably the 17th. Although not very long, it calls for some precise hitting to land on the green which is daringly placed on the edge of a cliff. The 18th hole, a par five, is a thrilling experience. Its downhill crosses from St. Mary's Church to the club house, a drop of 300 feet.

Lunch will be served at Highland Park. Hotel Highland Park is a heritage property spread over 8 acres of flowercarpeted and pine-forested hillsides. Established in 1966, Highlands Park has hosted Presidents, Prime Ministers and visiting royalty. Currently managed by the third generation of the Nedou family, the hotel cherishes its tradition of war hospitality. After lunch we will visit Dachigam National Park. Dachigam National Park is located 22 kilometers from Srinagar. It covers an area of 141 square kilometers. The name of the park literally stands for "ten villages". The park has been a protected area since 1910, first under the care of the Maharaja of Kashmir and later under the observation of the concerned government authorities. It was initially created to ensure clean drinking water supply for the city of Srinagar. It was finally upgraded and declared a National Park in the year 1981. The main animal species that Dachigam is most famous for are: Musk Deer, Leopards, Himalayan Grey Langurs, Himalayan Black Bears, Himalayan Brown Bears, Jackals, Hill Fox, Himalayan Weasels, Yellowthroated Martens, and Long-tailed Marmot.

This evening we will participate in a Kashmiri Wazwan Dinner: Wazwan a multi-course meal in the Kashmiri tradition. Its preparation is considered to be an art. Almost all the dishes are meat-based (lamb, chicken, fish), but beef is never prepared. The traditional number of courses for the wazwan is thirty-six, though there can be fewer. The preparation is traditionally done by a vasta waza, or head chef, with the assistance of a court of wazas, or chefs. Wazwan is regarded by the Kashmiri Muslims as a core element of their culture and identity. Guests are grouped into fours for the serving of the wazwan. The meal begins with a ritual washing of hands, as a jug and basin called the tash-t-nari are passed among the guests. A large serving dish piled high with heaps of rice, decorated and quartered by four seekh kababs, four pieces of meth maaz, two tabak maaz, sides of barbecued ribs, and one safed kokur, one zafrani kokur, along with other dishes. The meal is accompanied by yoghurt garnished with Kashmiri saffron, salads, Kashmiri pickles and dips. Kashmiri Wazwan is generally prepared for weddings and other special functions. The culinary art is learned through heredity and is rarely passed on to outside blood relations. This has made certain waza families very prominent. The wazas are in great demand during wedding season (May - October). Over night stay on your private house boat.

May 14, 2013 | Srinagar - Delhi

Optional Early Morning Visit to the Floating Market
Breakfast on your House Boat
Transfer to the Airport for your flight to Delhi
Check in at the Hotel Taj Palace Hotel
Dinner at the Taj Palace Hotel
Transfer to the Airport for your flight to North America

Optional Tour: Early morning visit a floating market. This morning, wake up before dawn to take a shikara ride to see the floating market, a huge attraction in Srinagar. The market takes place every morning at sunrise and is where all fresh produce in the city is sold. All the local fruit and vegetable producers come to sell while all the hotels and fresh produce shops come to buy. The only thing fixed about this market is its location and start time. Apart from that all business happens while the shikaras float on a small area of Dal Lake. As you can imagine, it is quite a colorful scene with fresh cauliflower, onion, carrots, lotus root, and flowers for sale, to name just a few. In addition, the colorful characters buying and selling as well as all the tourists and their cameras make for an amazing and photogenic scene.

After breakfast you will be transferred to Srinagar Airport for your flight to Delhi. Upon arrival into Delhi, we will transfer to the Hotel Taj Mahal and the afternoon will be at leisure. This evening, we will have our farewell dinner prior to departing to the airport for flights back to North America.

** PLEASE NOTE: The itinerary, hotels, restaurants and tours are subject to change.