Kashmir Package Tour with Ladakh | 10 Days Trip

Breakfast: Not included (arrival day; welcome refreshments served on the houseboat instead). Sightseeing: Your driver meets you at Srinagar Airport (SXR) with a name board and takes you straight to your houseboat or hotel, roughly a 20–25 minute drive. After checking in and a short rest, the afternoon is kept free for a relaxed 1-hour shikara ride across Dal Lake, gliding past floating vegetable gardens, Nehru Park, and the Mughal-era Char Chinar island as the sun goes down. Travel: Private airport pickup and transfer to your houseboat or hotel; approx. 20–25 minutes, fully assisted with luggage. Meals: Dinner served on board — a home-style Kashmiri thali prepared by the houseboat's own cook. Overnight Stay: Traditional cedar-wood houseboat on Dal Lake, Srinagar.

Breakfast: Served on the houseboat, overlooking the lake. Sightseeing: A full day covering Srinagar's Mughal Gardens — Nishat Bagh ("Garden of Bliss") with its terraced lawns and chinar trees, and Shalimar Bagh, once the pleasure garden of Emperor Jahangir. From there, drive up to Shankaracharya Temple, perched on a hilltop above the city, for panoramic views over the Kashmir valley. The afternoon is left free for a walk through Srinagar's old-city lanes and papier-mâché, pashmina, and walnut-wood handicraft markets, where our driver can recommend trusted local artisans. Travel: Private cab throughout the day within Srinagar city, approx. 3–4 hours of combined sightseeing and driving. Overnight Stay: Srinagar (houseboat or hotel).

Breakfast: At the hotel/houseboat before an early departure. Sightseeing: Drive out to Gulmarg, the "Meadow of Flowers," set against the backdrop of Mount Apharwat. Spend the day among rolling alpine meadows and pine forests, with an optional ride on the Gulmarg Gondola — one of the highest cable cars in the world — up to Kongdoori Station and, snow conditions permitting, further to Apharwat Peak at over 3,900 metres for close-up views of the surrounding snow-capped ranges. In winter, this is India's premier skiing destination; in summer, it's ideal for short pony rides and golf at one of the world's highest golf courses. Travel: Round trip from Srinagar, approx. 1.5 hours each way (around 50 km). Overnight Stay: Srinagar.

Breakfast: At the hotel/houseboat. Sightseeing: Drive to Pahalgam, the "Valley of Shepherds," along the Lidder River. Visit Betaab Valley, named after the Bollywood film shot here, with its dense pine cover and glacial stream, and continue on to Aru Valley, a quiet meadow village popular for short treks and pony rides. Afternoons are typically spent walking along the Lidder riverbanks or, for the more adventurous, a short optional visit to Chandanwari, the starting point of the Amarnath Yatra route. Travel: Srinagar to Pahalgam by private cab, approx. 2.5 hours (around 95 km), with photo stops at saffron fields near Pampore en route. Overnight Stay: Pahalgam.

Breakfast: At the hotel, followed by an early checkout for a long driving day. Sightseeing: En route to Ladakh, stop at Sonamarg, the "Meadow of Gold," where glacier-fed streams and views of the Thajiwas Glacier make for a scenic breakfast-stop or short walk. From here the road climbs steadily toward Zoji La Pass (approx. 3,528m), one of the most dramatic and, in season, one of the most challenging stretches of the entire route, before descending into the stark, drier landscape of the Drass sector — often called the second-coldest inhabited place on earth — and on to Kargil town on the banks of the Suru River. Travel: Long scenic drive over Zoji La Pass through Drass to Kargil, approx. 6–7 hours (around 205 km from Srinagar); this is one of the more demanding driving days, so we build in regular rest stops. Overnight Stay: Kargil.

Breakfast: At the hotel in Kargil. Sightseeing: The drive to Leh crosses two more high passes — Namika La (~3,700m) and Fotu La (~4,108m, the highest point on the Srinagar-Leh highway) — with sweeping views of the Moonland-like terrain near Lamayuru. Optional short stops can be made at Lamayuru Monastery, one of Ladakh's oldest gompas, and at the Magnetic Hill area later in the trip. This is your entry into true high-altitude desert country, where green Kashmir gives way completely to bare mountains and deep river gorges along the Indus. Travel: Kargil to Leh by private cab, approx. 6–7 hours (around 215 km). Overnight Stay: Leh. On arrival, we recommend a quiet evening with minimal exertion to begin acclimatizing to the altitude.

Breakfast: At the hotel in Leh. Sightseeing: A gentler day designed around acclimatization. Visit Leh Palace, a nine-storey former royal residence modeled on the Potala Palace in Lhasa, and Shanti Stupa, a white-domed Buddhist monument offering sweeping sunset views over the Leh valley. Later, drive out to Magnetic Hill, known for its optical-illusion "gravity-defying" effect, and Sangam, the striking confluence point where the pale Indus meets the muddier Zanskar river. A stop at the Hall of Fame museum, dedicated to the Indian Army's presence in the region, rounds out the day. The pace is kept deliberately relaxed to allow your body to adjust to the elevation. Travel: Private cab within and around Leh, approx. 4–5 hours of combined driving and sightseeing. Overnight Stay: Leh.

Breakfast: At the hotel in Leh, with an early start. Sightseeing: Depart for Nubra Valley over Khardung La, one of the highest motorable passes in the world, with a short stop at the top for photographs (weather and road conditions permitting). Descending into Nubra, visit Diskit Monastery, home to a 32-metre statue of the Maitreya Buddha overlooking the valley, before continuing to the sand dunes at Hunder for a double-humped Bactrian camel ride against a backdrop of snow-covered peaks — a landscape unlike anywhere else in India. Travel: Leh to Nubra Valley via Khardung La, approx. 4–5 hours (around 120 km). Overnight Stay: Nubra Valley, typically in a riverside camp or guesthouse in Hunder or Diskit.

Breakfast: At the camp/guesthouse in Nubra. Sightseeing: Drive to Pangong Lake via the Shyok riverside route, a quieter and increasingly popular alternative to the Leh-Pangong road, passing small Ladakhi villages and dramatic river-carved cliffs. Arrive in time to watch the lake's famous colour shifts — from deep blue to turquoise to grey — as the light changes through the afternoon and into sunset. At over 130 km long and stretching into Tibet, Pangong Lake is one of the most photographed high-altitude lakes in the world. Travel: Nubra to Pangong Lake, approx. 5–6 hours (around 150 km) via the Shyok route. Overnight Stay: Deluxe or standard camps on the banks of Pangong Lake.

Breakfast: At the camp/hotel before checkout. Sightseeing: A final unhurried morning by the lake, with time for photographs before the drive back, or a short detour depending on your flight timing and how the day's schedule allows. Travel: Drive back from Pangong to Leh, approx. 5 hours (around 160 km), followed by a private transfer to Leh (IXL) airport for your onward flight. Overnight Stay: Not applicable — departure day.

This route can also be booked as a Kashmir Tour with Ladakh in reverse sequence, starting from Leh and ending in Srinagar, depending on your flight availability and preference.