A high bowl of meadow and pine — cable cars in summer, powder in winter
Gulmarg sits about two hours west of Srinagar, a wide alpine clearing ringed by fir and the Apharwat ridge. The name hints at summer — a meadow that fills with wild colour — but the place is just as well known for its winter coat. The two-stage gondola lifts visitors first to Kongdoori and then, weather allowing, toward Apharwat, where the view opens across the Pir Panjal.
Families often treat Gulmarg as a long day trip. Couples and snow-seekers usually stay a night so they can take the first cable-car window and walk the meadow before the afternoon rush.
Powder on Apharwat, sledges at the first station and the gondola operating around weather windows.
Snow retreats from the bowl while the ridge still holds white — a mixed landscape many travellers love.
Green underfoot, long walks and picnic weather. Carry a jacket for the upper gondola stage.
The air clears. Photographs of the Pir Panjal are often at their best before the first serious snow.
Snow week or meadow weekend — tell us the month and whether you want the gondola, a night stay or a paced day trip from Srinagar.
