Kashmir tour by car from Himachal

Both work. Driving is roughly 600 km via Pathankot, Jammu and the Jawahar tunnel, and takes two days each way with a night at Katra or Patnitop — good if you want the road and a Vaishno Devi halt. Many people prefer to fly into Srinagar and have us meet them there; the valley itinerary is identical either way.

The tourist circuit (Srinagar, Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Sonmarg) has been running normally for years and is well policed. Conditions can change, and occasionally a road or a day is closed at short notice. We follow the local advisories rather than a schedule, and if we think your dates look wrong we will say so plainly instead of taking the booking.

The Indira Gandhi tulip garden in Srinagar opens for roughly three weeks from late March into mid-April, and the exact dates shift with the season. Gulmarg holds snow from December through March, when the gondola is the main draw. May to October is the green, gentle valley: meadows, gardens and shikaras.

Not at all, though a night on one is worth having. Many people split it — a night on the Dal and the rest in a hotel in Srinagar, which is easier for luggage and early starts. We can suggest houseboats we have actually dropped guests at rather than whatever pays a commission.

It runs in two phases — the first to Kongdoori, the second up toward Apharwat at about 3,980 m. Tickets are bought on the day and the second phase closes in bad weather or high wind, often at short notice. Go early: queues build through the morning and the upper stage is the first thing to shut.

Yes. Whether we drive you in from Kangra or meet you at Srinagar airport, the same car and driver stay for Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Sonmarg and the city. No handovers, no local operator taking over halfway through.

March to October covers it: tulips and blossom in April, cool green through summer, and clear crisp air into October. December to February is snow season, beautiful but with the Jammu–Srinagar highway liable to close for weather. We plan a buffer either way rather than pretend it does not happen.