Kashmir

The Kashmir valley, with Srinagar and Dal Lake at its centre, and the meadows of Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonmarg around it.

The valley is green in a way the rest of the western Himalaya is not, watered by the Jhelum and ringed by high mountains. Srinagar sits on Dal Lake, with its houseboats and Mughal gardens. Gulmarg becomes a ski destination in winter and a meadow in summer; Pahalgam is the starting point for several walks and pilgrim routes; Sonmarg sits closer to the glaciers. The tulip garden below Srinagar opens for a few weeks each spring.