Any place with the moniker ‘Meadow of Gold’ has a reputation to live up to.
But with that comes the gold rush. In winter, Sonamarg lies covered under a blanket of snow, but come summer, thousands of tourists descend upon this small town, which is also the last major supply halt for troops bound for Kargil, Drass and the battlefields beyond, and for truckers ferrying supplies to Leh. And then, in summer comes the stream of devotees heading to the holy Amarnath Cave, placing further strain on the ecology of this beautiful valley.
But even amidst the crowds of tourists, taxis and ponywallahs, and the black clouds of diesel from the trucks on the Srinagar-Leh Highway, it’s possible to snatch moments of tranquillity. On arriving you could be tired, jaded, and wondering what possessed you to come here, but a split second later, all doubts will be gone, when the clear, blue skies and gorgeous mountain vistas reveal themselves, the sun glancing off the peaks, casting a golden glow across the valley.
THINGS TO SEE AND DO
The town of Sonamarg lies along an approximately 2 km stretch, west to east, on the Srinagar-Leh highway, NH1D. As you arrive here from Srinagar in the west, on your left (north) is the Sind River and on your right are a few hotels and a road, milling with ponywallahs and waiting taxis, that leads to the Thajiwas Glacier. Drive further along the highway, and you’ll cross an Army camp, followed by Sonamarg Market, packed with shops, dhabas and small hotels. Across the market, to your right, are a few large hotels and the taxi/bus stand. Cross the bridge and the police checkpost on the eastern side, and the town ends. The highway stretches on towards Zoji La.
One of the best things to do at Sonamarg is to simply walk around. The vast meadows and rolling hills you cross on the way to the Thajiwas base camp offer fantastic views and plenty of space to relax, away from the crowds, which make a beeline for the glacier. Another ‘secret’ place is found behind the JKTDC hotel in the main market. Towards the back of the property is a pathway that leads up to the family huts. Walk on past the huts and you’ll come across a wooded hillside that offers views of Sonamarg and the Sind river. Best of all, you’re almost guaranteed solitude here, except for a few grazing horses or curious children. Alternatively, cross the bridge across the Sind and walk down to the river bank or the village there.
TIP Hire taxis only from the authorized stand near the market and be wary of the rather aggressive ponywallahs
Thajiwas Glacier
As soon as you enter Sonamarg, you’re surrounded by taxi- and pony-wallahs offering to take you to the town’s main attraction, the Thajiwas Glacier. Personal vehicles and cabs from outside Sonamarg aren’t allowed onto the road leading to the glacier, so you will need a local taxi, but don’t take one from here as you’re bound to be overcharged. Instead, drive on till you reach the Sonamarg Taxi Stand (Contact: Farooq Ahmed, Mobile: 09469112945), towards the end of Sonamarg Market, on the eastern edge of the town. The taxi stand offers fixed-rate sightseeing to the local places of interest. A round trip to Thajiwas will set you back ₹800 for a taxi, but that’s still cheaper and far more comfortable than hiring a pony (₹500 per person). You can also walk the distance to the glacier (about 3 hours) over rolling meadows accompanied by some gorgeous scenery. Taxis only go up to the Thajiwas base camp, a small clearing packed with diesel-spewing taxis, pushy touts and food stalls. From here, you have no choice but to either hire a pony (₹100-200, 45 minutes), or hoof it yourself (1½ hours).
The walk from the base camp to the glacier is quite an easy one, although you’ll have to watch out for the thousands of tourists, on foot and on horseback. The initial section can be a bit tricky as the path’s a bit narrow and the impatient ponywallahs seem to have little regard for those on foot. At times, the melee gets a bit overwhelming and you begin to question the very wisdom of visiting the glacier, but hang in there; as the meadow opens up, it gets a lot less claustrophobic, for a bit at least.
Stop along the way and take some photos of the valley and the green meadows that overlook Sonamarg. You’ll cross a few small streams and a couple of lone tea stalls. Most of the crowd sticks to the pebbled pathway heading to glacier, so step off that and walk on the grass next to the stream from the glacier, and for a moment, you can almost imagine the place as it would have been a few years ago.
Up next is a small clearing packed with tea shops, and a small, rickety, twisted bridge that looks like it could fall down any time. The glacier lies just ahead, but once you get there, prepare to be disappointed. Rising temperatures and the influx of tourists have taken a toll on the region’s ecology and the glacier has borne the brunt. It’s receded quite a bit, and the ice now looks rather grimy. Rather depressing, but the stunning scenery on the way makes up for it. You can get sled rides here at ₹60-100 per ‘point’ (a point is around 100 feet).
Fishing Point
Once back in Sonamarg, head over to the Fishing Point Park for some much-needed solitude. A cab from the taxi stand will cost you ₹600 (or you can combine it with a trip to the glacier for ₹1,200). But as it’s just 1½ km beyond the taxi stand, it’s easily walked. Just be careful as you’ll be walking along a busy highway. The fishing point by itself is nothing to speak about. However, it sits under some craggy peaks and is free of the hordes of tourists that seem to overrun Sonamarg. They also hand out fishing licenses — it’ll cost you ₹400 (equipment included) for a day-long license to catch up to four fish from the pond here. Alternatively, shell out ₹1,000 to fish (you’re allowed to catch up to six fish) in the nearby Sind River, which teems with trout.
Adventure Sports
Sonamarg’s location makes it perfect for adventure sports. Mountain Magic Rafting (Mobile: 09469740205, 094692 84249) offers river rafting on the Sind. The International Youth Hostel (Mob: 09419707307, 09419408084, 094190 45543) can arrange adventure activities like rafting, rock climbing or trekking guides. You can also check with the JKTDC hotel and the Sonamarg Development Authority to plan treks in the nearby hills.
WHERE TO STAY
There are a bunch of hotels alongside the highway at the start of Sonamarg, near the road that leads to the glacier. Hotel Snow Land (Tel: 0194-2472591, Mobile: 09419089811; Tariff: ₹5,000- 8,000), on the banks of the Sind, is the largest of the lot. Others include Sonmarg Glacier (Mobile: 094690 83602; Tariff: ₹4,700-9,800) and Namrose Resorts (Tel: 231675, Mobile: 09797921087; Tariff: ₹6,600, with meals). But the fanciest has to be the lovely Rah Villas (Faridabad Tel: 0129- 4117492; Tariff: ₹7,500-13,000), around 12 km before Sonamarg towards Srinagar. Ahsan Mount Resort (Mobile: 09419460000/ 4000; Tariff: ₹8,000), by the river, offers 10 luxury tents with all modern amenities. Ideal for camping.
JKTDC’s Alpine Resort (Mob: 09469413011; Tariff: ₹3,000-10,000, dorm bed ₹150) operates two separate facilities in Sonamarg. There’s a guest house complex on the main road, across from the market. The rooms are spacious and have cosy electric blankets. They also have a few family cottages for larger groups, set on the hillside above the main property. The other JKTDC property (Tariff: ₹3,000-7,000) lies in a meadow close to Thajiwas Glacier and offers 6 double rooms, 2 cottages and a dorm. Pick this for the views and the quiet.
Yatri Niwas (Mobile: 09419008419; Tariff: ₹2,000-4,800, dorm bed ₹700) is a spacious property right next to the JKTDC hotel on the highway. Glacier Heights (Mobile: 09871850202; Tariff: ₹3,500) is also in front of the main market, just before Yatri Niwas. Hill View (Mobile: 09469785267; Tariff: ₹4,600, with breakfast and dinner), next to the bridge after the taxi stand, has some musty, overpriced rooms. Drive on along the highway for a kilometre and you’ll reach the International Youth Hostel (Mobile: 09419707307, 094194 08084, 09419045543; Tariff: ₹2,200, dorm bed ₹500) which offers 10 rooms and 4 dormitories. They also operate two luxury huts — Eagle’s Nest, near the Fishing Pond and Thajiwas View Hut near the glacier. Each hut costs ₹10,000 and has two rooms with attached bath, hot water and a kitchen.
WHERE TO EAT
Being an important supply halt for the Army and all vehicles bound for Ladakh, Sonamarg offers plenty of options in the way of food. The main market, at the eastern end of Sonamarg, away from the crowds that throng the western end of the town, is packed with small restaurants and grocery shops where you can fill up on supplies. The most popular of the dhabas is the vegetarian Dogra Vaishno Dhaba. Their tandoori rotis and dal makhani, washed down with lassi, will help you recover your energy after a day of sightseeing. They also have a surprisingly decent masala dosa!
The JKTDC guest house’s restaurant also offers a lunch buffet and can whip up a nice, buttery omelette for breakfast. Hill View serves decent food with the added incentive of outdoor seating set slightly back from the highway. Other restaurants in the main market are Sunflower, Zeeshan, Thajwass, Lolabi and Narinder Punjabi. There are also a couple of riverside cafetarias on the Srinagar-Leh Highway. Island Retreat (entry ₹10), 7 km towards Srinagar, is by the river and has plenty of space for kids to run around. You can get tea, coffee and light snacks here. A kilometer further on is another riverside cafeteria, the Hung Park Food Court (entry ₹10), run by Ahsan Mount Resort. The location, by the fast-flowing Sind, is absolutely lovely, but they tack on a ‘hidden’ ₹200 charge for being served at one of their riverside cabanas.
AROUND SONAMARG
Zoji La (22 km)
Take a cab up to Zoji La at 11,581 ft, where the Kashmir Valley ends and Ladakh begins. You’ll earn edge-of-theseat thrills thanks to the narrow road and precipitous drops, with amazing views en route. You’ll also earn bragging rights for having stood at the historically important pass. All this for ₹3,000 for a round trip. Zoji La is the easiest motorable crossing of the Great Himalayan Range, anywhere along its 2,400-km stretch.
The Great Lakes Trek
The crowds that throng Sonamarg can take some of the sheen off the region’s exquisite natural beauty. But it would be rather hypocritical to blame your fellow tourists. Instead, leave the melee behind and head off on the Great Lakes Trek. Over the course of a week, you’ll camp by a number of serene Himalayan lakes — Vishansar, Kishansar, Gadsar, Gangabal, and Satsar — and walk over pristine, high-altitude meadows, eventually coming down at Naranag. Check the weather forecast, hire a reliable guide, get your maps in order, pack your tents and don’t forget to carry ID with you as the area is patrolled by the Army and you’ll be asked to show identification at any checkposts you cross. Also, never set off without checking in with the local tourism authorities.
TIP The lakes and streams you’ll cross are rich in trout so fishing equipment and a permit are your ticket to a hearty meal
FAST FACTS
When to go Sonamarg’s season is late April to August, but go early in the season. By late May the town gets very crowded and even more so once the Amarnath Yatra begins in late June. This stretch of the Srinagar-Leh highway is snowed in during the winter months, and Sonamarg can be inaccessible at times
Tourist Offices
J&K Tourism, Tourist Reception Centre, Srinagar; Tel: 0194-2452691, 2479548, Website: jktourism.org
Director Tourism (Kashmir), TRC, Srinagar, Tel: 2472449; Website: jktourism.org
Sonamarg Development Authority, Sonamarg; Tel: 0194-2417275, Mobile: 09419461600, STD code 0194
GETTING THERE
Location At 8,900 ft by the Sind River, on the Srinagar-Leh highway (NH1D) en route to Zoji La, 32 km ahead of Mamer in Ganderbal District
Distance 79 km NE of Srinagar JOURNEY TIME By Road 3 hrs
Route from Srinagar NH1D (Srinagar-Leh Highway) to Sonamarg via Nagbal, Ganderbal, Wayul, Manigam, Prang, Kangan, Cheerwan, Mamer, Kulan and Gagangir
Air Nearest airport: Sheikh-ul-Alam Airport, Srinagar (90 km/31/4 hrs; Tel: 0194-2303000/ 31), connected to Delhi, Mumbai, Leh and Jammu by Air India, SpiceJet, Indigo and Go Air. Pre-paid taxis from Srinagar charge ₹3,000 for a drop to Sonamarg
Rail Nearest station: Jammu Tawi: (377 km/11 hrs. Taxi to Sonamarg will cost ₹7,500-8,000
Road Sonamarg is along NH1D that connects Srinagar to Leh. Follow NH1D past Nagbal, Ganderbal, Wayul, Manigam, Prang (bear right), Kangan, Mamer, Kulan and Gagangir to Sonamarg. Taxis from TRC Srinagar (86 km/3 hours) charge approx ₹2,500 to Sonamarg. Shared Sumos charge ₹130 per person. Buses from Srinagar (₹60) operate at regular intervals
Kashmir
Jammu Kashmir & Ladakh Guide
Sonamarg
