Information about Gulmarg
Location:Gulmarg
State: Jammu & Kashmir
Capital: Shrinagar (Summer Capital), Jammu (Winter Capital)
Language: Kashmiri, Hindi, English
Best Season: May to October, November to February
Temperature (Celsius)
1. Spring – From March 15 to May 15.
2. Summer – From May 15 to July 15.
3. Rainy Season – From July 15 to Sept. 15.
4. Autumn – From Sept. 15 to Nov. 15.
5. Winter – From Nov. 15 to Jan 15.
6. Ice Cold – From Jan. 15 to March 15.
How to Reach:
By Air: The state has three airports, namely: Srinagar, Jammu and Leh. Major airlines like: Indian Airlines, Jet Airways operate regular flights to these airports.
By Road: The state has good road network connecting important neighbourhood cities Delhi, Amritsar Ambala, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Pathankot, Shimla and Manali.
By Rail: The most important railways station is Jammu Tawi, which is served many important trains and is so well connected with the rest of the country.
Gulmarg is a hill resort of repute, not only for its beauty and prime location but also as being the highest natural golf course of the world, situated at an altitude of 2890 m. Hub of activity from mid-December to March, Gulmarg is an enviable winter sports resort with all the equipment and training facilities available for skiing, tobo-ganning, ski-bobbing and paragliding along with a T-bar lift, a chair lift and three modern ski-lifts.
53 km from Srinagar, Gulmarg is known as the meadow of flowers and was once a favorite haunt of Emperor Jehangir who collected 21 different varieties of wild flowers from here. It is the best Ski resort in the country and maintains the high-quality service. It also holds a position as one of the highest lift served Ski resorts in the world. It is the first place to offer heli-skiing in Asia, where a helicopter takes one to the chosen peak from where one can choose one’s own descent route. Sledges and snow cycles are also popular here during winters and trekking opportunities here are numerous.
The 18-hole Gulmarg Golf Club is in existence for 100 years and was established by Sir Neville Chamberlain. The Clubhouse, with its sloping roof, has a rare character. Golfing holidays here during summers are popular in this lush green bowl covered with a variety of alpine flowers with snow fed streams and rivulets passing through it.
Apharwat Lake is frozen until mid-June and even after that, one can see ice floating in the river. For the more adventurous trekkers, climbing straight up the boulder-strewn slope of the ridge and descending on the other side to the path is a thrilling exercise. For those who love horse riding, Alpather Lake makes an exciting excursion for a day, starting early morning and returning late evening.