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I remember the warm summer days of Mumbai during May 2000 when one day my mother came up to me and asked if i wanted to see heaven on earth!! I was so surprised by that question. I then came to know that my parents were planning a trip to Jammu and Kashmir. The first thing that crawled my mind was the situation there due to increased terrorism and wars that were constantly taking place. But my parents were assured by their friends that its a safe place and can be visited as it has a very tight security for tourists. My parents had gone for their honeymoon to Kashmir back in 1979 and they had promised each other to be back to the place with their kids. It was a perfect time to fulfill the promise made and we left for KASHMIR!!!

The first thing i noticed on Srinagar airport were ice covered mountains and beautiful pine trees. It made me go WOW and i was already in love with the place and the kind of climate. Srinagar is the capital city of Jammu & Kashmir. It is at an altitude of 1, 730 m.In the heart of the Kashmir valley, Srinagar spreads out on both sides of the Jhelum river. Srinagar offers the spectacular sights of the lovely lakes and the houseboats on them. The dry fruits and the traditional Kashmiri handicrafts are the other major attractions of the hill resort. Dal Lake, Nagin Lake, Mughal Gardens, Hazaratbal Mosque, Shankaracharya Hill, Hari Parbat Fort, Adi Shankaracharya Temple, River Jhelum, Hazratbal Shrine and Jama Masjid were the places we visited during our stay at Srinagar. We even stayed in one of the houseboats named Hollywood palace and what an amazing experience it was!! My parents reminisced the days of their honeymoon and told me the stories about their stay in 1979. They noticed that Srinagar had changed a lot in these many years but we all concluded that if there is a heaven on earth, it’s here, it’s here, it’s here in Srinagar!!

Travel Information:

• By Air: Civil airport Humhama is 15 km from the city centre. Flights connects Srinagar with Jammu, Delhi, and Leh.

• By Rail: The nearest rail head is Jammu Tawi.

• By Road: Srinagar is situated on National Highway-1A, which connects to all parts of the country. Buses of Jammu & Kashmir Road State Road Transport Corporation (J&KSRTC) and STRCs of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh run to Jammu from major northern cities like Delhi, Chandigarh and Amritsar. Some continue to Srinagar, while there are many connections from Jammu.

Best time to visit: Between May and September.

For travellers who love nature, Har-Ki-Doon valley (the hanging valley of gods) is a treat. It is a moderate trek and takes the India traveller to one of the least explored regions of Garhwal, (a part of the State of Uttaranchal in India). Har-Ki-Doon is situated in the Western part of the Garhwal Himalayas, at an elevation of 3,556 metres. Its a cradle shaped Valley which is surrounded by dense forests of pines and glittering mountain peaks.

The destination is not very well known, and hence less crowded, and less commercialized. Thereby giving the tourist, a taste of pristine Himalayas, in India.

The trek starts from Netwar to Osla. Its through dense forests of chestnuts, walnuts, willows and chinars. The trek from Osla to Har-ki-doon is through terraced mountain fields, lush green grassy land and conifer forests.

Har-Ki-Doon Valley is a base for Swargarohini ht. 21000 ft. It is mentioned in the hindu holy books that the Pandavas went to Heaven through this mountain.

Nearest International airport: Delhi, India

Nearest railway station:Dehradun, India.