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Kashmir Srinagar
| Srinagar |
Many people take the train to Jammu followed by a taxi or bus ride to Srinagar. The journey from Jammu to Srinagar is costlier in the summers because the capital is being shifted from Jammu to Srinagar on both the state buses and Sumos. State buses are safer but take more time and are a bit uncomfortable. Foreign travelers on visas are required to register upon arrival at the airport or to their hotel or houseboat. By plane Flights are operated by Jet Airways, Air Deccan, SpiceJet, Kingfisher Airlines, Go Air, Jet Lite and Indian Airlines [1] from Delhi and Mumbai to Srinagar, with or without a stopover at Jammu. The frequency is once or twice a day by each airline. The cost is approx Rs. 2,500 from Jammu, Rs. 2,500-5,000 from Delhi one way and higher from Mumbai, depending on the season. The airport is still quite small but the expanded terminal is expected to open soon. It is also still heavily fortified and expect to see many soldiers with guns. Winter flights can easily be canceled due to weather conditions. Tickets are easy to purchase in town, but the airport requires a ticket for entrance. A taxi into town should be Rs. 350 and direct to Gulmarg is 1,200-1,500. By taxi Hiring a TATA Sumo SUV (fits up to 9 people, or 5 comfortably plus luggage) from Jammu costs approximately Rs.1,900-2,700 depending on time of year or even time of day. To reduce costs many people choose not to take an exclusive taxi, and share the Sumo taxi with other travelers. This costs about Rs.150-400 per person. For a comfortable trip, try for a seat in the middle row - the front bucket seat is (sometimes uncomfortably) shared by 2 people, and the far back could be quite bumpy as the highway is full of mountainous roads. The journey takes around 8 hours. By bus J&K State Road Transport Corporation (J&KSRTC) operates fairly comfortable buses from Jammu costing around Rs 150 and do the journey in around 12 hours. 2 day buses run between Srinagar and Leh staying overnight in Kargil. There are also direct buses from Delhi taking almost 24 hours to reach Srinagar. Get around Auto-rickshaws can be found everywhere. Taxis and buses area also available. Motorcycles can also be rented for enthusiasts. Negotiate a price with a rickshaw driver before getting in, or just act like you know and pay the driver upon arrival. Drivers usually don't speak English but there will always be a passer-by to help translate for you. At time of writing a rickshaw from Nigeen Lake to Boulevard is approx. 70Rs depending on negotiation skills. |
