Sonmarg, Kashmir

Date of visit: 2nd May 2022. 

The entrance fee for Sonmarg: 70rs per vehicle.

We reached Sonmarg parking by 10am and the driver parked the car there. From here we need to explore the place on a pony or our own. Due to the local Union, they can not go beyond the parking area and can not say anything in deciding the prices.

Thajiwas glacier

It is 5km from the parking place. It is not very steep. If you do not have kids and elderly people then this easy trek with outstanding views can be done in 2 hrs. No need to hire a horse if your budget does not allow you to hire a pony. 

We already did Vaishnodevi yatra so everyone was tired so we decided to hire ponies.

We were 4 adults (including my Mom 57yr+) and two kids (7yr old).

A horse union person came to us and asked for 1 person 4000rs for pony and 200rs for overcoat and 150rs for shoes.  They mentioned 4 ponies will do and kids can sit with us. After a lot of bargaining, we agreed on 9000rs for 4 ponies and an overcoat and shoes for all. Once we started to sit on ponies then horse wala said for kids We need to take a separate pony. It started to rain as well. After some discussion and considering it will be comfortable for kids we agreed on 1 more pony. We paid today 10000rs. This was our biggest spend on activity on the Kashmir trip. Due to peak season and Eid weekend, we did not have any other option.

Please please bargain with the horse guys as they can really suck your money out of your pockets. Bargain well.

We set on horses and started enjoying the rain and mesmerizing views. All along the way, we could see nature in its pristine state.

The air was too chili and due to the rainwater, our hands started to become numb. After 30mins our kids started to cry that they can't feel their hands and they want to go back. At one point we said nothing is more important than kids and decided to come back but then the horse guy said that the glacier is just 10mins away and we can have fire over there to warm us up. And we can have tea, coffee, and Maggie there too. This sounded like a good option and better than going back for 30mins. We should have bought ice hand gloves for all. Please ensure you have warm clothes with you. The fire was a life saver. We had tea, coffee n Maggie which cost around 800rs for us.

Movies like Ram Teri Ganga Meli, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Satte Pe Satta are shot on the roads to glaciers.

By the time we reached there, the rain stopped.

 Near the glacier there was a footbridge, You could fall from it. Be careful. We spent a memorable time. We played in the snow for some time. My kid was still feeling cold so he did not enjoy it much. We made for it during our trip to Doodhpathri.

We clicked some beautiful views and pictures.

We started our journey back but this time with Sun. Now everyone started to enjoy the journey and scenic views.

Once we reach parking, changed clothes for the kids and went to the green meadows in front of it and spent some quality time