We visited Sonmarg and Amarnath during our Jammu & Kashmir trip in June 2013. We left early morning from the capital city of Srinagar to travel 87 kms to reach Sonmarg. The Indian state of J&K doesn’t require any introduction, for, it is worldwide famous as heaven blessed with the presence of Majestic Himalayas.
The grandeur and spell binding beauty of the The Himalayas in these places is extraordinary. I must mention the path was equally beautiful as the destination! We reached Sonmarg afternoon, had lunch, and moved for our ride to nearby glaciers and to Zojilla pass to see “zero point.” As it was a pre-booked tour we were saved from finding and fixing a fair deal with the local taxi drivers to reach zero point. If you go to these places without prior bookings, you must be aware in advance of the prevalent average prices and then bargain and fix a fair deal for yourself. Pony ride is another option. However, we did not choose it as we were already paying to the taxi drivers and did not want to add to our travel cost.
At an altitude of 14000 feet, the ride to zero point remains most adventurous till date! The magnetic hill, eye-catching scenic beauty of the Silk Route connecting Kashmir to Laddakh is difficult to define. The next day was much awaited as we were all set to head towards Amarnath!
Amarnath is basically an important Hindu Shrine famous for the Shiva Linga formed by ice in the Amarnath cave. The cave is surrounded by snow clad mountains and is believed to exist since pre-historic times.
There are two passages to reach Amarnath. One from Pahalgam and another from Baltal which is just 15 kms from Sonmarg. You can either trek on foot till the holy cave. OR, you also have an option of a helicopter ride till Panchtarni and then, further pony ride to ultimately reach the cave. The helicopter can be boarded from Baltal or Pahalgam to reach Panchtarni.
To avoid hassles one should book the tickets in advance. Helicopter tickets can be booked online or if you go for a tour package, it will be done by your travel agent.
We reached Baltal via taxi at 7.00 am. Our helicopter departure was delayed. Inspite, we tremendously enjoyed this waiting time as we were surrounded by one of the most astonishing Himalayan valleys!
After waiting for almost 4 hours we got through our “first” helicopter ride! This ride to Panchtarni was for just 10-15 minutes. However, it remains the most wonderful ride of our life till date.
Flying in between and above the enroute Himalayan Valley was a real awe-inspiring experience! Our return ticket was booked for the same day, the last evening slot. So, we had to rush to and from the Amarnath cave. The trek from Panchtarni to Amarnath cave is dangerous, I must say! As there is a single narrow passage for pony rides, palanquins and pedestrians. We opted for a pony ride due to short time we had to soak ourselves in the highly hypnotizing Himalayan Mountains!
Once we reached the cave, we had to climb staircases to reach the cave housing the famous Shiva linga. Due to heavy pilgrim crowd we did not get much time to stay at the cave. Though it was one the shortest visit but of course, the most memorable one!
Given an opportunity, we will love to drift in the magical valley surrounding Amarnath caves once again. But this time, on foot for sure as trekking here will give us ample time to soak ourselves into the serenity which these peaks hold.
I would suggest that one must trek on foot till the cave either from Baltal or Pahalgam so that you get sufficient time to enjoy the blissful and serene natural ladscapes all around. And, if you are an adventurer and have time, go for a night camp to completely utilize every nano second to satisfy your wander lust. At least, I am gonna do this next time whenever I land into this rarely reached natural haven!
