The valley of Gulmarg, a large meadow about 3-sq-kms in area, stands at 2,730 metres, 56-km south west of Srinagar . The name means 'Meadow Of Flowers' and in the spring it's just that, a rolling meadow dotted with countless colourful Bluebells, Daisies, Forget Me Not's and Buttercups. The valley itself is about 3-km long and up to a km wide.

Kargil is convenient base for undertaking adventure activities like trekking, mountaineering, camping, river- rafting, etc. in the high Himalayan valleys. It is also a convenient base for taking excursions to the Wakha- Mulbek valley, where the chief attraction is a 9 m high rock sculpture of Maitreya, besides other monuments. Another tour option is to visit the beautiful Suru Valley to behold the gradually unfolding panorama of the impressive Himalayan landscape. Yet another interesting excursion option is to visit Drass to see its famous features like Tolo-ling, Tiger Hill and the Mushkoo Valley, well known throughout India on account of the extensively televised conflict on the LoC between India and Pakistan during May-August, 1999.

Leh is also a good base for longer day trips out into the Indus Valley. Among the string of picturesque villages and Gompas within reach by bus are Shey, site of a derelict 17th century palace, and the Spectacular Tikse Gompa. Until one has adjusted to the altitude, however, the Only sightseeing one will probably feel up to will be from a guesthouse roof terrace or garden, from where the snowy summits of the majestic Stok-Kangri massif (6,120m), magnified in the crystal clear Ladakhi sunshine, look close enough to touch.

One of the most important Hindu pilgrimage centers of India, the devotees believe that in every lunar month, the icy Shivalinga in the cave of Amarnath begins to take its shape on the first day of the bright half of the month. The Linga reaches its full size on the full moon day and then begins to wane and disappear on the no moon day. The Amarnath cave faces south and inside the cave, there are four to five ice formations resembling figures of various deities. According to the tradition, the largest one is accepted as Amarnath, one on its left as Ganesha and ones on the right as Parvati and Bhairava respectively.

Pahalgam is situated at the junction of the Aru and Sheshnag Rivers and surrounded by soaring, fir-covered mountains with bare, snow-capped peaks rising behind them. The Aru flows down from the Kolahoi glacier beyond Lidderwat while the Sheshnag from glaciers along the great Himalayan.

The chief attraction of this area is an imposing 18th century Buddhist monastery with about 40 monks in residence. Perched picturesquely atop a centrally rising hillock, which is entrenched around by the bifurcated course of a wild mountain stream, the Rangdum monastery has the aura of an ancient fortification guarding a mystical mountain valley.

One of the holiest Hindu pilgrimage in North India, it is a cave shrine of the Mother Goddess, who is said to be the merger of three mightiest deities of Maha Kali (Goddess of power), Maha Saraswati (Goddess of knowledge), and Maha Lakshmi (Goddess of wealth). The number of pilgrims who come here to pay homage to the Goddess keeps on swelling year after year. It is believed to cleanse the spiritual persona and bless a true devotee with resuscitation for the heart.