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The beauty of Kashmir surpasses all imagination and anticipation. It is indeed, not without reason that the Moguls called Kashmir the terrestrial paradise of the earth. It is one of the world's natural beauty spots, located at the crossroads of the ancient silk road, where the Moguls built their lakeside summer palaces to escape the heat of the plains.
Kashmir extends an invitation to breathtaking adventure. Climbing sheer ice-walls and vertical granite slabs, trekking the beautiful forest trails to glaciers and mountain lakes, angling in swift flowing trout streams, golfing on some of the highest courses in the world, rafting down rapids and narrow gorges, hang-gliding and hot air ballooning, skiing down some of the finest slopes and ski-mountaineering across range upon range of mountains are among some of the exciting sports Kashmir has to offer.
Water sports
To those of you who are by nature passive, a shikara ride is the best option. You can command a shikara on the Dal and Nagin lakes in Srinagar for just a crossing, or for a whole day. A variation on this can be the hiring of a motor boat so you travel faster over water. Gulmarg has slopes varying between 8,700 and 10,500 feet with the highest ski runs in India. Meant only for beginners, Gulmarg ski-lifts and chair-lifts provide basic utilitarian facilities with a simple link-up. Those who enjoy the exhilaration of height will therefore have to make their own way up.
TrekkingThe state affords some spectacular contrasts in nature with its alpine pastures,barren wastelands and rugged mountains. Srinagar is a good take off point for trekking in the Kashmir valley or in Zanskar(by road to kargil). In the Ladakh region, Leh is the best point for base camp. The ideal trekking months stretch from April to November; no special permits are required, though registration with the nearest tourist office is necessary.
Mountaineering
Several mountain ranges through the state of Jammu & Kashmir among them Pir Panjal, Great Himalayas, Zanskar, Ladakh, Karakoram. Rich in flora and fauna,the summits of most peaks are an exhilirating experience and from a top them,one can look beyond to neighboring countries Pakistan and Tibet. In the Ladakh region are the Stok Kangri 6,153m, Parcha Kangri 6,065m and Kanglcha 6,400m.More recently peaks in the restricted area of the Nubra valley in the Karakorams have also been opened to foreigners and Indian.
Golfing
You can golf at the highest 18-hole course in the world at Gulmarg. At 3,730 m the greens are overlooked by Gulmarg's picturesque vistas and different from anything you might have seen before. At Srinagar the course has common fairways and a par of 70 and most of it overlooks the serene waters of Dal Lake. And those interested will find that Pahalgam too has a very lovely golf course.
Fishing
Kashmir has been rightly called angler's paradise, with a network of rivers and streams as well as high altitude lakes all abounding in trout both brown and rainbow. Trout fishing in Kashmir is far,far cheaper than it is in ant other part of the world. And most importantly,the Department of Fisheries,which controls angling in the valley,works hard to ensure that there is no depletion of stock by indiscriminate fishing which means that you can revel in angling in ideal conditions.
