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| Jammu & Kashmir |
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 Nature has bestowed Jammu and Kashmir with extreme panoramic beauty. Perhaps, this is the reason why tourists aspire to experience what poets describe as 'The Paradise on Earth'. This northern-most state of India comprises of three districts: Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh and each of these areas has its own distinctive charm and cultural variation. Tourists can enjoy Kashmir in numerous ways. Skiing, sledge riding etc in winter; golfing at 2,700 m above the sea, water-skiing, angling or simply drifting down the willow fringed alleys of lakes in Shikaras during summers are some of the most favoured activities for tourists visiting Kashmir. Jammu is the commercial hub of the state, apart from being the most revered pilgrim destination. Ladakh is the high altitude desert known for its breathtaking natural beauty and Buddhist monasteries. The entire state is mountainous, broken by stretches of valleys and dotted with mountain lakes. Jammu and Kashmir are studded with a number of hill stations, which are refreshingly cool in summer. The state offers not only a leisurely or adventurous holiday but also wonderful memories, enough to last a lifetime.
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| GETTING HERE |
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Several airlines operate daily flights to Srinagar, Jammu and Leh from Delhi, Mumbai, Amritsar and Chandigarh. There are also air services between Jammu and Srinagar. The nearest railhead for Srinagar is Jammu Tawi (305 kms), where trains arrive from Delhi, Calcutta, Pune, Mumbai, Kanyakumari and Ahmedabad. Deluxe buses and Taxies also operate from Jammu to Srinagar for the passengers arriving in Jammu by train. By road, there are regular bus services from several cities of Northern India. There are helicopter services to Jammu as well. Leh is connected by air from Delhi, Chandigarh, Jammu and Srinagar. One can also travel by road to reach this northern frontier of the country. One such road route is from Manali (Himachal Pradesh), a 473 km stretch to Leh, which has gained much importance in the recent times. The J&K State Road Transport Corporation (J&K SRTC) and the road transport corporations of Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Chandigarh also operate regular and efficient bus services between Jammu and various cities in North India.
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| WHAT TO SEE |
Kashmir
The gateway to Kashmir is Srinagar, the beautiful old capital that sprawls along the banks of the Jhelum River. The houseboats and the Shikaras in the Dal Lake give a distinct impression to this most beautiful city of the country. Known tourist attractions here are the impressive gardens like Nishat, Cheshmashahi, Shalimar and Harwan. Other favourite attractions for the tourists are Pari Mahal, The Dal Lake, Nagin Lake, Shankaracharya temple, Hazratbal Mosque, Hari Parbat Fort, Khanqah Mosque, The Old Quarter, Rozabal Shrine, Jama Masjid, Chhatti Padshahi Gurudwara and markets of Lal Chowk. A few hours drive from Srinagar will take one to acres upon acres of grassy rolling meadows encircled by forests of pine, and awesome and majestic snow clad mountains towering beyond them.
Apart from a sojourn in the heartland of nature, Kashmir offers destinations, which have ski resorts, delightful trekking trails, lakes, waterfalls, cascading rivers, ancient relics etc. Some of the most famous and much visited getaways from Srinagar are Gulmarg (53 kms from Srinagar), Manasbal Lake, Pahalgam (84 kms from Srinagar), Watlab, Achabal (58 kms from Srinagar), Daksum, Kokernag (70 kms from Srinagar), Yusmarg (47 kms from Srinagar), Aharbal falls and Verinag (70 kms from Srinagar).
Jammu
Nestled against the backdrop of the snow-capped Pir Panjal Mountains, the region of Jammu constitutes the southernmost unit of the state of Jammu & Kashmir. The most celebrated destination in Jammu is the famous temple of Vaishno Devi. This temple town over-hangs the cliffs about Tawi, where millions journey to pay homage at the cave shrine. Other tourist attractions in this district are Ranbireshwar Temple, Raghunath Temple, Ranbir Canal, Peer Mitha, Laxmi Narayan Temple, Panj Mandir, Bahu Fort, Amar Singh Palace, Vir Marg, Raghunath Bazar and Hari Market. Main tourist attractions away from Jammu are Katra (50 kms), Kud (103 kms), Patnitop (110 kms), Sanasar (129 kms), Batote (125 kms), Shah Mahadev (120 kms), Mansar Lake (82 kms), Surinsar Lake (42 kms), Shiv Khori (100 kms), Salal Dam and Lake.
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Other tourist attractions in this district are Ranbireshwar Temple, Raghunath Temple, Ranbir Canal, Peer Mitha, Laxmi Narayan Temple, Panj Mandir, Bahu Fort, Amar Singh Palace, Vir Marg, Raghunath Bazar and Hari Market. Main tourist attractions away from Jammu are Katra (50 kms), Kud (103 kms), Patnitop (110 kms), Sanasar (129 kms), Batote (125 kms), Shah Mahadev (120 kms), Mansar Lake (82 kms), Surinsar Lake (42 kms), Shiv Khori (100 kms), Salal Dam and Lake.
Ladakh
The capital of Ladakh is Leh, which is a compact little town. Most of the attractions lie outside Leh, although there are the 'Nine-Storey Palace' and several important historic monuments. Main attractions some distance from Leh are Kargil (234 kms), Mulbek (45 kms from Kargil), Shergol, Drass (60 kms from Kargil), which are all very picturesque town and village areas. One of the most beautiful regions of Ladakh is the Suru Valley (240 kms from Leh). However, the most celebrated among all these regions is the Zanskar Valley, which is a paradise for those who are looking for ultimate adventure. Ladakh, which lies at altitudes ranging from about 9,000 ft (2,750 m) at Kargil to 25,170 ft (7,672 m), is a land abounding in awesome physical features, set in an enormous and spectacular environment. Bounded by two of the world's mightiest mountain ranges, the Karakoram in the north and the Great Himalaya in the south, it is traversed by two other parallel chains, the Ladakh and the Zanskar Range. This land has been modified over the centuries by the process of erosion. Today a high-altitude desert, sheltered from the rainbearing clouds of the Indian monsoon by the barrier of the Great Himalaya, Ladakh was once covered by an extensive lake system, the vestiges of which still exist on its south-east plateaux of Rupshu and Chushul, in the form of drainage basins or lakes of Tso-moriri, Tso-kar and Pangong-tso. Dras, Zanskar and the Suru Valley in Himalaya's northern flanks receive heavy snow in winter, that feeds the glaciers from which melted water is carried down by streams in summer.
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