Best Tourist Places in Sonamarg, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
The place, Sonamarg is located on the Indian continent in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in the district Srinagar. The coordinates to Sonamarg are 34.33000 N and 75.33000 E. Sonamarg is 2800 meter from the sea level. During the summer season the temperature ranges from 9 0C to 35 0C and in winter season the temperature ranges from -8 0C to 19 0C.
Month of October to March is the best time in the year to visit Sonamarg.
History of Sonamarg
Sonamarg is one of the ancient routes connecting Kashmir with Gulf countries and is a direct route to China. Over time, many invaders from far away countries such as Turkey and Gulf entered India through the place Sonamarg. There is an Indian Army post that looks after the welfare of this place since this place is of strategic importance.
People & Culture of Sonamarg
People from all religion, caste and sect reside in and around Sonamarg. Urdu, Hindi and Kashmiri are the languages spoken by the people in Sonamarg with Kashmiri being the local language.
Every year festivals such as Lohri, Diwali, Dussehra, E-id, Holi, Maha Shivratri etc., are celebrated in a grand way throughout Sonamarg
Food and Shopping at Sonamarg
To cater to the various delights of the tourist in Sonamarg there are restaurants offering authentic south Indian, north Indian and international foods. There are shops in Sonamarg selling beautifully colored garments with amazing embroidery designs at a reasonable price.
Tourist Places in Sonamarg
There are many religious places in Sonamarg and natural landscapes of interest. The names of such places of interest are mentioned below
- Amarnath
Out of the numerous holy places in the country, Amarnath is the highly guarded pilgrimage spot. According to mythology, this is the place where Lord Shiva clarifies and acknowledges every questions and doubts that happens to arise in the mind of Goddess Parvati.
- Charari- Sharief
At this place lies a shrine dedicated to a saint by the name Nund Rishi or Noor-ud-din.
- Zoji-La Pass
This pass is open only in the late springs. This pass has many snow clad mountains and happens to be the route to Ladakh.
- Baltal
Baltal is a popular camping area and is situated close to the banks of the river Sindh
- Gadsar Lake
This is the only lake in the entire Kashmir state located at high latitude and is a popular fishing camp among visitors.
There are some other tourist places in Sonamarg such as
- Gangabal Lake
- Nilagrad
- Yushmarg
- Vishansar Lake
- Nichinai Pass
- Nilgard River
- Satsar Lake
- Satsaran Pass
Means of Commutation to Sonamarg
SonamargĀ is well connected with the rest of the places in India through roadways, railways and airway. The place has very good public transport facilities.The distance of Sonamarg from some of the cities in Kashmir and neighboring states are given below
- Delhi is located at a distance of 952 km
- Punjab is located at a distance of 589 km
- Himachal Pradesh is located at a distance of 399 km
- Jammu is located at a distance of 371 km
Udhampur and Jammu railway station are the two railway station closer to Sonamarg. The distances of these two stations from Sonamarg are mentioned below
- Udhampur is located at a distance of 248 km
- Jammu is located at a distance of 303 km
The airport at Srinagar is the only airport which connects Sonamarg to the rest of the places in India. The airport is 72km from Sonamarg.
Accommodation Options at Sonamarg
There are three star hotels and resorts with luxury room and suites in Sonamarg. These hotels offer various amenities such as 24 hour check in and out, spa, Wi-Fi, etc., at a starting price of Rs. 3500/- per day. One can also come across hotels in Sonamarg where rooms are rented at Rs. 450/- for 24 hours. Names of hotels in Sonamarg are mentioned below
- Hotel Sonmarg Glacier View
- Hotel Snowland
- Hotel Glacier Heights
- Rah Vilas Hotel
- Hotel Hilltop
- Hotel Heevan Pahalgam
- Pahalgam Hotel
- Hotel Senator Pine-n-Peak Pahalgam
- Gurkha Houseboats
- The Vintage Gulmarg
- Hotel Vardaan
- Hari Niwas Palace Hotel
- K C Residency
- Hotel Premier
- Hotel Asia Jammu Tawai