Girlgoingplacess

Little did I know that my first trip to Kashmir will take me to the meadows of my dreams… 

Kashmir is all about snow but if you happen to travel here in summers, you can expect the lush green beauty of the state. When I first landed in the capital Srinagar, I felt elated. The vibrant charm, merged with cascading mountains and the serene Dal Lake, was captivating.

Yet, it still didn’t feel like “the paradise on earth”, the title Kashmir is famously known for and then I finally found it unexpectedly on the 3rd day of my Kashmir Trip.  

So this day I had planned for a visit to an offbeat village – Yusmarg. When I researched about offbeat places in Kashmir, it was one on my list and despite the research on the internet, the true beauty of this place can truly be seen when one visits here. Like I did.

On the first glimpse of this village, I was reminded of the heaven of my dreams. It was full of vast green meadows and cloudy skies with a hint of sun rays.

The air was fresh and calm and there was a long span of green forests…. But this was for real now… right in Yusmarg, which after my visit, I call it the “meadow of my dreams”… 

The meadows here were more green than the green, so much so that it works as a fresh green filter to your restlessness and feels like the whole place is a meditation.

As for meditation, it is about living the moment.

This moment amidst the vast green meadows of Yusmarg kept me glued to its beauty. I had no other worries around. 

My Stay in Yusmarg : A cottage out of a scenery

Remember, during childhood, if we were asked to draw a scenery… we used to draw some zigzag mountains with the sun rising through them.

There would be a small hut with a green path. It had a small entrance and a curtained window on the side. Well, that’s exactly how my stay here looked like. 

It was a small cottage with a home-like feeling. There was a wonderful caretaker. They cooked delicious food for us whenever we desired. This made my experience all the more heaven-like.

Places to see around Yusmarg

Yusmarg is a small village, located around 1.5 hours from Kashmir’s capital city, Srinagar. Although it is a place where you should only come to relax and unwind, doing nothing but admiring the green meadows around.

You can even spot some villagers and small mountain huts that add up to the raw beauty of this place. 

And if you still feel like exploring around, then you can go for a riverside experience at Rivar Dudhganga.. Which required a 15-20 minute steep trek…. 

So I started walking across the meadows and also hired along a porter whom I met via the caretaker of my cottage.

I hired him to show me the right path to Doodhganga River but he insisted to carry my bag on his shoulders so I handed it over to him.

He was a native and was quiet helpful on the walk throughout. We also had a nice chit chat and he equipped me with some nice facts about the lifestyle in this village.

The way was full of tall pine trees… and I could hear the gushing sound of the river as 10 mins passed… so as I was about to reach the River I fund “my spot” which was at a the uphill side…

from where I could see a stream of water flowing and thought this would be the right place to sit back and relax rather than going down right up to the River where there were other people too and not let anyone else come between me and my moment with the nature… 

And while I was sitting on a boulder admiring the views, the porter bhaiya went down to get a cup of tea and maggie for me. I asked him to get something for him too.

Silently, we both enjoyed the quiet time in our own spaces. 

Well that’s what this beautiful village in Kashmir was meant for – spending undisturbed time with nature. 

Other Places To See Nearby:

• On the way: Salim Chisti ki Mazar 
• Yusmarg Park 
• Nearby Treks: Nil nag | Sang – e – Safed | Tosa Maidan

A Starry Night in Yusmarg : the best surprise I saw

Yusmarg surprised me at first with its heavenly greenery during the day. In the night, I was amazed by its quietness.

It was so quiet and dark that at first I felt a bit scared but when the moon came at its full bloom, I saw the true shine of the moonlight.

It was not a full moon and it was still so bright that it felt like there were lamps around but when I looked around it was only the light of the moon.

At this moment, when I look up at the sky, I saw the most beautiful surprise… the bed of stars. It was clear and twinkling. I had never saw such a clear night sky before! 

The next morning : A Refreshing Goodbye

My Day 2 in Yusmarg begins… I wake up after a chilly night to the chirping alarm of the birds and winds rustling through the leaves.

The sun was shining bright and added a dash of warmth midst the cold weather.

I walked outside my cottage as soon as I got outside my bed as I realized the dream was still on.

The morning was fresh with my feet touching the grass and feeling the hush of this village as if I was the only one living here. I even saw mountain bees here for the first time.

Is Yusmarg really an offbeat destination?

For most people, off-beat is something that not many people do or a place where not many people plan to visit. Well, Yusmarg totality fits this definition.

In fact, once you enter the Yusmarg valley, your mobile network connectivity will start to fade (the wifi at my stay was the only network I found).

For me, off-beat goes beyond being a less-traveled place, it is a place that gives you an off-beat vibe, something that is hard to experience in most other places – and Yusmarg is full of an “off-beat vibe”. 

And apart from tourism, not many people live in this village of Kashmir, merely 40 – 50 households.

Also, when it snows here, these families move down to Srinagar as during extreme winters life becomes difficult in this village.

Best Time to Visit Yusmarg

So, if you are coming here during summers you can expect quietness, vast green meadows and weather that keeps changing every fifteen minutes. 

During the winters, it has almost 4-5 ft inches of Snow and it looks like a winter wonderland. 

Yusmarg is uniquely beautiful in all seasons, it depends which landscape you would love to experience the most.

How to Reach Yusmarg?

Yusmarg is located in the western part of the Bugdam district in Jammu & Kashmir. In order to reach here, you don’t have to worry much as despite being an off-beat location in Kashmir, Yusmarg is only 1.5 hrs drive away from the capital city of Kashmir, Srinagar. 

This is the reason that most locals and even tourists plan a day’s outing here although I suggest spending at least 1 night here if you’re coming here for the first time. 

Where to Stay in Yusmarg?

If I am ever going to visit Yusmarg again, I will be staying in the same cottage again, which is Whispering Valley Lake View Cottage. And this time, I will certainly spend more time here to soak in its hush serene vibe all the more.