Day 01: Arrive in Srinagar:

On arrival at the Srinagar Airport, you will be welcomed by our representative who will assist and escort you to your waiting vehicle. and proceed towards doodpathri .. which is approximately 47 km from Srinagar. Doodh-e-pathri is yet another bowl-shaped valley about 52 km from Srinagar. It is a recent discovery in the valley covered with the green carpeted small meadow set in the heart of mountains to the southwest of Srinagar. It is an ideal picnic spot that can be visited from here. A two-hour drive from Srinagar ( 47 km) will take you to acres upon acres of grassy meadow ringed by forests of pine, and towering beyond them, awesome and majestic snow-clad mountains. A flowing river resounds with the soft wind passing through the pine trees of the enclosures of the valley.

It is also called a "VALLEY OF MILK" because it produces rich milk in a large quantity. It is said that the cattle grazing in the meadows of Doodle e Pather, produces rich milk in large quantities, this reason it is called the "valley of milk" Doodh e Pather. The shepherds from different areas travel to this place along with their cattle and stay there for days together. This area is also connected to Gurez valley on its north. A cup of tea with a snack at tea stalls run by local people during the season at the main meadows could become your most pleasurable drink. Our night stay will be at the hotel.

Day 2: Doodpathri to Gurez Valley:

Gurez is a valley located in the high Himalayas, about 123 kilometers from Srinagar City & 170 KM from the Doodhpathri  At about 8,000 feet (2,400 meters) above sea level, the valley is surrounded by snow-capped mountains. Gurez, the ultimate adventure destination north of Kashmir, is a gateway to the famous Silk Road through Central Asia.

The pyramid-shaped peak, named after the famous Kashmiri poetess Habba Khatoon, is the most fascinating peak in Kashmir. Emperor Yousuf Shah Chak, said to be a Dard of Gilgit, came to Kashmir via Gurez. It is believed that when King Akbar imprisoned the Emperor, his beloved Habba Khafton was wandering near the top looking for her lover. valley resonates with the surrounding mountains and lulls visitors into a deep sleep. The traditional log homes make Gurez nothing less than a European landscape.

The people of the Gurez valley are darts, they speak the Sheena language and have their ancestral connection to the Gilgit valley in Pakistan. It has diverse fauna and wildlife including the Himalayan brown bear and the snow leopard. and via razdan pass, we will reach guraz and after check-in at the hotel will go nearby for walking to enjoy the village and living hood of the people .then our night stay will be at gurez.

Day 3: Gurez Local Sightseeing:

After Morning Breakfast we will proceed on the day trip to Gurez Local sight seen Like Habba Khatoon Peak , Kishen Ganga ,Dawar etc. When you plan a trip to Gurez and search for a list of places to visit in the valley, one name that will always be on top of that list is Habba Khatoon peak. But when you visit Gurez, you realize that it is not actually a tourist attraction at all. It is just another mountain among thousands of other Himalayan peaks all around.

There is nothing different about it, and there will be times when you may even get confused about which one is the Habba Khatoon peak. It is just a gigantic mountain, a huge assembly of rock standing tall and overlooking Dawar, the central township of GurezSo what is it that makes it so special then? It does look pretty at dawn and dusk but then it is not the mountain that is famous. Rather, it is the person that it has been named after who is an important part of Kashmiri history.It is Habba Khatoon the woman that people know and talk about, not Habba Khatoon the mountain.

She is the one that people of Gurez so fondly remember. The mountain is just their way of making sure that she remains planted firmly in their memories, that she remains spoken of and the name is not forgotten over a period of time.The place in the picture above is the amazingly beautiful Gurez valley. In the center, the tall mountain is Habba Khatoon peak. The group of houses on the right is the town of Dawar.

The stream of water is the Kishenganga River. It flows through the Gurez valley before finally merging into the Jhelum River near Muzaffarabad in Pakistan. In Pakistan, it is known as the Neelum River and forms the beautiful Neelum Valley.

Habba Khatoon, The Poetess
So who was Habba Khatoon? She was a 16th-century Kashmiri poetess who is also known as the ‘Nightingale of Kashmir’. She was born in 1551 (or 1554) in the small village of Chandhara near Pampore. Her childhood name was Zoon (the Moon) because of her immense beauty.

There are several stories related to her and she is a popular figure in Kashmiri literary history. Her life was a difficult one. She was born a peasant girl and lived in poverty with very little education. Her first marriage was to a local peasant boy at an early age which ended in divorce soon after. Her husband, an illiterate peasant, could not really understand her and after a few years of a troubled married life, left her.

It was after this divorce that Zoon started to write and sing songs in Kashmiri. The influence she has exerted over the popular imagination had much to do with the difficulties she herself faced in her life.

It is said that Yusuf Shah Chak, who later on went to become the ruler of Kashmir, was out hunting one day when he heard Zoon singing under a Chinar tree. Upon hearing her melancholic melodies, he stopped and went looking for the woman singing in such a beautiful voice. He found Zoon sitting under a tree and was stunned by her beauty. It was love at first sight for both of them and they decided to get married soon after. After marriage, she changed her name to Habba Khatoon.

Akbar’s Conquest of Kashmir
For a while, everything was all romantic and dreamy. Yousuf Shah Chak became the king of Kashmir and Habba Khatoon was the queen. But then came Akbar and his conquest of Kashmir.

Chaks were a tribe of fighters from Gurez Valley who continued to rule Kashmir until 1589 AD when it was annexed to the Mughal Empire. They were formidable fighters of huge structure and had successfully resisted the attempts of Babur and Himayun to conquer Kashmir. When Akbar became the king, Chaks still remained to be a problem for Mughals when they defeated Akbar’s Army twice. This made the Mughal emperor realize that taking Kashmir by force may not be the best way out. As a way out, he invited Yousuf to Delhi for a peaceful resolution.

Habba Khatoon did not like this idea even a bit. She is said to have considerable control over her husband, the king. Sensing Akbar’s offer as bait, she tried to stop Yousuf the best she could. The king on the other hand knew that their Army will not be able to stand the third attack from Akbar. They have been fighting Mughals for a while but this is as far as it could have gone.

Another attack by Akbar’s Army would have resulted in a massacre of his people on the battlefield. He knew that he was walking into a trap. But he also knew that he has little choice other than to comply with Akbar’s offer. As Habba Khatoon feared, Yousuf was captured on his arrival in Delhi and imprisoned in Bengal. He was later shifted to Bihar where he died and where his grave remains. Three years later, Akbar conquered Kashmir and annexed it to the Mughal empire with little to no resistance

The Poetess & The Ascetic
The day Yousuf left for Delhi was the last that Habba Khatoon saw of her husband. A few days later, the news of Yousuf’s capture came and she never got to be with the love of her life again.

This broke her completely and she took up an ascetic life. All her poems and songs were in memory of her estranged husband, and are so full of sorrow that they will break your heart.

She moved back to Gurez valley and spent most of her remaining life here. She died in 1609 near Athwajan (on Jammu-Srinagar national highway) where her tomb is located to date.

And that was the story of Habba Khatoon. She was a remarkable poetess and is accredited for introducing “lol” to Kashmiri poetry. The word “lol” is equivalent to the English ‘lyric’, conveying a brief thought.

Her lyrics on love and romance still captivate the Kashmiri people. The mighty development in Kashmiri literature during 1500 – 1800 AD is accredited to the works of Habba Khatoon along with several other great poets and poetesses.

DAY 4: Gurez To Srinagar:

After Morning Breakfast we will check out from the gurez and will proceed towards Srinagar via Wuller lake  and check in at the houseboat or hotel in srinagar we will do the shikra ride in the famous dal lake will visit some Mughal gardens and our night stay will be at srinagar.

Day 5 : Sinthan Top, Srinagar.

An undiscovered charm near Srinagar, Sinthan Top is the high point in the Pir Panjal mountain range that makes you feel up in clouds, at a height of 3785 m.
An undiscovered secret near Srinagar, Sinthan Top is the high point in the Pir Panjal mountain range that makes you feel up in the clouds. The place is located at a height of 3785 m on the National Highway of Kokernag-Sinthan Top-Kishtwar Road, connecting Kashmir with Jammu.

Around 37 kilometers of the zigzag and uphill drive from Daksum, it offers an adventurous journey. The spot is emerging for mountaineering, trekking, and skiing.

Once you reach the top you will be greeted with snowy views. The entire region looks like a blanket of fluffy whiteness. and evening we will come back and our night stay will be at the hotel.

Day 06: Srinagar Airport:

After breakfast time free till departure. Transfer by car to Srinagar airport for departure to next destination.