Gulmarg Wildlife Sanctuary — the forest and meadows around the resort
The Gulmarg Wildlife Sanctuary: about 180 square kilometres of fir, birch and pine forest and alpine meadow around Gulmarg, with its birds, mammals and peaks.
Jammu and Kashmir⛰ 2,650 m2 itineraries
Gulmarg
Gulmarg in the Pir Panjal at about 2,650 m: the two-stage gondola up Apharwat, winter skiing, St Mary's Church, the Maharani Temple and the wildlife sanctuary.
Itineraries you can copy
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One day in Gulmarg — the gondola, the church and the Maharani Temple
Day plan · First visit · nature
A one-day Gulmarg plan: the gondola up Apharwat in the morning, then St Mary's Church, the Maharani Temple and the golf meadow, with times. Free to copy.
Best Jan–Mar · May–Jun · Sep
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A half-day on Gulmarg's meadow — the sanctuary, the golf meadow and two landmarks
Day plan · families · nature
A relaxed half-day in Gulmarg without the gondola: the meadow in the wildlife sanctuary, the golf course, St Mary's Church and the Maharani Temple.
Best Apr–Jun · Sep
See the plan →Going together
No one has started a group going to Gulmarg yet. Start one and other travellers can ask to come along.
Gulmarg, which means meadow of flowers, sits high in the Pir Panjal Range at about 2,650 m, within the Gulmarg Wildlife Sanctuary. It lies about 51 km and 61 minutes from Srinagar on our routing, and Wikipedia calls it the heartland of winter sports in India. In winter the meadows are under snow; in spring and summer they flower with daisies and buttercups, among pine and fir forest.
The reason most people come is the Gulmarg Gondola, a two-stage cable car up the shoulder of Apharwat, with skiing and snowboarding on its slopes. The meadow also holds St Mary's Church, built in 1902, and the Maharani Temple, built in 1915, and the whole area sits in the Gulmarg Wildlife Sanctuary. The British used it as a summer retreat and laid out golf courses here, and the ski club dates from 1927.
The road from Srinagar goes via Tangmarg and includes a 12 km uphill stretch through pine and fir forest. Gulmarg lies close to the Line of Control, and the area is sensitive, so check the current local conditions and your own government's travel advice before you go. Read when to visit, how to reach Gulmarg and things to do in Gulmarg, and copy the one-day plan or the meadows half-day.
Photos: Koshur (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Mehakmengi (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Deepank Ranka (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Places worth the drive
The Gulmarg Gondola — the two-stage cable car up Apharwat
The Gulmarg Gondola, a two-stage cable car from Gulmarg to Kongdoori and a shoulder of Apharwat: stages, heights, ride times and the weather limits.
Apharwat Peak — the mountain above Gulmarg and its ski slopes
Apharwat Peak above Gulmarg: 4,267 m by one account, with views of Nanga Parbat and Harmukh, the gondola to its shoulder and the winter ski slopes.
St Mary's Church, Gulmarg — the 1902 church in the valley of shepherds
St Mary's Church in Gulmarg: built in 1902 in grey brick with a green roof and a wooden interior, closed for years and reopened in 2003, with how to find it.
Maharani Temple, Gulmarg — the Shiva temple of 1915 on the meadow's rise
The Maharani Temple in Gulmarg, also called the Shiv Temple: built in 1915 by Maharaja Hari Singh for his wife, to Shiva and Parvati, above the meadow.
On the map
Open the Gulmarg map →The places a Gulmarg day reaches, with the road time from town. Each opens on the map with its plans and pages beside it.
Before you go
All articles →Things to do in Gulmarg — the gondola, skiing, the meadow and two landmarks
Things to do in Gulmarg: the gondola up Apharwat, skiing in winter, the flowering meadow, St Mary's Church, the Maharani Temple and the wildlife sanctuary.
How to reach Gulmarg — the road from Srinagar via Tangmarg
How to reach Gulmarg from Srinagar by road via Tangmarg, with measured distances and times from the airport and railway, Baramulla and the winter road.
Best time to visit Gulmarg — snow, flowers and the winter festival
When to visit Gulmarg: heavy snow and skiing in winter, flowering meadows in spring and summer, a March winter festival, and what weather means for the gondola.
Nearby destinations
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Questions people ask
How far is Gulmarg from Srinagar?
About 51 km and 61 minutes by road on our routing, via Tangmarg, with a 12 km uphill stretch through pine and fir forest. Wikipedia gives about 56 km. From Srinagar airport it is about 59 km and 69 minutes. The road can be slow after snow, so leave early in winter and keep a spare day.
What is there to do in Gulmarg?
Ride the Gulmarg Gondola up Apharwat, ski, tobogganing or snowboard in winter, walk the meadows in spring and summer, and see St Mary's Church and the Maharani Temple. The Gulmarg Wildlife Sanctuary surrounds the resort. Gondola operation depends on the weather, so go early and be ready for a closure.
When is the best time to visit Gulmarg?
Winter for snow and skiing, spring and summer for the flowering meadows and walks, with moderate summer temperatures. Wikipedia says heavy snow falls in winter and the winter festival is held in March. We have no monthly weather figures; check the forecast and the road, and the gondola's status, before you go.
Photographs by Wikimedia Commons contributors (CC0, CC BY, CC BY-SA), resized; each picture is credited on its own page.