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A small stone temple with a grey pyramid roof and a carved doorway standing on a stone platform below forested mountains at Naranag
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Photo: Original: Basavaraj K. KorkarDerivative work: UnpetitproleX · CC BY-SA 4.0
1 night · 2 daysFirst visitnature and heritagebalanced

Two days from Sonamarg — the Thajiwas Glacier, Naranag's temples and Kheer Bhawani

Two days from Sonamarg: the Thajiwas Glacier on foot or by pony, then down the Sind valley to the 8th-century Naranag temples and Kheer Bhawani to Srinagar.
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Two days that turn the drive back from Sonamarg into part of the trip. The first is for the Thajiwas Glacier. The second goes down the Sind valley to the ancient Shiva temples at Naranag and the spring shrine of Kheer Bhawani, and ends in Srinagar.

Photos: Original: Basavaraj K. KorkarDerivative work: UnpetitproleX (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Madhrakangri (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Akshey25 (CC BY 3.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.

Who this is for

Summer visitors going to or from Srinagar who want the glacier without rushing and a little of Kashmir's old temple heritage on the way.

Day by day

Day 1

The glacier above Sonamarg

2 stops

A whole unhurried day for the glacier, on foot or by pony, while the summer weather holds.

  1. 08:30
    Thajiwas valley
    viewpoint · 6 min from Sonamarg · about 1 h there
    The valley about 6 minutes from the meadow, where the way to the glacier starts.
  2. 09:45
    Thajiwas Glacier
    glacier · 6 min from Sonamarg · about 2 h there
    The glacier above Sonamarg, reached on foot or by pony in summer. We have no measured walking time, and ice has collapsed here, so keep to your guide's route.
Day 2

Down the Sind valley to Srinagar

2 stops · 54 min on the road

Leave Sonamarg early; the day ends in Srinagar.

  1. 09:30
    Wangath Temple complex, Naranag
    temple · 1 h 17 min from Sonamarg · about 45 min there
    Shiva's stone temples at Naranag, built in the 8th century by King Lalitaditya Muktapida, about 77 minutes from Sonamarg up a side valley from Kangan.
  2. ↓ 54 min by road · 36 km
    12:00
    Kheer Bhawani Temple
    temple · 1 h 16 min from Sonamarg · about 1 h there
    The goddess's shrine over the sacred spring at Tulmulla, about 54 minutes on. Then about 34 minutes into Srinagar.

Getting there

See how to reach Sonamarg for the road from Srinagar, and when to visit for the season. For the pass road above Sonamarg, copy the one-day plan.

Where to stay

Night one in Sonamarg, night two in Srinagar. We have no verified lodging, prices or booking rules.

Know before you go

  • Naranag has no mobile signal, by Wikipedia's account; download your map before you turn off at Kangan.
  • Naranag is also the starting point of the trek to Gangabal Lake below Harmukh; that is a trek of several days and is not part of this plan.
  • We have no verified opening hours for the temples or the shrine; ask locally.

Places on this route

Thajiwas Glacier — the ice above Sonamarg and how people reach it
Thajiwas Glacier — the ice above Sonamarg and how people reach it
glacier · 6 min from Sonamarg
Kheer Bhawani Temple — the spring shrine at Tulmulla near Srinagar
Kheer Bhawani Temple — the spring shrine at Tulmulla near Srinagar
temple · 1 h 16 min from Sonamarg

Going together

No one has started a group going on this plan yet. Start one and other travellers can ask to come along.

Start a groupHow groups work

Other ways to do it

All Sonamarg itineraries →
One day in Sonamarg — the Thajiwas Glacier and the road to Zoji La
One day in Sonamarg — the Thajiwas Glacier and the road to Zoji La
Day plan · First visit · nature
A one-day summer plan for Sonamarg: the Thajiwas Glacier in the morning, then the highway towards Zoji La, with road times and the safety notes you need.
Best Jun–Sep
See the plan →
Kashmir in five days — Srinagar's lake and gardens, the Gulmarg gondola, and Pahalgam's valleys
Kashmir in five days — Srinagar's lake and gardens, the Gulmarg gondola, and Pahalgam's valleys
4 nights · 5 days · First visit · Multi-hub · starts in Sonamarg
A five-day Kashmir plan: Srinagar's Mughal gardens, Dal Lake and old city, the Gulmarg Gondola and St Mary's, then Pahalgam's Lidder valley and Aru. Copy it.
Best Apr–Jun · Sep–Oct
See the plan →

More places nearby

All of Sonamarg →
Hazratbal Shrine — the white-domed Sufi shrine on Dal Lake
Hazratbal Shrine — the white-domed Sufi shrine on Dal Lake
temple · 15 km away
Hari Parbat Fort — the hill fort above Srinagar's old city
Hari Parbat Fort — the hill fort above Srinagar's old city
fort · 15 km away
Shalimar Bagh — the Mughal garden on Dal Lake's north shore
Shalimar Bagh — the Mughal garden on Dal Lake's north shore
monument · 15 km away
Jama Masjid Srinagar — the great wooden Friday mosque of the old city
Jama Masjid Srinagar — the great wooden Friday mosque of the old city
temple · 16 km away
Khanqah-e-Moula — the wooden shrine of Shah-e-Hamadan on the Jhelum
Khanqah-e-Moula — the wooden shrine of Shah-e-Hamadan on the Jhelum
temple · 16 km away
Dal Lake — shikara boats, houseboats and floating gardens in Srinagar
Dal Lake — shikara boats, houseboats and floating gardens in Srinagar
lake · 17 km away
Zoji La — the high pass on the road from Kashmir to Ladakh
Zoji La — the high pass on the road from Kashmir to Ladakh
pass · 18 km away
Nishat Bagh — the terraced Mughal garden of joy on Dal Lake
Nishat Bagh — the terraced Mughal garden of joy on Dal Lake
monument · 18 km away

Nearby destinations

All destinations →
A green forested valley with a stream winding through meadows below snow-capped peaks and white clouds near Pahalgam
Pahalgam
30 km away · 3 itineraries · 4 places
Two shikara boats on calm Dal Lake with snow-covered mountains rising behind the far shore
Srinagar
50 km away · 4 itineraries · 12 places
Visitors walking across the snowy Kongdoori bowl beneath a ridge on a bright winter day
Gulmarg
88 km away · 3 itineraries · 5 places
The white buildings of the Vaishno Devi Bhawan on a steep slope of the Trikuta hills, with brown ridges and a blue sky behind
Katra
149 km away · 3 itineraries · 3 places
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Questions people ask

What is Naranag known for?

Its cluster of ancient stone temples to Shiva, which Wikipedia dates to the 8th century and the reign of Lalitaditya Muktapida. The village is also the base for the trek to Gangabal Lake under Harmukh. It lies about 16 km up a side valley from Kangan, about 77 minutes from Sonamarg on our routing.

Can you visit Naranag and Kheer Bhawani on the way from Sonamarg to Srinagar?

Yes. Naranag is about 77 minutes from Sonamarg, Kheer Bhawani about 54 minutes on from Naranag, and Srinagar about 34 minutes beyond the shrine, all on our routing. With time at each stop it makes a full day, so leave Sonamarg early and keep to daylight on the hill roads.

Is two days enough for Sonamarg?

Two days let you give the Thajiwas Glacier a full, unhurried day and then see Naranag and Kheer Bhawani on the road back to Srinagar. Add a day for the drive up towards Zoji La, which our one-day plan covers. All of this is for summer; check the road before you set out.