Sonamarg

Situated in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, Sonamarg is a popular hill station in the Kashmir Valley, located at an altitude of 2740 metres. The city lies before the Zoji La pass that leads to Ladakh and is surrounded by high snowy mountains. The passage of Sindh Valley leads to Sonamarg, which is another significant feature of Kashmir.

The name Sonamarg means ‘Meadow of Gold’. This name was given to the place as it is completely covered with a sheet of flowers during spring that appear gold in colour and also for being a decisive trading position, which makes it the main route into Central Asia. The falling sunlight on the high mountain peaks in the city also turns it golden in colour. The place has alpine weather conditions with pleasant summers and heavy snowfall in winter.

Sonamarg is the last stop of Kashmir that leads to the driveway from Srinagar to Leh. Trekking and hiking are quite popular here due to the presence of large number of mountains. Sonamarg is the starting point that leads to major mountain treks and lakes namely Vishansar, Kishansar, Gadsar, Satsar, and Gangabal as well as Amarnath Cave.

Sonamarg is also popular for its walkways out of which the major attraction is the 4 km route to Thajiwas, which is a small valley at the foot of the Sonamarg Glacier, covered with pine, fir and birch trees. The Thajiwas range has a large number of camping sites and also comprises many waterfalls and the Thajiwas Glacier.

Around the city, there are many places to visit like the trek to Gadsar Lake situated at 15 km from Sonamarg, featuring snowtrout, Satsar and alpine flowers, along with a trip to frozen Satsar Lake or Baltal. Other significant places in the city of Sonamarg include the Nilagrad, a mountain river that lies 6 km from Sonamarg which meets the Indus at the Baltic Colony.

Another place is the Krishnasar Lake, which is known for its natural and untouched surroundings. The River stands at the Bisansar Lake at an altitude of 3801 m and is famous for trout fishing. The Sindh River that flows through is full of trout and mahseer. It takes about a day to reach the sacred cave of Amarnath from Zoji La pass, which is close to Sonamarg.