Incredible India
7 Things to Do in Gulmarg, Home to One of the World's Highest Cable Cars
Gulmarg, a former royal summer meadow in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district, is built around the Gulmarg Gondola, Asia's highest cable car, and switches between a winter ski resort and a green-meadow hill station within the same calendar year.
Sep 25, 2026 · BigTravel.in
Gulmarg, meaning 'meadow of flowers', sits at around 2,650 metres in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district, roughly 50 kilometres from Srinagar. Once a summer retreat used by Kashmir's rulers and later by the British, it now runs a double life: a snow and ski destination for much of the winter, and a walking, horse-riding hill station once the meadows turn green from spring onward. Here are seven ways to spend time there.
1. The Gulmarg Gondola, first stage
The Gulmarg Gondola is among the highest cable car systems in the world, and its first stage climbs from the town at about 2,650 metres to the mid-station at Kongdori, near 3,050 metres, in a ride of around 15 minutes over pine forest and open slopes.
2. The Gondola's second stage, to Apharwat Peak
A second gondola stage continues from Kongdori up to around 3,980 metres near Apharwat Peak, opening onto glacier-fed, high-altitude views of the Pir Panjal range; this stage is weather-dependent and can close at short notice in poor conditions.
3. Skiing and snowboarding in winter
Gulmarg is India's best-known ski resort, with terrain ranging from gentle bunny slopes for beginners to steep, ungroomed off-piste runs accessed via the gondola's upper stage that draw skilled skiers and snowboarders from abroad.
4. Walking Gulmarg's summer meadows
From spring through early autumn, the same slopes that carry skiers in winter turn into wide green meadows, at their best for unhurried walking, picnicking and photography, with the surrounding pine forest closing in on most sides.
5. Alpather Lake
A glacial lake beyond Apharwat Peak, reached on foot or horseback from the upper gondola station, Alpather Lake stays partly frozen for much of the year and is a common target for a longer half-day excursion.
6. Gulmarg's golf course
Gulmarg is home to what is widely described as one of the highest green golf courses in the world, a nine-hole course dating to the colonial era that opens for play once the summer meadows are clear of snow.
7. Maharani Temple
A small Shiva temple built in the early twentieth century for Maharani Mohini Bai Sisodia, wife of the last ruling Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, set on a low rise with views over the town and meadows below.
Traveller tips
- The upper gondola stage and ski slopes close at short notice in high wind or heavy snowfall; build a spare day into a winter itinerary if skiing is the priority.
- Srinagar is the nearest airport and the usual base for the roughly 90-minute drive to Gulmarg.
- Warm, layered clothing is necessary even in summer once the gondola climbs above 3,000 metres.
- As with the wider Kashmir Valley, check current travel advisories before planning a trip.
Where this is
Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir