HOW TO GET TO KASHMIR

Kashmir is situated in the North of India. It mostly comprises hilly and mountainous areas, water bodies and plains. It is well connected with the rest of the country through Air, Railway and Road routes.

 

BY ROAD

National Highway 1-A connects Srinagar with Jammu. Also, the popular Jawahar Tunnel connecting Jammu with the valley of Kashmir also falls on the way. The closest state of India to Jammu Kashmir is Punjab and the major traffic to this beautiful state moves through Punjab. The National Highway of India enters Jammu Kashmir through Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.  It starts from Lakhanpur in Jammu, near Punjab and ends in Salamabad, Kashmir . The highway is also connected with Himachal Pradesh in Jammu. The highway from Himachal Pradesh is also connected with Ladakh region. Ideally, to reach Jammu Kashmir by road, it is best to arrive

 

 

At Delhi. Many government and private buses leave for Jammu from here. Buses can be boarded from the Red Fort in Delhi. These buses move through Haryana and Punjab states of India, before entering Jammu. It is important to confirm the route of the buses as some of them take a longer route, causing undue delay.

 

The buses usually leave in the evening, so it is advised to board a sleeper class bus, so that you may sleep during the journey. The buses are comfortable and take a couple of halts during the journey for refreshment. The journey from Delhi to Jammu takes around twelve to fourteen hours. Cities like Manali, Shimla, Ludhiana and Delhi are well-connected with Jammu as many city and tourist buses are run by Jammu and Kashmir State Road Transport Corporation.

 

A number of vehicles are available in Jammu for Kashmir. Light motor and heavy motor vehicles operate on the serpentine mountainous road between the two divisions. Light vehicles take about 6-8 hours for the whole journey, while the heavy vehicles may take as long as 12 hours to reach Kashmir. Do inquire about the road before leaving, as it gets closed frequently due to snow or rainfall.

 

BY RAILWAYS

The only well connected Railway station of the state is in Jammu division. Jammu Railway station is connected to many states in India. Jammu Tawi Railway Station, situated at a distance of about 330 km, is the nearest railhead. This station connects the state with major cities including the southern regions like Trivandrum.

 

Ideally Delhi is the best place to board a train for Jammu. However, you have to make a reservation on the train well ahead of your journey. Alternatively an emergency reservation is also available at a higher price. The trains include Jammu Rajdhani, Jhelum Express, Uttar S Kranti, Andaman Express, Himgiri Express, Swaraj Express and Himsagar Express.

 

A local railway line is also active in Kashmir valley. The work of connecting it with Jammu is under progress and it soon will be completed. No trains ply in Ladakh region. To reach Kashmir from other cities, Jammu Tawi is better as it is well-connected to numerous Indian cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, Kanpur, Pune and Udaipur.

 

BY AIR

Srinagar airport, known as Sheikh Ul-Alam International Airport Srinagar is the busiest airport in the state and  operates flights to the major cities of India like Goa, Delhi, Leh, Mumbai, Bangalore and Jammu. Some of the flights operated by this airport are IndiGo, Air India, GoAir and Jet Airways. Srinagar airport is located at a distance of 14 kms (approx) from the city centre. However the flights from this Airport come and go to only a few selected places yet. The only well connected Airport is in Jammu.

 

 However to access Jammu and Kashmir by Air, Delhi Airport is the best available option. Flights from here can be boarded to Kashir, Jammu and Ladakh regions. Planes of Indian Airlines, Jet Airways, and Kingfisher Airlines operate in Jammu and Kashmir. The journey from Delhi to Srinagar takes 55 minutes. Once you reach the airport, you can hire a taxi or a cab who will charge as per the distance covered.