5N / 6D4 stops
Kashmir Honeymoon
Slower and quieter: a houseboat night on Nigeen Lake, a night in Gulmarg, two by the river in Pahalgam, and time left empty on purpose.
SrinagarGulmargPahalgamSrinagar
Price
On request
quote on WhatsApp
Kashmir guide · Houseboats
Houseboats in Srinagar, and how to choose one.
A night on a cedar houseboat is the stay people remember from Kashmir. Here is how to pick the lake, the category and the boat, from a team that books them every week.
Where
Dal, Nigeen, the Jhelum
Graded
Deluxe down to D
Meals
Usually breakfast and dinner
Best stay
One or two nights
The short answer
Book one or two nights: Dal Lake for the views, Nigeen for quiet.
Srinagar’s houseboats are moored on Dal Lake, Nigeen Lake and the Jhelum river. The tourism department grades them from Deluxe at the top down to D, and the grade sets the size of the rooms, the finish and the rate. Most visitors spend one or two nights on a houseboat and the rest of the trip in hotels. Rates are per room per night and usually include breakfast, dinner and the shikara to and from the boat. They change with the category and the season, so we quote the current rate for your dates.
Written by Shahid Parvez Khan, founder of Falcon Trails and a Kashmir guide since 2010 · last checked
What a Srinagar houseboat is
Kashmir’s houseboats are long wooden boats, most built of deodar cedar, permanently moored and fitted out like a small house: two to four bedrooms with bathrooms, a sitting room and a dining room panelled in carved walnut, and a front deck over the water. They do not sail anywhere. Many have been run by the same family for generations, and the family usually lives on a smaller boat alongside and cooks for the guests.
On Dal Lake most boats sit in lines away from the shore, and you reach them by shikara, the small covered boat that carries guests and luggage across. Some boats on Nigeen and on the Jhelum can be reached on foot from the road.
Dal Lake, Nigeen Lake or the Jhelum?
| Where | What it is like | Good for | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dal Lake | The famous one: hundreds of boats, the Zabarwan hills behind, shikaras passing all day | A first visit, sunset on the water, being near the Boulevard | Busier, and vendors in shikaras will call at your boat |
| Nigeen Lake | North of Dal and joined to it, with far fewer boats | Quiet, couples, a slower stay | Shops and restaurants are a short drive away |
| Jhelum river | Older boats moored along the river in the city | Lower budgets, road access | Less of a view, and city noise |
What the categories mean
The tourism department classifies houseboats into categories, from Deluxe at the top through A, B, C and D. The category reflects the size of the rooms, the woodwork and furnishing, the bathrooms and the facilities, and the Houseboat Owners’ Association publishes a rate for each category.
Sellers do not always use the letters consistently, and a photograph can be years old. Before you pay, ask which category the boat is registered in, and ask for current photographs of the room you will get.
What a houseboat stay usually includes
- A double room with its own bathroom, and the shared sitting and dining rooms.
- Breakfast and dinner, cooked on board by the family. Lunch is extra and is best ordered in the morning.
- The shikara between the shore and the boat, on Dal Lake.
- Heating in the colder months. Between November and March, ask what kind: electric heaters, a bukhari stove or heated blankets.
Not usually included: a longer shikara ride around the lake (an hour or two is a separate fare) and anything you buy from the floating vendors.
How many nights on a houseboat?
One night is enough to feel it: the lake at dusk, the call to prayer across the water, breakfast on the deck. Two nights suits a slower trip or a honeymoon. Beyond that most people prefer a hotel for the space, hot water at any hour and easier coming and going, especially with children or older parents.
The usual pattern in our itineraries is a houseboat on the first or last night in Srinagar, with hotels in Gulmarg and Pahalgam.
How we book houseboats
Step 1
Tell us your dates and who is travelling
Couples, families and groups suit different boats, so it helps to know early.
Step 2
We choose the boat
Boats we have stayed on or inspected, in the category you choose, with current photographs of the room.
Step 3
The rate is in your quote
The houseboat night is priced at the current rate for its category and season, with what is included written down.
Step 4
On arrival
Your driver takes you to the ghat, the shikara takes you and your bags to the boat, and the family is expecting you.
Itineraries that fit
Start from one of these.
Each is reshaped around your dates, flights and group, and quoted in writing before you pay.
View itinerary
2N / 3D1 stops
Srinagar Weekend
Two nights in Srinagar, done properly: a houseboat on the lake, a shikara to the floating market at dawn, the Mughal gardens and the old city on foot.
Srinagar
Price
On request
quote on WhatsApp
4N / 5D4 stops
Kashmir Essentials
The classic first Kashmir trip, planned properly: a houseboat night on Dal Lake, Gulmarg and its gondola, and a night in the Lidder valley at Pahalgam.
SrinagarGulmargPahalgamSrinagar
Price
On request
quote on WhatsApp
Questions
What people ask us.
How much does a houseboat in Srinagar cost?
It depends on the category, the lake and the season: a Deluxe boat on Dal Lake in May costs several times a basic boat on the Jhelum in winter. Rates are per room per night and usually include breakfast and dinner. Tell us your dates and we will quote the current rate.
Dal Lake or Nigeen Lake: which is better?
Dal for the classic views and being near the Boulevard; Nigeen for quiet. Most first-time visitors choose Dal; couples and repeat visitors often prefer Nigeen.
Do houseboats have attached bathrooms?
In the Deluxe and A categories every bedroom has its own bathroom. Check this for the lower categories.
Are houseboats comfortable in winter?
With good heating, yes, but they are colder than hotels. From December to February we suggest one night on a well-heated boat and hotels for the rest.
Can we book only a houseboat, without a tour package?
Yes. We book houseboat nights on their own, with an airport pickup if you want one.
Plan your Kashmir trip
Tell us your city, dates and who is travelling. You get a day-by-day plan and an itemised quote, flights included if you want them, usually the same day.
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