What to pack for Kashmir, by month
Almost everyone brings too little warm clothing and too many shoes.
The thing to understand first
Srinagar sits at about 1,600 metres, and anywhere you go on a day trip is higher. Even in high summer the evenings cool sharply once the sun drops behind the Zabarwan, and if your day includes Gulmarg or Sonamarg you will spend part of it several thousand feet above where you woke up.
Pack for the evening and the altitude, not for the afternoon in Srinagar.
March to April
Blossom and tulip season, and genuinely cold mornings. Layers, a proper jacket, and something waterproof — spring in the valley is wet more often than photographs suggest. You will want a warm layer for the evenings and will probably be in it by six.
May to June
The most comfortable months. Light clothing during the day, a jumper or a light jacket for the evening, and sunscreen — the sun at this altitude is stronger than the temperature suggests. If you are heading for the meadows, walking shoes rather than trainers.
July to August
Warm days, mild evenings, and the possibility of rain. Light layers, something waterproof, and an umbrella is more useful here than a rain jacket for city days. Still bring one warm layer for a Gulmarg or Sonamarg day.
September to October
Our favourite months and the easiest to pack for. Warm days, cold evenings, almost no rain. Layers again, a proper jacket for after dark, and by late October a hat and gloves for early mornings and high ground.
November to February
Cold, and from late December genuinely so — Chillai Kalan, the hardest forty days, runs to the end of January. Thermals, a heavy coat, hat, gloves, scarf, and footwear with grip. Snow and ice underfoot is normal rather than exceptional.
Rooms here are heated, so you are packing for outdoors, not indoors. We can also lend you a kangri, the traditional firepot carried under a pheran, which is more effective and more enjoyable than it sounds.
What guests most often arrive without
Sunglasses, which matter more than people expect against snow and water. A reusable water bottle. Any kind of walking shoe, if the plan involves anything beyond a garden. A power bank, because cold flattens phone batteries quickly. And modest clothing for visiting shrines and mosques — shoulders and knees covered, and a scarf for covering the head at some of them.
Also: leave room in the bag. Almost everyone buys something here, and walnut wood is not light.
What not to bother carrying
Heavy ski gear if you are only going to Gulmarg for the day — it can be hired there. A hairdryer, a kettle, an adaptor for Indian sockets if you are travelling within India. And towels, obviously, though it is remarkable how often someone asks.
Come and see for yourself
Seven private cottages and four suites on the river at Harwan, a few minutes from the Mughal gardens. Tell us your dates and we'll come back the same day.
Or let us put the whole trip together — see our Kashmir packages.
Also worth reading
Which month to come to Kashmir
Every month in the valley gives you a different place. An honest month-by-month account of what you actually get, including the ones most people are told to avoid.
Trout fishing in Kashmir, and how the permits actually work
The beats, the season, and the part nobody explains: Kashmir's trout water is licensed by the day and the good stretches are spoken for long before you arrive.