HYDERABAD: For most of us, winter is probably our favourite season. The nip in the air, the warmth of the woolens and the pipping hot food makes it the best time to take a trip. Most of us love it so much that winter always seems short-lived.
Now, with another unforgiving summer ready to hit Hyderabad anytime, many from the city are jetting off to the mountains to enjoy the last snowfall. CE speaks to a few of them who chose to take a break from the warm days here and wrap up their winter at higher altitudes.
Murarikar Ramya and her husband Karthik had visited Kashmir recently and it was the best way they could bid adieu to winter. “It was that time of the year where everyone wants to experience the mesmerising snow and mountains. We chose Kashmir because it is heaven on earth. It’s breathtaking reviews and photos did not give us option to look elsewhere,” says Ramya, who visited Srinagar, Gulmarg, Phalgham and Sonamarg, with her husband.
“Wherever you go, you’ll only see snow-capped mountains and greenery. We were fortunate enough to witness snowfall in Gulmarg. We had a great time skiing and also got a chance to ride on the cable car (Gandola), which is the world’s second highest. Right from our stay in a houseboat at Srinagar to an amazing trek in Sonamarg, every place we went to had something unique in store for us. For instance, Phalgham has some beautiful valleys, the skiing in Gulmarg, the frozen lakes and waterfalls, the glaciers and finally, the warmth of the Kashmiri people -- we could not have asked for more,” she says.
Usha Dutta, a travel blogger from the city, suggests a few places where one can catch the last snowfall of the season. “Auli in Uttrakand, Gulmarg in Kashmir, Kufri in Himachal are some must-visit spots this time of the year. Many think of visiting Shimla, but the city does not receive as much snow as it used to anymore. It had snowed a little in December and January, that’s it. In Kufri, you can visit Chail. You can get to see some leftover snow there. Ladakh and Spiti Valley are also fun options. From there, head out to Manali. The Northeast is another location that people an explore,” she says, adding that the thing to do in such places is skiing.
Kunal Maliramani, 19, did just that. For someone who has been trekking across the country since he was in class IX, he just needed a reason to escape the city life and Hyderabad heat. Kunal pushed off to Asia’s cleanest village, Mawlynnong in Meghalaya. “The place was remote and the people were very hospitable. One can enjoy the last snow here with many other activities such as skiing and cable car rides,” he says.
There has clearly been a spike in bookings to these destinations. Priyanka Ranka from Holidaz.com says “Summer is nearly here, but there a few places in the country where it is still snowing. Many people have been going to Kashmir; the entire inventory is sold out with hardly any rooms available. Places such as Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are also on many people’s must-visit list. It’s snowing in these places, but this might end soon. That’s why the rush to visit.”
Before another unforgiving summer sets in, Hyderabadis are jetting off to the snow-capped mountains of the country to enjoy the last snowfall of the season. They, along with travel bloggers, speak to CE about their experience