Kashmir

Kashmir has been called paradise on earth for four centuries, and a morning on Dal Lake explains why. Shikaras glide past floating vegetable markets, houseboats glow with carved walnut wood and the Pir Panjal mountains rise behind the Mughal gardens of Nishat and Shalimar.

Beyond Srinagar, the valleys open up: the flower meadows and gondola of Gulmarg, the pine forests and rivers of Pahalgam and the glacier meadows of Sonamarg. We pair deluxe houseboats with the best hotels in each valley and a private driver who knows every road.