Hi, everyone! Today I will take you horse riding in Thajiwas Glacier, Kashmir! This beautiful, forever snow-capped mountain is located in Sonamarg, 2,800 meters above sea level 🏔️ ❤️ ✨
Alright, so I left the houseboat around 5:30 am with a shikara. The staff at The Mughal Sheraton Houseboat prepared a packed breakfast for me – bananas, fresh-cut fruits, and 6 boiled eggs.
Thank you so much, it was a wonderful stay! And a perfect packed breakfast (boiled eggs were better than bread) 😊
Showkat came to pick me up not long after I reached the other side. We drove to Sonamarg, the gateway to Ladakh.
On the way, we picked up Showkat’s friend because he wanted to go somewhere in the same direction (he told me yesterday and I was OK with it).
The ride to Sonamarg took around 2 hours. It was nice seeing Showkat talking and laughing with his friend throughout the journey.
The atmosphere between us also became more relaxed, he wasn’t as tense as yesterday.
In between, we stopped for a while to drink chai (tea) at a shop by a river. The view was nice and the warm sunlight with a cold breeze felt good.
Afterward, we continued our journey and dropped Showkat’s friend on the way. I told Showkat that if we passed by a pashmina shop, I wanted to get one.
Showkat stopped at a decent shop, the one that didn’t look too touristy and expensive. The shop owner welcomed me and explained the difference between real pashmina, cashmere, and mixed shawls.
Apparently, shawls made of pure cashmere were the highest grade and the most expensive.
They were made from undercoat hair of certain types of goat that could only be found in the Himalayas, Mongolia, and Inner Mongolia. They can only be dry-cleaned (1st wash), followed by hand wash next.
Actually, the price of the pure cashmere shawl in that shop was reasonable. If not mistaken, around 6,000 INR (RM250 / 61 USD) in that shop.
But I felt it was still too early for a big purchase, I might need the money later. So I bought a silk-cashmere shawl instead for my mother.
Kashmir Solo Trip: Horse Riding in the Beautiful Thajiwas Glacier, Sonamarg
When we reached Sonamarg, Showkat said that if I wanted to, I could ride a horse to the Thajiwas Glacier.
Showkat: “It’s been raining and snowing for a few days. But today is sunny, do you want to do horse riding?”
Me: “Ooo… Is it more beautiful when it’s snowing?”
Showkat: “You can’t do horse riding when it’s snowing, it’s dangerous.”
Me: “Okay, then I want to do it!”
It was my lucky day. Of course, I had to do the horse riding!! 🤩 🤩 🤩
For the horse riding in Thajiwas Glacier, you can go for Phase I only or Phase I and Phase II. I highly recommend you choose both phases because Phase II is more beautiful.
For Phase I and Phase II, it costs around 5,000 INR (around RM200 / 52 USD). Then, you can also rent boots for a small fee (please do, the ground is muddy).
Showkat got out of the car to book the horse riding for me. Suddenly, he met a long-time friend and they chatted happily.
Showkat: “Ma’am, this is Suhail, my friend. He takes good photos and reels for social media. Do you want to use his service too?”
Suhail: “Hello, ma’am! I’m Suhail, I can help you take photos and videos. Here are some examples,” he took out his phone.
Oh, the photos and reels were nice! Since I travelled solo and liked taking photos and videos, I do need someone to help me with documentation. Plus, the cost was reasonable.
And the best part? He used iPhone 17. Okay, deal! 😁
The horse riding to Thajiwas Glacier, Sonamarg, Kashmir was very bumpy at first. But afterward, it got better and the view became more stunning.
We stopped a few times to enjoy the view and take photos and videos. Thajiwas Glacier was very beautiful!
During the horse riding, Suhail and I talked a lot. He was friendly and spoke English fluently, so the whole journey was pleasant.
He used to be a tour guide, but quit his job and offered documentation services because he could earn much more.
I could tell he was serious about his new job; that’s why he used an iPhone 17. That phone was considered expensive in Malaysia, it must be even more expensive for Indians…
Besides documentation, Suhail also offered hiking tours. He said around Thajiwas Glacier, there were 7 beautiful lakes that could only be reached via hiking.
Wooow! Alas, I’m not a camping person, so I’ll skip it. But if you’re interested, I have his phone number. Just DM me via Instagram or Facebook page 😉
The view was even better at Phase II, there were crystal-clear river and snow-capped mountains. I’ll show you what they looked like, the original photos vs. the edited photos:
So, is it true that Kashmir is as beautiful as Switzerland?
Yes! However, to me, Kashmir feels like raw beauty, while Switzerland is polished beauty.
As you can see from my photos and videos, Thajiwas Glacier, although a popular tourist attraction in Sonamarg, Kashmir, wasn’t developed by the government.
Usually, a place like this wouldn’t have a very bumpy road. Then, there would be a proper pathway for people to walk, better toilets, and some cafes.
But it doesn’t mean raw beauty is lesser than polished beauty. Both are beautiful, just a bit different in terms of convenience ✨ ✨ ✨
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Stuck in Sonamarg, Kashmir for One Day
Alright guys, so this belated birthday solo trip was full of surprises. After the horse riding in Sonamarg, I was supposed to go to Kargil and stay there for one night.
But it turned out the only road to Kargil had been closed for a few days because of a snowslide. Okaay… I was lucky to be able to do the horse riding activity, but not so lucky with the other.
Nobody knew when the road would be reopened, but since today was very sunny, there was a slight hope that the snow would melt and I could go to Kargil the next day.
The tour owner, S, kept in touch with me and Showkat and booked a place for us to stay. Thank you, S!
I was very worried, guys… I didn’t want to miss a single thing planned for this trip, especially I had booked a very nice hotel in Nubra Valley.
And what about my return flight tickets? I booked two, one from Leh to New Delhi, and the other from New Delhi to Kuala Lumpur 🥹 🥹 🥹
Also, I had to pay for the extra hotel stays for unexpected incidents like this. As you know, accommodations near popular tourist attractions are usually more expensive 🥹
But what could I do? So I literally got down on my knees and… prayed. I prayed hard that tomorrow the road would be reopened 🙏 🙏 🙏
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A Long Journey from Sonamarg to Leh, Kashmir
Finally, morning came! Showkat told me that we would leave at 7am because there would be a long queue.
It was a cold morning, he had to heat the car windscreen because it was frozen. By the way, I was glad that he got a room to stay at the same resort.
There was already a long queue when we reached the border. Everyone was hoping for the same – for the road to be opened. We had to wait for around one hour to know our fate.
While waiting for the good/bad news, I got out of the car to absorb vitamin D. It wasn’t even 8 am, but the sunlight was already strong. I hoped it was a good sign, no more snowslide!
Showkat and I chatted for a bit. It turned out cars with a car plate from Srinagar couldn’t enter Leh and Ladakh, vice versa.
That’s why my local tour company, which was based in Leh, engaged a tour company from Srinagar to provide me with a driver when in Srinagar.
Showkat: “I’ve retired from this industry for two years. Suddenly, my ex-boss called me and asked me to help him.”
Me: “Ooo… thank you so much! Why did you retire? You speak good English and are a very good driver!”
Showkat: “My dad owns a tiles factory, and now I’m continuing his business,” he showed me his ame card.
I see… So his father was a businessman. I wonder if he received a better education, hence his English was very good and he had a different way of thinking compared to my previous driver…
Showkat: “I respect my ex-boss, that’s why I took the job. Otherwise, I don’t like going to Leh.”
Me: “I see… thank you so much.”
We heard some people yelling and suddenly people started to enter their cars. Showkat and I got into the car. We still didn’t know if the road had opened, but the cars kept moving and moving…
…then we passed the border.
HOORAAAY! Thank you, Jesus!!👏 👏 👏 🥹 🥹 🥹
We were so relieved. I was excited but at the same time felt sorry for Showkat because he had to drive for around 8 hours to reach Leh, to make up the time we’d lost.
I told him that we could stop anytime he felt tired. Throughout the 7-8-hour ride, we stopped twice for omelette and chai (not many places selling food).
Showkat was a very good driver. He made a mixed playlist of Indonesian songs, took off the headrest of the front passenger seat so I could see the view better, and took some videos for me.
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Finally, we reached my hotel in Leh. I asked him if he wanted to have lunch together in the hotel, but he refused. He just wanted to go back quickly and rest.
Me: “What time will you pick me up tomorrow?”
Showkat: “Tomorrow will be a different driver for Leh and Ladakh areas.”
Oh, so it was time to say goodbye!
I thanked him and gave him a tip, hoping the amount was enough to compensate for his efforts (I thought so, because he had a big smile on his face) 🙏 🙏 😊 😊
Then I checked in, had a late lunch, and met Irfan from the tour company. He needed my passport to process the Leh and Ladakh visitor permit.
I had double-confirmed it with S, the tour owner. Irfan turned out to speak even better English than Showkat!
He said that the company assigned a driver who could speak English for me in Leh and Ladakh.
Irfan: “He may speak broken English, but you can still have a conversation with him.”
Me: “That’s ok. Thank you for your help!”
Afterward, I rested and had dinner at the hotel. It was an included dinner. To my surprise, it was a set dinner instead of a buffet. Maybe today there weren’t many guests?
Anyway, the food was delicious, but the portion was too big for me. For the dessert, I could choose between ice cream or gulab jamun, a traditional Indian dessert.
Alright friends, that’s the end of my day 5 and 6 Kashmir trip! I hope you enjoyed our horse riding in Thajiwas Glacier and our scenic road trip to Leh, Kashmir 😊 😊 😊
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