Namaste, friends! Today I will take you to explore the Tulip Garden (and another garden) in Srinagar, the capital city of Kashmir 🌷 🌷 🌷
My initial flight from Amritsar to Srinagar was rescheduled to an earlier time, so I had to wake up very early and got a packed breakfast instead of another amazing hotel breakfast 🥹
Well, it’s okay! As long as the flight goes smoothly and my luggage doesn’t go missing… coz my friend told me that someone tried to steal hers when she was at Srinagar’s airport many years ago 👀
The sky was still dark, but the airport was quite busy. Of course, I chose Indig💙 instead of Air 🇮🇳 for my 50 minutes domestic flight.
No personal issues with that airline, but I was skeptical when I read the news about their clogged toilet.
I’d rather pay a bit more for comfort than endure my bathroom breaks. No way.
I guess I wasn’t the only one who hesitated, as the queue for my airline was long while the other… very empty, hehe!
Oh ya, this Srinagar trip will be a short blog post as I didn’t do much on my 1st official day with the tour company.
But don’t worry, I have some beautiful tulip photos! 😊 😊 😊
Lucky Girl on the Last Day of Tulip Garden, Srinagar
So when I booked the private trip, I didn’t know why, but I wanted it to start on 16 April 2026. Yes, that specific date.
It’s weird, right? Apparently, that hunch turned out to be the best random decision ever. I’ll tell you more later.
Okay, everything went well and safely, no missing luggage whatsoever at Srinagar airport. It was a small domestic airport, but everything was according to the procedure.
No chaos, no queue-cutting, polite and friendly locals, no littering.
After collecting my luggage, I went out and saw my driver holding a paper with my name printed on it.
He was warm and polite, plus the car was very clean. Great!
“Ma’am, don’t worry. If there’s anything you can tell me. I’m your brother, you’re my sister,” he said.
By the way, I specifically requested the tour company that I wanted a Muslim driver because… if there were another shooting incident by the fanatics, he would be spared.
And the Kashmir tour would go on without interruption (provided I wasn’t shot). Ahahahahaha 😆 😆 😆
The shooting incident that happened in Kashmir last year was one of the reasons why I didn’t ask any friends to join me on this trip.
If something happened to them, I’d feel guilty towards their family…
Okay! So, my 1st day was supposed to be a free and easy time, but he mistakenly took me to two gardens in Srinagar.
The first garden that I visitted was the famous tulip garden.
I only knew it was the last open day of the tulip garden when buying the entrance ticket.
There was even a notice that the garden had only 20% of tulips left, as the weather was getting hotter.
Wow, I was so lucky!! 😍 😍 😍
My driver, let’s call him M (because I let him go on Day 3), said it would be too expensive if I bought a ticket for him, so he wanted to wait outside.
Actually, I didn’t mind, because I wanted him to help me take photos since I travel solo. I could tell from his expression that he didn’t want to go inside to accompany me…
It was okay, I could ask the locals! Indians are great at taking photos, right? 😁
I was wrong.
Most of the locals I met in Kashmir weren’t very good at taking photos with mobile phones 😅
If you travel solo to India, remember to carry a tripod wherever you go!
The tulip garden in Srinagar was very beautiful. There were mountains, cool breeze, sunny weather…
My mom and sister said I looked like I was in Europe, hehe!
What do you think, guys? Can you guess where I was if I didn’t tell you that this was in Srinagar, Kashmir? 😊
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Visitting Mughal Garden Cheshmashahi, Srinagar
Next, I went to another garden, the Mughal Garden Cheshmashahi. It was a beautiful garden, but it was small, so there was nothing much to see.
By the way, “Mughal” refers to a powerful and wealthy Muslim dynasty that ruled most of India from the 16th – 19th centuries.
This time, I took my tripod with me so I wouldn’t waste time asking different people to help me retake my photos, hehe!
I was ready to visit two more Mughal gardens when M told me that it was his mistake; today was supposed to be a free and easy day.
So, he took me to a nice restaurant for lunch then to the hotel.
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Great Indian Lunch at Stream Restaurant, Srinagar
I had a delicious lunch at Stream Restaurant, a nice Indian restaurant near the Dal Lake.
It seemed the restaurant was also popular among the locals, as there were many locals there.
If you join a tour, they will usually take you to premium local restaurants for comfort, hygiene, and various food selections.
And of course, the quality and taste are better!
This was what happened during my India group tour and private tour (different companies). I’m not sure about other tour companies, though.
When in Kashmir, I spent around 700-1,000 INR (around RM50) per meal at premium local restaurants. With this amount, I usually ordered:
- 1x Garlic butter naan (3 pcs)
- 1x protein (fish/chicken)
- Masala tea / mineral water
The protein portion is usually for 2 pax, so it was more than enough for me.
I know I shouldn’t drink tea right away after meals as it could temporarily block some nutrient absorption, but it was an exception.
There’s no way I wouldn’t drink masala tea when in India. It’s a must! 😊
However, each restaurant or hotel has its own way of making masala tea.
At some places it feels like a normal milk tea, while you can really taste the ginger, cardamom, etc at other places.
By the way… about my driver, M.
It was the 1st day of my solo trip, but I saw some ‘cracks’. Some things about him bothered me.
One: He honked too much
The way people drive their cars or motorbikes in Delhi was crazy, however, it was okay in Srinagar. But he honked every few seconds, showing impatience. The whole journey was noisy.
Two: The language barrier
He spoke very basic English and sometimes didn’t understand what I said. I was under the impression that drivers from tour companies could communicate well, although it was broken English.
Three: He didn’t put the client first
It was still considered winter when I was in Srinagar, but I swear it was very hot that day. So when he opened the window instead of turning on the AC, I asked him politely to do so.
“Usually people don’t turn on the AC during winter,” he replied.
I thought it was a locals’ habit. I didn’t want to be the difficult client and tried to be understanding, especially since I was a solo female traveller…
So, I observed other cars on the street.
But most of the cars had their windows closed. So I asked him again to close the windows and turn on the AC.
“This is the first time I turned on the AC during winter,” he smiled, then reluctantly closed the window and turned on the AC.
Yes, it was winter but it was very hot, I was sweating. I also didn’t want to inhale the CO₂ pollution from other cars. Plus, it was a medium-budget solo trip.
A big chunk of the cost lay in the transportation—the car and the fuel. I wanted the comfort of travelling in a car, not a non-AC bus.
…then, after some time, he opened the window again (a little bit) 😒 😒 😒
People wore thin clothes while he kept his fleece on all the time. I started to feel that he was actually sick.
To be fair, he was punctual, reliable, and kept the car clean. So I was like, okay, let me observe him a little longer. Maybe it was just today…
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Comfortable Stay at Namrose Resorts & Spa Srinagar
Okay guys, this is where I stayed in Srinagar!
When I contacted the tour company, they gave me accommodation options.
After googling each hotel and destination, I chose to stay at deluxe and 5-star hotels for this Kashmir solo trip.
The Namrose Resorts & Spa where I stayed in Srinagar was more like an apartment hotel instead of a resort.
It was located in a housing area with a locked automatic gate, so it was very secure.
Surprise, surprise… they gave me a Premium room!
It was very spacious, even more so as I travelled alone. I like its modern and minimalist interior design, especially my comfy bed 😊
However, I felt a bit bored staying in my room for half a day. I didn’t go out and explore the surroundings because there was nothing much to see and it was hot.
Luckily, the hotel’s Wi-Fi was very strong, so I felt less lonely… Oh, my roaming worked well too!
Btw guys, my roaming only worked in Amritsar and Srinagar.
Once I reached other parts of Kashmir, it no longer worked.
You can buy a local SIM card, borrow your driver’s hotspot (if he’s OK with it), or enjoy your digital detox holiday like me 😉
I knew it wasn’t very wise not to have internet when travelling solo in Kashmir, especially as a woman. But Kashmir was safe, and I truly enjoyed every minute being offline during my holiday.
Whenever I reached the hotel, I would surf the internet happily, like a kid 😁
Okay, back to Namrose Resorts & Spa Srinagar. There’s only one thing that the hotel should improve: the ventilation in the dining room.
So, once I reached my room, I took a shower, washed my hair, read some news and comics, then took a nap. I smelled good and felt so refreshed.
When it was time for dinner, I went down to the dining area for my included buffet dinner. Even before I set foot inside, I could smell it — the food smell.
No, it wasn’t the pleasant food aroma. It was the kind of smell that, when you stay in the dining room for some time, your whole body and clothes would smell.
Oh no… I just washed my hair! And I didn’t want to have that smell while sleeping.
They really should improve the ventilation in the kitchen and dining room… But luckily, the staff were very helpful.
I asked one of them if I could have my dinner in my room, and he said yes. He said I could tell him which food I wanted and he would bring it to my room.
“This, this, this, and this one please,” I pointed to most of the food there, because they all looked delicious. And they were!
After that, I ran out of the dining area 😅
The guy who delivered the food was very clever. He took some of the food that I wanted and placed them in small bowls. Of course, I gave him a tip 😊
Actually, I wasn’t that hungry because I didn’t do anything after lunch. But the food at Namrose Resorts & Spa Srinagar was surprisingly delicious!
I had to strain myself not to finish them because I didn’t want to gain weight, eating too much during dinner, hehe…
After dinner, I enjoyed a cup of hot masala tea while browsing the internet, then went to bed.
The day after, I had breakfast in the dining room. Luckily, the room didn’t smell as bad as it was during dinner…
Oh ya, the breakfast at Namrose Resorts & Spa Srinagar was just okay.
But I was happy because I could eat lots of fresh fruits and boiled eggs ✨
Okay guys, that’s the end of our trip! I hope you enjoyed the tulip garden in Srinagar, the local food, and the hotel 😊 🌷 🇮🇳
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