Explore Shikara in Dal Lake

   

                          Explore Shikara in Dal Lake

Kashmir a heaven on earth has shikara in Sringar city. The shikara is a type of wooden boat found on Dal Lake. Shikars are of varied sizes and are used for multiple purposes, including transportation of people. A usual shikar seats half-a-dozen people, with the driver paddling at the rear. Like the Venetian gondolas, they are a cultural symbol of Kashmir. Some shikars are still used for fishing, harvesting aquatic vegetation (usually for fodder), and transport, while most are covered with tarpaulins and are used by tourists.

Dal lake is a market itself , during your cruise on Shikara the boat man will offer you various other services offered by different vendors. You can take photo with traditional Kashmir dress and for this different boat man with all accessories are available, in between the lake they can take your photo and those photos will be delivered at your hotel or houseboat.Villages by the side of Dal lake grows vegetables. Here water level is low and you can see various types of vegetables on the small branches while travelling on the Shikara. There are shops selling traditional Kashmiri dress and shawls.

You can also access tourist spots like the Shalimar Garden, Nishat Garden, and the Hazratbal mosque via the Shikara as the Dal Lake is quite central to these places in Srinagar.



Usually for 30 minutes shikara ride charges Rs. 300 person in off season. But in summer when there will too much crowd the price will hike upto 800. You will get unforgettable experience of shikara ride.