Gulmarg in winter: the gondola, snow and what to book

Planning Gulmarg in winter? How the gondola works, when the snow comes, how many nights to stay and what to book before you go.

What the gondola is

The Gulmarg Gondola is a two-stage cable car run by the Jammu & Kashmir Cable Car Corporation. The first stage (the operator calls it Phase I) climbs from the meadow, at about 2,650 metres, to Kongdoori, a little over 3,000 metres up. The second stage (Phase II) carries on towards Apharwat at close to 3,980 metres, which our gondola page describes as among the highest cable cars in the world. There is snow at the top in every month of the year.

The two stages are different days. Kongdoori sits above the treeline with the bowl opening out below you, and it runs more reliably. The upper stage is high alpine and is the one that closes for wind or poor visibility, which is normal operating practice rather than an exception. In winter, the upper mountain is also where the long open-snow descents that give Gulmarg its ski reputation begin.

When the snow comes

Our Gulmarg guide and our gondola page agree: the ski season is mainly January to March, and deep snow can arrive from about December. Treat December as possible, not certain, and remember that snowfall changes from year to year, so any single week is a guide, not a promise. For the shoulder months of April, May, October and November the same guide warns of patchy snow and a gondola that may run only one stage.

Day trip or overnight?

Gulmarg is about 50 km from Srinagar, roughly two hours by road through Tangmarg. Most visitors treat it as a long day. In winter that is the weakest way to do it:

A day trip buys a snowbound meadow, the queue at the base station and whatever the wind allows. Leave early and ride on the first cars, because cloud builds on Apharwat through the day. Check the calendar first: the operator closes the gondola on the second and fourth Monday of every month for maintenance.

One night is worth it to be on the first gondola of the day and to see the meadow empty. The evenings are hotel-bound; there is nothing else here.

Two nights is our recommendation if you want the cable car and a margin. Our gondola page says plainly that a second day in the itinerary is genuine insurance against a closure.

Three nights or more is what skiing needs. Equipment and instruction are available in the village; this is not a beginners' resort, though the lower slopes are gentle enough to learn on.

What to book (and in what order)

The gondola, online. Tickets are sold at etickets.jammukashmircablecar.com, which the corporation calls its official domain, and it advises visitors to book online and not to fall for touts. The corporation's home page does not publish fares, so we do not quote any. Third-party figures differ, so check the price at checkout. The operator's notices refer to forenoon-slot tickets and to separate boarding for Phase I (from 8:30 am) and Phase II (from 9:15 am), and advise forenoon-slot holders to board between 8:30 and 10:30 am, when waits are shortest. Our guides recommend booking before you travel in both seasons.

Your stay, with the number of nights above.

Transport. In winter the road is usually cleared, but a day's delay after a heavy fall is normal, according to our Gulmarg guide. Hire boots and a coat at the base rather than carrying them: the Jammu and Kashmir tourism department's approved Gulmarg rate list, which the cable car corporation links from its site, has per-day rates for both, though the list we found covered April 2025 to March 2026, so ask for the current one.

Your onward flight, last. Leave a margin: Srinagar's security cordons begin on the approach road and cannot be rushed, so we plan three hours in hand for the airport.

Our Kashmir itineraries show how this works in practice. Kashmir in Four Nights takes Gulmarg as one stop on the Srinagar, Gulmarg and Pahalgam route, and Classic Kashmir does the same over five nights. Kashmir Without a Houseboat gives Gulmarg two nights and puts the gondola in the morning, when the wind is lowest. All of them exclude the gondola tickets, which you buy yourself. These routes are written around the main Kashmir season. Tell us you want snow, with your dates, and we will check the route and the nights for winter.

If the top is shut

Kongdoori is a good half day on its own. Beyond the gondola, walk or ride a pony up to Khilanmarg, the meadow above the bowl (our gondola page calls it the walk most visitors never make), take a sledge on the meadow, or visit the 1902 stone church of St Mary in the middle of it. A second night is what lets you try again the next morning.

Altitude and cold

Together the two stages lift you about 1,300 metres, from the meadow to nearly 3,980 metres, higher than most visitors have been. Move slowly at the top, give yourself time rather than rushing, and skip the second stage if you feel unwell. Dress for snow underfoot even when the meadow is mild. We found no published age or health limits for the ride; if anyone in your group, an older parent or a child, finds altitude hard, ride only the first stage and ask the operator before you book.

Sledges, ponies and posted rates

On the meadow, sledges replace ponies in winter, according to our Gulmarg guide. Pony and ski-equipment rates are set in the tourism department's approved rate list (the sledge rate was not in the list we found), and our Gulmarg guide says to ask to see the posted rate before you go. Agree exactly what you are paying for before you set off.

Mistakes to avoid

• Booking a Gulmarg day tight against a flight out of Srinagar.
• Planning the upper stage as the only reason to go. Kongdoori is a good half day on its own if the wind closes the top.
• Buying tickets from anyone other than the official portal.
• Treating a day trip in January as a ski trip.
• Walking or driving into areas that are not part of the approved tourist activities. In June 2026 the Baramulla Police asked visitors to stay on approved tourist routes around Tangmarg and Gulmarg and named one route as not recognised for tourism (press report, News Arena, 4 June 2026). Check current notices before you go.

Before you book

Operating details change by the day, so confirm these before you travel. We read the operator's official site on 25 and 27 October 2026.

• Gondola status, fares and slots: the operator's notices on 25 October said the gondola was open again and closes on the second and fourth Monday of every month for maintenance. By that rule the closure days this winter fall on 9 and 23 November, 14 and 28 December 2026, and 11 and 25 January and 8 and 22 February 2027 (our calculation from the rule). The site publishes no fares and no 2026-27 winter timetable.
• Weather and road: local forecast and the day's road status in Tangmarg. This can only be checked on the day.
• Notices: current advisories from the Jammu and Kashmir authorities and from your own government if you are travelling on a foreign passport. We found no police or tourism notice newer than June 2026 on 25 October.

Frequently asked questions

Photo credit

Hero photo: A cabin of the Gulmarg Gondola rising over snow-covered fir slopes. Photo: Slyronit, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized.