Sonamarg "Meadow of Gold" is a hill station in
Ganderbal district in the Indian state of
Jammu and
Kashmir.Sonamarg had historical significance and was a gateway on ancient Silk Road along with Gilgit connecting Kashmir with
China and other Gulf countries.Sonamarg gives rise to The Three Sisters (Kashmir).
Tourism
Sonamarg, which means ' meadow of gold ' has, as its backdrop, snowy mountains against a cerulean sky. the Sindh meanders along here and abounds with trout and mahseer, snow trout can be caught in the main river. In late April when Sonamarg is open for road transport, the visitors can have access to snow which is furnished all over like a white carpet. Ponies can be hired for the trip up to
Thajiwas Glacier a major attraction during the summer months. However, there is need for some stricter regulation to save the environment of the area from over tourism. Litters such as plastic bottles, etc., are strewn all over along the track.
The climate of Sonamarg is very bracing; but the rainfall is frequent though not heavy, except for two or three days at a time in July and August with fine spell in between. From Sonamarg, trekking routes lead to the Himalayan lakes of
Vishansar Lake,
Krishansar Lake,
Gangabal Lake and
Gadsar Lake, stocked with Snowtrout and Brown trout and Satsar, glacier-fed and surrounded by banks of alpine flowers.
A close by excursion is to Baltal, 15 km north of Sonamarg. This little valley lies at the foot of the Zojila, only a day's journey away from the sacred cave of Amarnath is a base camp for Amarnath yatra. Trekkers can also reach the starkly splendid roof-top of the
World Leh, by crossing over the
Zoji La pass.At Sonamarg the Jammu and Kashmir tourism department is organising river rafting tournaments yearly, which has recently seen the participation of teams abroad.A large number of Hindi movies have been pictured in the serene beauties of Sonamarg.
Access
Sonamarg is easily accessible from
Srinagar or
Srinagar Airport (SXR), the capital of Kashmir, in under 3 hours by car or bus on NH 1D 87 kilometers which leads along Nallah Sindh a key tourist attraction. Sonamarg is inaccessibe during winter due to heavy snowfall and avalanches, NH 1D is being closed in December every year, the local traffic is permitted only up to Gagangear village, which is the last permanent settlement of this area.
