How To Reach Sonamarg

A hill station in the Indian state of Jammu And Kashmir, Sonamarg is situated among the Himalayan glaciers. It is located at an altitude of 2800 meters above sea level and is also known as the Meadow of Gold.

The hill station has great historical significance as it used to be a gateway on the ancient Silk Route, connecting Kashmir with various Gulf nations. Located on the banks of Nallah Sindh river, Sonamarg is characterized by the nearby snow capped mountains and the Kolhoi Glacier and Machoi Glacier. Dreaming of a holiday in the mountains already? Here's how you can reach Sonmarg.

There is no airport in Sonamarg and the nearest airport is in Srinagar. The Sheikh Ul-Alam International Airport of Sringar is only 70 km away from Sonamarg. There are regular flights out of here, bound for Delhi as well as Mumbai. You can also catch flights from other major cities like Bengaluru and Amritsar. To reach Sonamarg you can avail state run buses or taxis from Srinagar, which run on a daily basis.

Sonamarg doesn't have a railway station either and the nearest one is the Srinagar railway station. There are direct trains from Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai to Srinagar railway station. The distance between the station and Sonamarg is around 51 km and takes one and half hours to cover the distance without any journey breaks.

The other way of reaching Sonamarg by train is via Jammu. The Jammu Tawi station is located around 182 kilometers away. You can avail the following trains to reach Jammu Tawi – Jammu Rajdhani, Dee Jat Duronto, Uttar S Kranti and Jammu Garib Rath.

By road, your best bet to Sonamarg is the NH 1D, also known as Srinagar-Ladakh Road. You can travel by taxi, personal vehicle or tourist buses. The distances (approximately) of Sonamarg from major cities by road are as mentioned below:

• Delhi to Sonamarg – 297 km, travel time 16 hours
• Mumbai to Sonamarg – 2289 km, travel time 34 hours
• Kolkata to Sonamarg – 2373 km, travel time 35hours
• Bangalore to Sonamarg – 3060 km, travel time 47 hours
• Chandigarh to Sonamarg – 668 km, travel time 12 hours
• Ahmedabad to Sonamarg – 1772 km, travel time 27 hours
• Hyderabad to Sonamarg – 2485 km, travel time 42 hours
• Pune to Sonamarg – 2325 km, travel time 36 hours
• Noida to Sonamarg – 953 km, travel time 16 hours
• Ludhiana to Sonamarg – 607 km, travel time 11 hours

The journey via road is spectacular and you will cherish it for the rest of your life. You will also cross the famous Jawahar tunnel that connects Kashmir valley with rest of India. If you are traveling in your personal vehicle, ensure that the tank is full as there are very few petrol pumps on the way.

It is advisable not to travel by road in the winter months as there is heavy snowfall and avalanches. In the month of December, you are allowed to travel only till Gaganear village. Only army choppers are allowed beyond this point in December.