Kashmir Trip Cost Calculator

Estimate, not a quote. Third-party prices (the Gulmarg Gondola, set by the J&K Cable Car Corporation, and the union cab stands at Pahalgam and Sonamarg) can change. Every such figure on this page shows where it came from and when we last checked it.

• Stays are priced per room: two adults to a room, and never more than three people in one, so a family of four takes two rooms. One child per room shares the bed; any more need an extra bed.
• The car is one vehicle of your style for every day of the trip, with driver, fuel and parking. Airport pickups and drops are part of it. If the car also drives you from Jammu, Katra or Udhampur, that road day is counted once, not twice. Tolls on the Jammu–Srinagar highway are extra and depend on the vehicle.
• Seasons move stays and the car: April and May (tulip season) cost about a quarter more, September a little less. In December to February only Gulmarg nights rise (×1.4); we assume one Gulmarg night on a 5–8 day trip and two on longer ones. Food and third-party fees never change with the season.
• Children aged 3 to 11 take a seat, eat about half as much and pay the full gondola fare. Infants under 3 are free.
• The buffer adds 10% to the middle and top of the range for the unexpected. The bottom of the range assumes nothing goes wrong.
• Tax: estimates include GST at the rate that applies to each item, as you'd pay booking them yourself. Hotel rooms up to ₹7,500 a night carry 5%, rooms above that 18%, and restaurant food 5%. A tour operator instead bills a whole package (hotel and transport together) at 5% without input tax credit, or 18% with it, on the full package value. That is one reason a package total can differ from these figures.
• Every line is rounded to the nearest ₹100, so the figures add up exactly.

How our hotel, food and car bands are set

Our hotel, food and car bands are calibrated against published prices of mid-range Kashmir trips, not hotel rack rates, and checked against what our own trips cost to run. That keeps the estimate comparable to what you'd pay for a packaged trip, which is the figure most travellers compare. Individual hotel quotes will vary.

Why a package can cost less than these figures

The estimate prices a trip you plan and book yourself, item by item. A tour operator's package is usually lower for two reasons: hotels booked in volume at contracted rates, and one cab for the whole trip at a package rate instead of daily hire. Packages also often leave out the gondola and the union cabs, so when we compare one of ours with your estimate, we add back anything it doesn't list as included and say so. Our package prices include 5% GST.

Our assumptions

• A planning allowance of ₹500 per person per day for tips, porters, water and snacks, and ₹200 a day for garden and monument entry tickets. These are ours, not a published rate. They count towards cash to carry and the all-in figure, not the headline.
• Peak dates (New Year week, long weekends, festivals) can cost far more than the month suggests. We don't price them yet; the calculator warns you instead.
• Flights and trains to Kashmir are left out unless you add them, because you'll know your own fare better than any average.
• Travel insurance and shopping are not included.