Kashmir Packing List: What to Carry in Every Season

What do the temperatures say you should carry?

Start from the numbers. Wikipedia prints the India Meteorological Department's normals for 1991 to 2020 for three bases: Srinagar, Gulmarg and Pahalgam. The table shows four months, each as the average day high followed by the average night low.

Two lessons follow. First, a single day can span more than ten degrees between the lake city and the meadow above it: on a July afternoon Srinagar's average is 30.0 °C and Gulmarg's is 21.1 °C. Second, even the warmest month has a night that needs a layer, because the July low is 12.0 °C at Gulmarg and 12.9 °C at Pahalgam. Averages also hide extremes, so allow for a colder spell than the table shows.

What should you pack for each season?

Soft bags travel more easily than hard suitcases, because a car boot and a houseboat walkway both take them better. Keep a small day bag with water, a jacket, medicines and a camera. Tell our tour planners how many bags and people you are bringing so the car can be chosen to fit; see our taxi packages for the vehicles.

What do you need for a winter trip?

• Layers in order: thermal vest and leggings, a fleece or woollen jumper, then a down jacket. Avoid cotton against the skin in the cold, because it holds damp.
• Waterproof boots with grip and several pairs of thick socks. Gulmarg's January average high is 0.7 °C, so snow is likely to meet your feet.
• Waterproof gloves with a liner, a woollen cap that covers the ears and a scarf.
• Dark sunglasses or goggles for the glare off snow, plus lip balm and sunscreen.
• A power bank and a spare pair of gloves.

Ask whether jackets, boots and gloves are included in your quote or paid for separately, and bring your own boots if you can. The winter snow packages page and the winter guide cover the season in detail. If you are riding the gondola, the top station is about 1,330 m higher than the town (3,980 m against 2,650 m), so dress for the colder place; the gondola guide has the heights.

Does a prepaid SIM work in Kashmir, and which SIM should you carry?

It depends on your connection type. Under Airtel's prepaid terms, customers visiting Jammu and Kashmir do not get roaming benefits, and a Greater Kashmir report of 20 July 2018 said BSNL had no plan to lift the ban on prepaid roaming and that no prepaid connection from the rest of the country worked in the state. Wikivoyage's Jammu and Kashmir guide says you must use a postpaid SIM, and adds that connections in the region are sometimes subject to disruptions and shutdowns, so travellers heading to Gurez, Dachigam or the higher reaches should not rely entirely on mobile service.

Operator rules change, and only your operator can tell you what your plan does. Ask it in writing before you leave, download maps and tickets while you have a good connection, and share a printed copy of your plan with someone at home. Foreign visitors should check that their provider supports roaming in India.

Which papers, medicines and small items should every traveller bring?

• An original photo ID for every adult and a photocopy for hotel check-ins. Most guests from abroad need a passport and a valid visa; see our packages from your city page for travelling from far away.
• Your regular medicines for the whole trip, with prescriptions, basic first aid and something for an upset stomach.
• A power bank and a multi-plug, because a houseboat room may have few sockets.
• A refillable bottle, tissues and bags for wet shoes.
• A shawl or scarf and modest clothing for shrine visits; the culture and food journal covers the manners.
• Some cash for small payments, as a back-up to cards and phone payments.

What should you add for a Ladakh extension?

Leh stands near 3,500 m, according to Wikipedia, and the lakes lie higher. The CDC's Yellow Book advises gradual ascent: avoid going from low ground straight to a sleeping altitude above 2,750 m in one day, move your sleeping altitude by no more than 500 m a day once above 3,000 m, and plan an extra day of acclimatisation for every additional 1,000 m you climb. It also suggests acetazolamide for abrupt ascent, which is a prescription matter for your doctor.

Add a warm jacket, a sun hat, strong sunscreen, lip balm, dark glasses, shoes with grip, a scarf for dust and a snack for an unsettled stomach. See the Kashmir and Ladakh combo and the Ladakh page for the route; the Kashmir Ladakh Tour is listed at ₹21,550 for ten days. Consult a doctor before you go if you have a heart, breathing or blood-pressure condition. This is general advice, not medical advice.

What can you leave at home?

• Valuable jewellery and large amounts of cash.
• Formal clothes that you will not wear, and a different pair of shoes for every day.
• Anything fragile that a soft bag cannot protect.

Choosing the season first makes the list shorter, so read the month-by-month guide before you buy anything. Our listed trips start at ₹11,700 for the four-day Gulmarg Tour Package and reach ₹21,550 for the ten-day Kashmir Honeymoon; our tour planners will price the final plan around your group and dates.

If you want this list matched to your own dates and route, contact Soun Kashmir with your dates and route for a free quote.

Which Soun Kashmir pages should you read next?

Packing follows the plan, the season and the papers you carry. These pages cover each of them in turn.

• Kashmir tour packages: the listed Kashmir trips side by side
• Kashmir honeymoon packages: the couple trips and the short break, each with its listed price
• Kashmir honeymoon guide: seven steps from the season to the quote
• Kashmir tour package price list: every listed package, what the price covers and what is extra
• Kashmir travel agency in Srinagar: how to check any agency and read a written quote
• How to plan a Kashmir trip: days, season, route and booking in order
• How to reach Kashmir: flights, the Vande Bharat train and the roads into Srinagar
• Is Kashmir safe to visit: dated government advice and what has reopened
• Kashmir and Ladakh permits and ID: what to carry and where a permit or fee applies
• Kashmir travel guides: a reading path from the season to the quote

Where do the facts on this page come from?

On 6 November 2026 we read the Wikipedia articles for Srinagar, Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Leh (the India Meteorological Department climate tables and the altitude), Airtel's prepaid voucher terms, Greater Kashmir (BSNL, 20 July 2018), Wikivoyage's Jammu and Kashmir guide and the CDC Yellow Book chapter on high-altitude travel. Climate figures are long-term averages, and operator terms and health guidance change, so check the original page before you travel.