Golden Flower Heritage Houseboat

Just returned from an amazing trip from Kashmir! Letting Mr. Hamid Dunoo plan the entire Kashmir trip was probably the wisest decision. Dunoo family has been in the Houseboat hospitality for more than 100 years now! With such a rich experience in the business, you can blindly rely on Hamid bhai. Sit back, relax and let captain Hamid bhai take charge of your trip! We had an itinerary preplanned by Hamid bhai but when he met us he quickly understood our choices and altered our itinerary! He took us to offbeat places like Doodhpathri and Naranaag. Out of the 6 nights, we had 4 nights’ stay at the Golden Flower Heritage Houseboat. The Houseboat is located in the Nigeen Lake which is very peaceful and serene, far better than the very chaotic Dal Lake. It is highly recommended to stay at the Nigeen Lake which is not crowded like the Dal Lake. The hosts, Hamid bhai and his sons Mudasir, Umer and Gouhar are so kind and helpful, they will go to any extent to make your stay in the Houseboat comfortable and memorable! We were greeted to a beautifully decorated room at the Golden Flower Heritage Houseboat. The room and the entire Houseboat were super clean! After local sightseeing on the first day, on the second day, Hamid bhai drove us down to Doodhpathri. Doodhpathri is around 2 hour drive from the houseboat. There were very few tourists there and the meadows were heavenly! On the 3rd day we visited Sonamarg which is a beautiful place and had a comfortable night stay at the hotel arranged by Hamid bhai. On the 4th day we left for Pahalgam, did sightseeing during the day and rested at night in a cozy hotel. On the 5th day early morning we headed out for fishing in river. This, I would say was the highlight of our trip. Hamid bhai got us the permit for Angling at one of the best spot (Masjid beat) which is generally reserved for the VIPs. Angling in the river was a very unique experience. The fish catcher helped us catch around 10 good sized Rainbow Trouts. Hamid bhai stored the catch in an ice box and we headed for the houseboat. In the afternoon, on the houseboat, Hamid bhai arranged for us the best lunch we have ever had! Trout fry with chips and fried tomatoes!!! It was the most delicious fish I have ever had in my life! Trout fry has spoiled all the other fish for me😬 On the 6th day we left for Naranaag as suggested by Hamid bhai, which is around 2 hour drive from the houseboat. Naranaag is a very scenic place with ancient Temple ruins (dated circa A.D. 724-61) and picturesque valley on the bank of river Wangath. We trekked for around 3 hours and then had lunch sitting on a carpet under the tree on the river bank! Hamid bhai had carried tiffins and made all the lunch arrangements! Having lunch and resting on the river bank with the relaxing sound of river flowing and rustling of the leaves was the perfect rejuvenating way to end our summer Kashmir journey! Looking forward to trekking the Kashmir Great Lakes and also touring Kashmir in the winter with Mr. Hamid Dunoo! So grateful to Hamid bhai and his family for the experience and memories we will cherish forever!