AFTER the heat, noise and pollution of city life, Gulmarg — the meadow of flowers — proves to be a haven to relax and enjoy nature.

In fact before Switzerland and the Bahamas became popular with Bollywood, Gulmarg was the hot favourite of movie-makers.

The famous Jai-Jai Shiv Shankar number shot on Mumtaz and Rajesh Khanna and Bobby’s "Hum tum ek kamre main band ho" were shot in Gulmarg. You can still visit the hut where the song was picturised on Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia. The famous cable car in Gulmarg called Gandola has been featured in a lot of romantic and fighting scenes. It features in the song O’ mere Raja in the film Johnny Mera Naam. The two-seater chairs of the cable car, installed by the French, were replaced by the six-seater cabins in 1990.

When you move uphill on the cable car, you get a breathtaking view of the Kashmir valley on one side and the Alpathar Parvat on the other side.

The best way to explore Gulmarg is on horseback. The rides come with fixed rates, and you are shown all the important tourist spots. Gulmarg has a circular, 11-km-long road called the Mall, which runs through pine forests. On a clear day you can see Nanga Parvat and the Harmukh and Sunset peaks.

The adventurous can go trekking on the steep Alpathar Parvat, 13 km from Gulmarg. On the top of the parvat lies the picturesque Alpathar Lake, which lies frozen till mid-June. Treks can best be enjoyed between July and September. On way to the parvat, you get to see houses of shepherds called dhoks and their cattlesheds known as baheks. The houses are made of wood, while the walls are plastered with mud. Baheks are simply made of stone and mud. The goatherds include Bakerwals, Chopans and Gujjars. Bakerwals keep goats and belong mainly to the Poonch and Rajouri areas, whereas Chopans come from Kashmir and keep goats. These herdsmen are nomads who come with their flocks of sheep and goats during summer. They have their own pieces of land in Gulmarg. No shepherd can encroach upon another’s pasture. To earn their livelihood, these herdsmen sell wool, meat, precious stones and herbs. Their staple diet is makki-ki-roti and lassi. A Chopan or a Bakerwal collects around 150 to 200 animals from a number of villagers. When they go back in winters, they return these animals for grains. One animal can cost anything between 15-20 kg of grain. The Gujjars on the other hand are not nomads.

About 5 km from Gulmarg is a picnic spot called Water Meet. Here the Ferozepore Nullah joins the Bahan river. This stream is famous for trout fishing.

This is a Kashmiri folk song which means ‘that believe it from here or there, but God is only one.’ This stands true for the tomb of Baba Rishi, a Muslim saint, which lies 2 km from Gulmarg. You find both Hindu and Muslim devotees of the saint visiting the tomb.

Gulmarg has the world’s highest golf course. You can get golf sets on hire, and can also seek help of instructors. You can get a temporary or even a one-day membership of the club. Not far from the golf course, is the Maharaja Hari Singh’s Palace which is now used as a state guest house. Its guests’ list boasts of names of VIPs like Indira Gandhi, Fakhrudeen Ali Ahmed and Shah of Iran. Built on a hill, this 21-room guest house commands a beautiful view of Srinagar.

In winter, Gulmarg gets covered with snow. The whiteness all around lends the place an austere look. Being India’s premier skiing resort, Gulmarg held the first national winter’s meet in 1998. The longest ski run is provided by the Gandola cable which allows a ski run of 2213 mts. But professional skiers ski for a stretch of more than 6 km from Alpathar Parvat. Skiing, tobo ganning, ski-bobing are some of the attractions in winters for tourists. You could stay in one of the posh hotels or could hire a JKTDC hut. You could even opt to be in the open by hiring a tent at one of the camping sites.