Frequently Asked Questions

Send us your dates, the number of guests and the grade you have in mind, by WhatsApp, phone or email. We check availability with the owner, then reply with a written quote. You confirm in writing, and we hold the boat with the owner.

Because owners quote per enquiry and rates move with the season, the length of stay and what is included. Publishing a figure would mean publishing one that is wrong most of the year. We would rather quote you accurately.

Usually within a few hours on WhatsApp. If the boat is in the wider register we may need to reach the owner first, which can take longer in the evening or in peak season.

No. We are paid a commission by the houseboat owner. The figure in your quote is what the stay costs you.

Often yes, especially outside peak weeks. Call rather than email for same-day and next-day stays, as it is the fastest way for us to reach owners.

For late spring, the summer holidays and the tulip season, as early as you can. Those weeks fill first, and the boats we know personally are a small set.

No. We are an agency based in Srinagar. We arrange your stay with the owner of the boat and are paid a commission by them.

Six boats on Dal Lake are known to us personally, with our own photographs. Beyond those, 657 houseboats are registered on Dal Lake with the Kashmir Houseboat Owners Association and can be arranged on request.

Room width, the depth of the woodcarving, the size of the deck and the level of service. The hull, the ceiling craft and the lake are the same. Our category pages set out the differences side by side.

Nearly all rooms across the three grades have an attached bathroom with hot water. Where a specific boat differs, we say so before you confirm.

Yes, and it is common for families and groups of friends. Tell us the number of guests and we will look for a boat with enough bedrooms rather than splitting you across two boats.

Boats are on mains electricity, and power cuts happen on the lake as they do in the city. Wi-Fi varies boat to boat and mobile data is usually the more reliable option. We will tell you what a specific boat has.

Yes for the six boats we know personally. For any other boat we ask the owner for current photographs and send them to you before you confirm.

Some are, particularly those moored a short crossing from the Boulevard. Boarding involves stepping from a shikara onto a deck, so tell us about mobility needs and we will suggest boats with easier access.

It depends on the owner and on what you ask for. Some quote room-only, some quote with breakfast, some with all meals. We ask you first and state it plainly in the quote.

Kashmiri and North Indian home cooking, usually with a choice of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Tell us in advance about dietary needs so the kitchen can plan.

Vegetarian food is standard. Jain and other specific requirements can usually be arranged if you tell us when you enquire, so the owner can shop for it.

Yes, normally in the mornings and evenings. The arrangement differs between boats and grades; we confirm it for your boat.

Most boats heat the bedrooms and sitting room in the cold months. We confirm what is in place on your boat when we quote, as it varies.

No. The kitchen is the family’s working kitchen and meals are cooked for you.

Srinagar airport is roughly forty-five minutes from the Boulevard by road in normal traffic. We can arrange a taxi to the ghat nearest your boat, and the owner sends a shikara across for the last stretch.

Almost always. Houseboats are moored on the water and a shikara carries you and your luggage from the ghat. The crossing takes anywhere from two to fifteen minutes depending on where the boat sits.

On most boats the boarding transfer is arranged by the owner. Whether it is included is stated in your quote, so you know before you arrive.

Check-in is normally in the early afternoon and check-out in the morning, but on a family-run boat there is often flexibility. Tell us your arrival time and we will ask.

Yes, though the crossing is easier at some moorings than others. If you land late, tell us and we will suggest a boat close to a ghat and ask the owner to wait with a shikara.

At the ghat, on the Boulevard or the road nearest your mooring. Overnight parking arrangements differ by ghat, so ask us and we will check for the boat you choose.

Dal Lake is larger, busier and closer to the Boulevard, the gardens and the old city. Nigeen is quieter, with clearer water and far less shikara traffic. Both have registered houseboats.

Dal if you want to be near the city, the Mughal gardens and the markets. Nigeen if you want quiet water and are content to travel a little further for sightseeing.

It is on the northern side of the same water system, a short drive from the Boulevard. Getting to the gardens or the old city takes a little longer than from central Dal.

The craft and the grades are the same. The difference is the setting: fewer boats, less passing traffic and a more open outlook.

Yes, and some guests do — a couple of nights on Dal for the city, then Nigeen for quiet. Tell us and we will arrange both and the transfer between them.

Yes. Rides are usually charged by the hour and can start from your own boat. Sunrise and late afternoon are the times most guests ask for.

It runs very early in the morning on the inner lake and is one of the few things on Dal that has nothing to do with tourism. If you are willing to be on the water before dawn, yes.

Day trips to Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Sonamarg and Doodhpathri, the Mughal gardens within the city, and longer itineraries. Tours are quoted per enquiry like the boats.

We can arrange a driver for day trips and a guide where one adds something. Tell us what you want to see and we will say what is worth it and what is not.

Yes. It is a long day by road, so an early start matters. We will arrange the taxi and tell the owner to have breakfast ready early.

Payment terms are set out in your written quote, including what is paid in advance to hold the boat and what is paid to the owner on arrival. We do not take payment details over WhatsApp.

Usually a part-payment holds the boat, particularly in peak season. The amount is stated in the quote before you commit to anything.

In many cases part of the stay is settled with the owner on arrival. What can be paid on arrival is stated in your quote.

Tell us in writing, by WhatsApp or email, as early as you can. The terms that apply are in our cancellation policy, and we will confirm your cancellation in writing.

We do not treat weather or road closures as an ordinary cancellation. Our cancellation and refund policies cover this, and in practice we try first to move your dates with the owner.

Yes. Your quote, what it includes and excludes, the transfer arrangement and the payment terms all come in writing before you pay anything.