Dal Lake, Srinagar
A paddled wooden boat, a canopy, and an hour or three on the water. The oldest way to see Srinagar, and still the best one.
The boat, the paddler, the pace
A long, shallow wooden boat with a canopy over the middle and cushions and a low back-rest inside. Six people fit comfortably; four is better. It sits close to the water, which is most of the point.
One man, standing or seated at the stern with a heart-shaped paddle. Most have worked the lake their whole lives and will point out the gardens, the bird colonies and which channel goes where.
Walking speed. Nothing about a shikara is fast, and trying to see the whole lake in an hour misses what it is for. Take the long ride if you have the morning.
Four rides
Our own photographs of these rides are still being taken, so the picture slots below are marked rather than filled with stock images. Durations and routes are being confirmed with the boatmen.
Out before the lake wakes. Mist on the water, the light coming over the hills, herons on the weed beds and almost nobody else out.
The busiest hour on the lake and the prettiest. Boats crossing, the hills going pink, tea served on board if you ask.
The vegetable market that happens on the water at dawn, traders paddling between each other with produce from the floating gardens.
The long one. Interior waterways, the floating gardens, the quieter channels towards Rainawari and out across the open water.
With your stay
If you are staying on a houseboat you are already crossing the lake by shikara twice a day. Adding a proper ride is easy: tell us which morning or evening suits and we arrange it with a boatman at your mooring, so you step off your own deck.
Before you go
Sunrise and the floating market mean leaving in the dark. Sunset rides are the busiest hour on the water. Midday is bright and hot in summer, and beautifully quiet in winter.
More layers than you think — it is cold on the water before the sun is up. Sunglasses, a hat, and cash in small notes if you plan to buy anything from the vendors.
Boats selling flowers, saffron, papier-mâché and tea will pull alongside. Prices are negotiable and a polite refusal is completely ordinary.
The light is best in the first hour and the last. Ask before photographing people at work on the market boats — most say yes.
Fine on board, and usually delighted. Hold hands at the ghat steps; that is where it is slippery.
FAQ
It depends which ride you take — a short sunset turn or several hours around the interior waterways. Durations for each ride are being confirmed with the boatmen; tell us how long you want to be out and we will match a route to it.
Rates on request. Shikara rates are set by the boatmen and vary by ride length and season, so we confirm the price before you commit rather than publish a number we cannot honour.
For the sunrise ride and the floating market, yes — they start before dawn and the boatman needs to know the night before. Sunset and short rides can usually be arranged on the day.
Yes — flower sellers, saffron and jewellery traders, and a photographer or two. A polite no is entirely normal and nobody takes offence.
Generally yes: shikaras sit low, are stable and are padded inside. Getting in and out at the ghat is the only awkward part and the boatman helps.
Enquire
We arrange the boatman, the start time and the pick-up point — from a ghat or from the deck of your houseboat.
Email bookmyhouseboat0@gmail.com Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, India