Shikara Ride in Dal Lake: Price, Ghats, Timings and Traps (2026-27)

A shikara is the long, canopied wooden boat that is rowed, never motored, across Dal Lake, and a ride in one is the first thing most visitors do in Srinagar. As a child I was taken for shikara rides by my dad, and it is still how we show the lake to guests. This guide is about the money and the method; the lake itself is in our Srinagar guide.

In short: the rate is ₹700 per boat for the first hour and ₹400 for each hour after that. It was notified by the Tourism Department on 2 June 2023 and is the newest rate on record. Agree the total, the route and the time before you step in.

How much does a shikara ride cost?

₹700 for the first hour, covering up to 3 km, and ₹400 for each extra hour. A full day of six hours is ₹2,700. These are prices for the whole boat, and the same rates apply on Nigeen Lake.

That card is from June 2023, and we found no later one. The Directorate of Tourism's notifications page lists 2026 rate orders for Pahalgam and Gulmarg, but none for shikaras. So when a website tells you the "2026 government rate" is ₹600, ₹770 or ₹800, ask where the order is: none of them links to one.

• Where ₹770 comes from: it was the rate in the December 2021 list. Booking sites still quote it.
• What the Directorate's own Dal Lake page says: that rides "typically cost ₹400-800 per hour depending on the route", and that you should agree the price beforehand.
• What every boat must show: since April 2025 a rate card has to be displayed on each shikara, and overcharging can cost the rower his registration.

If you are overcharged, the Tourism Department gave two numbers with the 2023 card: 0194-2502512 and 0194-2502276.

What rowers quote, and what visitors really paid

The notified rate and the first quote are rarely the same number. These are dated reports from visitors and the police, so you know what to expect at the ghat.

Two things stand out. The quote is often per person, though the rate is per boat. And the worst cases start with someone else choosing the ghat for you.

Point-to-point fares: Char Chinar, Nehru Park and the houseboat crossings

The hourly rate does not suit every trip. Char Chinar, the island with the four chinar trees, is too far for a one-hour loop from the Dalgate end, and operators do not sell it by the hour. For it, and for short crossings, the same 2023 card set fixed fares.

The crossing to your houseboat is a different matter. The houseboat owners' rate card includes it in the room price, so you should not be charged each time.

What a houseboat costs, and what the price includes, is in houseboats in Srinagar.

Which ghat is best for a shikara ride?

For a calm first ride, start from Ghats 13 to 17, or further along. The ghats are numbered from the Dalgate end, the numbers rise as you move along Boulevard Road towards Nishat, and the low numbers are the busiest and the most likely to open with an inflated quote.

Do not let a driver choose the ghat. Name it yourself, and if he insists on another, he is probably being paid to.

Routes: what you see in one hour, and in two

One hour covers the houseboat rows, the floating gardens and the water around Nehru Park. That is enough for most people; several visitors say even 45 minutes is.

• The floating gardens: called raad, they are anchored mats of vegetation where lake farmers grow vegetables. The lotus blooms on them in July and August.
• Nehru Park: the island park in the lake, reached only by boat.
• Golden Lake and the Kabutar Khana row: both are named on the official fare card as crossings from the Boulevard ghats.
• Meena Bazaar: the "floating market" of shawl, dry fruit and papier-mache shops on the water. It is a shopping stop, not a sight. Go only if you want to shop.
• Char Chinar: needs its own trip, or a start from Ghats 23 to 25.

The dawn vegetable market is a separate early trip, which you arrange the evening before. What it is really like is in our Dal Lake guide.

How many people can sit in a shikara?

Four adults is the number operators and visitors give. The April 2025 order does not state a number: it says every shikara must display its maximum capacity on a board and may never carry more.

The fare is for the boat, so four people pay the same as two. No source we found says children are charged, and the order requires child-size life jackets, for ages 1 to 12, whenever children are aboard.

Which time is best, and can you ride in winter or at night?

Sunrise and the last two hours before sunset are the best times. The water is still, the light is soft and there are fewer boats.

• Hours: there are no official operating hours. Operators say rides run from about 6 or 7 am until evening in summer, and from 9 or 10 am to about 6 pm in winter.
• Winter: rides continue. In January 2026, with Srinagar at -5.2°C, rowers were pushing through thin ice in the inner channels and still taking visitors out. Go late in the morning for the warmth; many boats now carry blankets.
• After dark: we found no ban. The 2025 order requires working navigation lights and a whistle in low light, and one operator lists rides until 9 pm in season.
• Best months: April to October, by the Directorate's own page.

Is a shikara ride safe?

Yes in calm weather, and you should treat wind as a real hazard. On 16 April 2025 a shikara carrying a family of four overturned in strong winds in the interior of the lake; all four were rescued. Days later the Tourism Department issued new rules.

• Life jackets: every passenger, children included, must wear one before boarding, and the boat must carry at least one per person.
• No motors: rowing is the only permitted way to move a shikara.
• No rides in bad weather: boats must not go out in high winds. On 19 April 2025 the disaster response force asked operators to suspend rides for two days ahead of a storm.
• Registered boats only: each must display its registration number and capacity.

In practice, visitors say jackets are on the boat but few people ask for them. Ask. And if the sky is turning or the wind is up, wait: in September 2026 a rescue team had to bring in tourists whose shikara was stranded by gusts.

The traps, and how to avoid them

• The per-person quote. The rate is per boat. Settle the total before you sit.
• "Points". Rides are sold by the number of stops. Agree the time instead.
• Sellers on the water. Boats selling snacks, jewellery and saffron pull alongside as soon as you leave the shore. Visitors in 2026 call it the worst part of the ride. A firm no, once, usually works.
• Shop stops. The rower earns a commission on what you buy at the floating shops. A very cheap ride has those stops built in.
• The short hour. Note the time when you leave. Some visitors report "hours" of 30 to 45 minutes.
• Photos in Kashmiri dress. Offered on the water for a fee. Fix the price first.
• A "permit" for the vegetable market. There is no such permit. One 2026 guide reports boatmen asking ₹1,500 for one.

Can I book a shikara ride online?

You can, but you do not need to. Every online price we found is at or above the notified rate: operators sell one hour at ₹770, and one site charges ₹400 a person. One operator's booking is non-refundable. At the ghat you can see the boat and agree the price yourself.

The exception is the dawn market trip, which you should fix the evening before, through your hotel, your houseboat or a rower you have already used.

Tipping is not expected, but it is welcome. Guides suggest ₹50 to ₹200 for a ride done well, with no shop stops you did not ask for.