Dachigam National Park

    The Dachigam National Park is located about 22 kilometers from the city of Srinagar and lies on the east side of Dal Lake. The name of the park comes from the Kashmiri words Dah which means ‘ten’, Chi refers to ‘are’, and Gam meaning ‘village’, which roughly translates to “ten villages”. It was named to commemorate the ten villages that were relocated to form the park. It has been a protected area since 1910 and was declared a national park in 1981. It was initially created as a source of clean water for Srinagar. I was first under the care of the Maharaja of Kashmir and was later supervised by relevant government authorities.

Dachigam National Park is located in the Zabarwan mountain range of the Western Himalayas. The Marsar Lake is located in the national park. It supplies water to the Sarband Reservoir, which is the source of drinking water to Srinagar. The grasslands and meadows inside the park are covered in vibrant flowers, except for harsh winters. There are also many fruit-bearing trees in the national park such as apple, plum, cherry, apricot, and peach. Other trees in the national park include pine, oak, walnut, chestnut, and Chinar.

The national park is also home to various endemic wildlife such as Kashmir stag (Hangul), Kashmir grey langur, Himalayan serow, Himalayan black bear, Himalayan brown bear, and Musk deer. You can also witness several birds in the area like the Himalayan monal, Kashmir flycatcher, Himalayan rubythroat, Himalayan griffon vulture, and Cinnamon sparrow.

The Dachigam National Park is one of the few places where you can find the rare Kashmir stag. The best to visit Upper Dachigam is May-August, while Lower Dachigam is best visited from September-December. The national park presents a different setting with changing seasons. From snow-enveloped meadows in the winter to vibrant greenery and streams unveiled in the summer, and the green leaves transforming into beautiful autumnal colors is absolutely magical.