For most of the year the karewa plateau at Pampore looks like bare brown earth. Then, for a few weeks from late October, it flowers. Families walk the beds at dawn picking crocus blooms before the sun opens them, then spend the day pulling out the three red stigmas by hand. Kashmir saffron has its own geographical indication, and the soil left behind by an ancient lake is the reason it grows here and almost nowhere else in India.
What you'll do
- Walk the edge of the beds at dawn as pickers fill their baskets
- Watch stigmas separated from petals by hand
- Learn to tell real saffron from fakes
- Drink kahwa, the saffron and cardamom green tea of Kashmir
Pair it with
Kampot pepper, another protected-origin spice whose value is measured in hand labour.
Practical
The bloom is short, usually late October to mid-November. Pampore is about 15km from Srinagar. Check current travel advisories before planning.
Before you book
- Never walk into the flowering beds; stay on the paths and ask before photographing pickers.
When it runs
JJanuary: closedFFebruary: closedMMarch: closedAApril: closedMMay: closedJJune: closedJJuly: closedAAugust: closedSSeptember: closedOOctober: peakNNovember: peakDDecember: closed
Solid ochre marks peak months. Pale ochre marks months it runs in a quieter form.
