Kokernag

Kokernag, in South Kashmir's Breng valley, is famed for its sprawling botanical gardens fed by a remarkable spring that breaks into a gushing stream shaped like a hen's claw (koker = hen, nag = spring). The springs never freeze, and the gardens around them - laid out by the royal family in the 1960s - boast one of the largest collections of roses in Asia, plus trout hatcheries that supply anglers across the valley. Surrounded by dense pine forests and rolling grasslands, Kokernag is a peaceful alternative to the busier northern destinations, popular for picnics, angling, and the nearby Papashudan waterfall.