Key facts
- Meal plan on our Kashmir packages
- Daily breakfast and dinner, usually called MAP, at your hotel or houseboat
- Not included
- Lunch, tea and snacks on the road, drinks and personal expenses
- Where lunch happens
- At a hotel or café near the day's sightseeing stop, which is why the choice narrows in the high valleys
- What changes the cost
- The place, the kind of eatery, the season, the size of the group and any special diet
- Best for
- Families and first-time visitors who want to know the real total before they book
- How we plan it
- We state the meal plan in writing, take your diet at enquiry and give you a realistic lunch allowance for your route on request
Food is the part of a tour price that people most often misread. A package says 'breakfast and dinner', a traveller hears 'all meals', and the surprise comes at lunchtime on the first sightseeing day. This guide from the TDI Holiday Ventures planning desk in Srinagar explains what the meal plan on our packages covers, what it does not, how to budget for the rest without guessing at menu prices, and how to plan around a diet. For the cost of the trip as a whole, see our Kashmir trip cost guide.
What do meal plan codes like MAP mean?
Hotels in India use short codes for what is covered with the room. You will see them on package pages and booking confirmations.
| Code | What it covers | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| EP | Room only | Travellers who eat out all the time |
| CP | Room and breakfast | City stays with many restaurant choices |
| MAP | Room, breakfast and one main meal, usually dinner | Sightseeing trips where you are out at lunchtime |
| AP | Room and all three meals | Remote stays with no other food nearby |
Our Kashmir packages are built on MAP: breakfast and dinner every day, with lunch left to you because you are usually out sightseeing at midday.
What is included on a TDI package?
Read the inclusions and exclusions on the package you are considering, since the details differ between packages. This is how the main ones read.
| Meal or item | On our Kashmir packages | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Included daily | Served at your hotel or houseboat |
| Dinner | Included daily | Served at the property where you sleep; ask for the time |
| Lunch | Not included | Listed as an exclusion on the package pages, for example the 4N/5D Kashmir Classic |
| Tea, snacks and soft drinks | Not included | Treated as personal expenses |
| Special meals | Not included | A wazwan dinner or a meal on a shikara is arranged as an extra; ask us for a quote |
| Gondola and pony rides | Paid separately | Listed as exclusions or direct payments on the package pages |
Two packages work differently. Our Royal Spring golf package lists daily breakfast, a club house lunch on two days, a welcome dinner and a farewell brunch, with other lunches excluded. Our Ladakh packages, such as Best of Ladakh, list breakfast and dinner at all hotels.
What does a normal eating day look like?
| Day type | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arrival day | Before you travel | On your own, often on the plane or on arrival | At the hotel or houseboat |
| Srinagar sightseeing | At the hotel | A café or restaurant near the gardens or the lake | At the hotel or houseboat |
| Gulmarg day | At the hotel | A hotel dining room or café in the meadow; snacks for the gondola queue | Back in Srinagar, or at your Gulmarg hotel |
| Pahalgam day | At the hotel | Hotel or market eateries; pack snacks for the valley drives | At the hotel |
| Sonmarg day | At the hotel | Small roadside eateries with a limited menu | Back at the hotel |
| Departure day | At the hotel | At the airport or on your onward journey | Not included |
Notice how lunch moves from a wide choice in Srinagar to a short menu in Sonmarg. Our guides to Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonmarg say more about each place.
How do you budget for lunch, snacks and drinks?
We do not print menu prices here, because they change by place, season and eatery, and a figure that is right for one café is wrong for the next. A method works better than a number.
- Count your lunches: the days of the trip, minus the arrival and departure days if you eat those meals elsewhere.
- Choose a style for each day: a roadside café, a hotel restaurant, or a planned special lunch.
- Add tea, snacks and bottled water for every day.
- Add one or two special meals, such as a wazwan dinner or a meal on a shikara.
- Add a cushion for mountain prices and for children who are hungry at odd hours.
Then ask us for a realistic daily lunch figure for your route and month. We answer on WhatsApp, and it is better to have a number you can plan around than to guess. Our budget travel guide has more on keeping the total in check.
What makes food cost more or less?
| Factor | How it changes the bill |
|---|---|
| Place | Hill resorts often cost more than Srinagar, since supplies have to be carried up |
| Kind of eatery | A roadside café costs less than a hotel restaurant, and a set menu costs less than choosing dish by dish |
| Season | Peak weeks cost more and fill up, while in winter fewer places are open |
| Group size | Sharing dishes lowers the cost per person; children can often share |
| Diet | Special meals may need notice and may cost more |
| Occasion | A wazwan dinner, a houseboat deck dinner or a shikara meal is a treat, not a daily cost |
How do houseboat and hotel dinners work?
Dinner is cooked by the kitchen of the property where you sleep, usually as a set menu served at a fixed hour. On a houseboat, the family that runs it often cooks, so tell them what you eat when you arrive and ask for the dinner time. Our Dal Lake houseboat page describes a dining room serving Kashmiri cuisine, and our wazwan guide explains how to add a feast; our existing wazwan page mentions about 48 hours' notice for a private dinner on a houseboat deck, and we confirm it for your dates.
What about diet, children and older travellers?
Give us your diet at enquiry, not at check-in. Vegetarian, vegan, Jain and halal needs are covered in our food guide for dietary needs. For children, ask for milder dishes and carry familiar snacks. For older travellers, ask for early dinners and soft, simple food, and read our guide to travelling with elderly parents.
How do you avoid surprises?
- Read the inclusions on the package you choose, and ask us to confirm the meal plan in writing.
- Ask the price before you order anywhere without a printed menu.
- Ask your hotel to pack lunch the evening before a long excursion.
- Carry water, fruit and dry snacks for drives to the high valleys.
- Carry some cash, since small stalls and remote places may not accept cards.
- If you travel during Ramadan, tell us: some small local eateries keep different hours, while hotels continue to serve guests.
What is the next step?
Send your dates, the number of travellers and any dietary needs through our contact page. The planning desk confirms the meal plan on your package in writing and gives you a lunch allowance for your route.
Questions travellers ask
What meals are included in a Kashmir tour package?
On our Kashmir packages, breakfast and dinner are included every day, at your hotel or houseboat. Lunch is not included. Tea, snacks, drinks, gondola tickets and pony rides are paid separately. Read the inclusions and exclusions on the package page, and ask us to confirm them in writing.
Is lunch included in Kashmir packages?
No. Lunch is listed as an exclusion on our Kashmir package pages, because you are usually out sightseeing at midday. You choose where to eat, and we tell you what is realistic on your route. Ask your hotel to pack lunch the evening before if you prefer.
How much should I budget for food in Kashmir?
It depends on where you eat, the season and your group, so we do not publish a single figure. Count the lunches, choose a style for each day, add tea and snacks, and add a cushion for mountain prices. Ask us for a realistic daily figure for your route and month.
What does MAP mean in a package?
MAP stands for Modified American Plan: the room plus breakfast and one main meal, usually dinner. It suits sightseeing trips, where you are out at lunchtime. Our Kashmir packages are built on it, and the package page states the meals in writing.
Can I get a packed lunch on a sightseeing day?
Often, yes. Ask your hotel the evening before, and tell us if you want it arranged as part of the plan. It is useful on days to Sonmarg, Doodhpathri or Yusmarg, where eateries are few and the menu is short.
Are drinks and bottled water included?
No. Our package pages treat drinks and personal expenses as extras. Carry bottled water for drives and day trips, and buy it from the shop before you set out. Tea and kahwa are small extras you can add as you go.
Can I add a wazwan dinner to my package?
Yes, as an extra. A wazwan dinner is arranged separately, with the venue, the number of courses and the notice written down before you confirm. Our existing wazwan page mentions about 48 hours for a private dinner on a houseboat deck, and we confirm it for your dates.
Written by the TDI Holiday Ventures planning desk in Srinagar. Conditions, fares and rules change: confirm anything that affects your booking with us on WhatsApp before you pay.
