Igloo Cafe, new attraction for tourists at Kashmir’s Gulmarg

Gulmarg: Igloo Cafe at Kashmir’s Gulmarg has become the centre of attraction for the people visiting the Valley. The cafe built from snow is the country’s first and Asia’s biggest Igloo Cafe located at the ski resort.

The cafe has been attracting major crowds. Started by the Kolahoi Green Group of Hotels and Resorts, the first-ever Igloo Cafe offers a one-of-a-kind experience with the ice restaurant winning the hearts of visitors.

“It is a new concept for India, but already introduced in foreign countries. We have also claimed it in the Limca Book of Records,” said Hamid Masoodi, general manager, Kolahoi Green Gulmarg.

“We wanted to serve our guests in a unique manner with unique accommodation and the idea of doing something dramatic for our guests and patrons worked. It has attracted a large number of tourists and the cafe has become a selfie point in Gulmarg,” Masoodi said.

He said that the snow cafe measuring 22 feet in diameter and 12.5 feet in height can accommodate four tables which can serve sixteen guests at a time. The outside dimensions of the snow restaurant are 26 feet in diameter and 15 feet in height.

“I am visiting Kashmir for the second time. But, this time, the Igloo Cafe has surprised me so much. I am very happy that I have come here and also recommend others visit it once,” a tourist, Pooja said.

An Igloo is a type of shelter built from snow. It is often associated with Inuit and Eskimo peoples. The ice huts were traditionally used only by the people of Canada’s Central Arctic and Greenland’s Thule area.