Tours by Location:
Katra Tours
Katra or Katra Vaishno Devi as it is popularly known is a small town in the hilly northern state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is 2,473 ft above the sea level and is 50 Km away from Jammu. The town serves as the base camp for proceeding to the well known Ma Vaishno Devi Shrine, which is 13 Km uphill from Katra. Situated in the foothills of Trikuta Mountains, Katra is thronged by more than 6.2 million devotees each year.
Katra enjoys pleasant climate all through the year which ensures that the city receives a continuous stream of tourists both domestic and international. Though the main reason to visit Katra being Ma Vaishu Devi shrine, guests sometimes also stop by the markets at Katra for the small souvenir shops and well known food joints.
The town has numerous souvenir shops and the local market is filled with stalls peddling dry fruits, prashad and other items that are offered on the shrine of Maa Vaishno Devi. There is a state handicraft emporium approaching the bus stand where you can check out shawls and other prepared from wool items. A horde of vegetarian restaurants and food outlets have mushroomed in the vicinity of the shrine.
Katra is primarily a religious pilgrimage place but also a beautiful hill station by itself, the frequent hustle & bustle in the foothills. What makes it extraordinary is that it is the base for Vaishno. It’s a great place for purchasing religious objects as well as experiencing Kashmiri and Jammu culture - you can buy almost any thing from the valley.
The trek itself is good, the weather pleasant, except during the monsoons. Katra enjoys good connectivity by road, rail, and air to all major cities of north India. There are helicopter services from Jammu to Vishnu devil as well.
