By road
~88-108 km from Srinagar
North India · Jammu & Kashmir
Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir
The Lidder valley's postcard meadows · ~88-108 km from Srinagar
Getting there
By rail
Udhampur, ~217-220 km, though Jammu Tawi (~254-280 km) has far better connections
By air
Sheikh ul-Alam International Airport, Srinagar, ~51-96 km
Best time to visit
April to October; Amarnath yatra crowds peak July-August
Don't miss
Betaab Valley
Aru Valley
Baisaran
Lidder riverside walks
Things to do
Baisaran meadow rides
Aru and Betaab valley trips
Trout fishing
Where to eat
Sources: open-meteo, wikimedia, Photo: Nawr'n k · CC BY-SA 4.0
What to pack
Layers, walking shoes, pony-ride bargaining humor
A quieter corner
Tulian Lake trek beyond Baisaran's fenced meadow
About Pahalgam
- Mountains
- Riverside
Where it is
Pahalgam is a hill resort in the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir, on the Lidder river in the Himalaya east of Srinagar, surrounded by pine forest, meadows and side valleys such as Aru and Betaab.
History
Pahalgam, whose name is often explained as the village of shepherds, was long a grazing ground for herders and a halt on the pilgrimage route to the Amarnath cave shrine, which sets out from here by way of Chandanwari. Over the 20th century it grew into one of Kashmir's main summer resorts.
People
Pahalgam's people speak Kashmiri, and many families work as pony handlers, guides and hoteliers, while Gujjar and Bakarwal herders bring their flocks to the high pastures each summer.
Known for
- Betaab Valley and Aru Valley
- Baisaran meadow
- The Amarnath Yatra route
- Trout fishing in the Lidder
- Treks to Kolahoi glacier and Tarsar lake
Did you know?
Betaab Valley near Pahalgam takes its name from the 1983 Hindi film Betaab, which was shot there.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.