About Pahalgam
Pahalgam is a riverside town in Anantnag district, set where the East and West Lidder rivers meet at 2,200 metres in a valley of pine and fir forest. Once a shepherds' village, it grew into Kashmir's best-known hill resort and is the traditional starting point for the annual Amarnath cave pilgrimage each July-August.
From the town, roads and pony trails branch out to the meadows of Baisaran and Betaab Valley and up the Lidder valley toward Aru.
Visitor essentials
What to look for
- Baisaran meadow, Kashmir's "mini Switzerland"
- Betaab Valley and the Lidder riverside
When to go
In season now
Best months: Apr–Oct.
From Srinagar
- Nearest town
- Anantnag
- Road ends at
- Pahalgam town (Baisaran and Aru beyond are pony/walk or local-taxi only)
On the map
Nearby
Betaab Valley
Pine-forested valley on the Lidder, a short drive from Pahalgam
Dal Lake
Srinagar's iconic urban lake, ringed by Mughal gardens and houseboats
Sonmarg
Glacier-fed meadow on the Ladakh highway, gateway to Zojila and the Kashmir Great Lakes
Srinagar
Summer capital of Kashmir on the shores of Dal Lake
Distances are straight-line, not by road.