Pahalgam

Pahalgam sits at 2,130 m where the Lidder river comes down from the Kolahoi glacier, 90 km south-east of Srinagar. Unlike Gulmarg, the town itself is not the attraction — the three side valleys above it are, and a day here is really a day of short drives between them.

The approach is part of it. The road down through Anantnag passes the saffron fields at Pampore and the 8th-century ruins of the Martand Sun Temple, which makes this the most rewarding of the valley’s four main drives.

The three valleys

Betaab Valley, 7 km up, is green and enclosed and named after the 1983 film shot in it — the one everybody photographs. Aru Valley, 12 km up, is higher and more open, and it is the trailhead for Kolahoi Glacier and the Tarsar–Marsar trek; given a single choice, most people prefer Aru. Chandanwari, 16 km up, is the traditional first stage of the Amarnath Yatra and holds a snow bridge well into summer.

The charges nobody itemises

This is the most important practical thing about Pahalgam. The last stretch into each valley is run by local unions, not by your tour operator, and both the union vehicles and the pony rides are charged separately at fixed local rates.

• They are not inside any operator’s package price — ours included, and we say so in the exclusions.
• They are the single most common source of unexpected cost on a Kashmir trip.
• Ask for the rates before you set off rather than at the road head, and budget for them deliberately.
• Baisaran, the meadow about 5 km above town, has had regulated access at times. Confirm it is open before you build a day around it.

One night or a day trip

Most itineraries do Pahalgam as a long day from Srinagar and that works. A night here buys you the Lidder valley before the day traffic arrives, which is the real argument for it — the Kashmir 5N/6D itinerary includes that night, from ₹29,700 for two.