Pahalgam - Explore the Most Beautiful Town in Kashmir
Pahalgam was the last city on our itinerary during the Kashmir Visit in June 2022. We visited Srinagar, Sonamarg, and Gulmarg before Pahalgam. The city of Pahalgam brought a different flavor to the trip and we got in love with the place at an instant. In this article, we talk about our stay in Pahalgam including the places we explored, the experiences we undertook, and the hotel we stayed at.
Overview
Pahalgam is located in the western part of the now Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the region. At a height of about 2130 meters above sea level, it is one of the most beautiful "tourist towns" of the Kashmir Valley. Surrounded by serene lush green forests, magnificent snow-capped mountains, and crystal-clear streams - making it an ideal place for nature lovers and adventure seekers. Pahalgam is home to some of the most beautiful and famous trekking routes and is also the starting point for Amarnath Yatra, a popular pilgrimage to the holy cave of Lord Shiva. This charming town boasts of a vibrant culture and is famous for its Kashmiri cuisine and handicrafts. With its breathtaking scenic beauty, thrilling adventure activities, and rich cultural heritage, Pahalgam has become a popular destination for tourists from all over the world.
How to Reach & Travel
We traveled from Gulmarg to Pahalgam and it took us about 4 hours to cover the distance of 140 kilometers. Pahalgam is well connected by road and the condition of the roads is great as well. The entire journey is picturesque and nature gives you a full view of itself. Pahalgam is relatively lower in altitude than Gulmarg and hence the scenery changes rapidly as you descend. Tall conifers yield space for the gushing river and views of the valley.
Pahalgam is well connected by roads and there are regular bus services from Srinagar. Most tourists do take taxis or tour packages for convenience. However, using buses or shared taxis is as easy to visit the town. Devotees in huge numbers visit Pahalgam during the Amarnath Yatra and you may feel the rush. At other times, it should be relatively easier to visit Pahalgam using public transport.
Again as you may have seen in our other articles from Kashmir Trip, the local transport is mostly handled by the union taxis in this region. The same is true for Pahalgam. Your package taxi will get you to the hotel and maybe to the Union Taxi Stand. Generally, the valley tour is included in your package and your driver would engage a local taxi for you. If not or if you plan to cover other places, you could get one yourself. The only good thing in Pahalgam compared to other places is that all rates are posted at the taxi stand and there is no scope for negotiation (or overcharging). This is the same for pony rides and other tourist activities.
Where to Stay
If you follow our articles, we seldom offer recommendations for hotels to stay at. We do provide details of where we stay in overview blogs but stop at that. The reason is that accommodation is a very personal choice and depends on a number of preferences. However, we make an exception in this one because of the sheer exceptionalism of this hotel.
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| Heevan Resort Pahalgam - Along River Liddar |
We stayed at the Heevan Pahalgam and are in awe of this facility. While the hotel is great in terms of the rooms and facilities but there is a lot more that goes for it. It is its location that earns it most of the brownie points. The hotel is located right beside the Liddar River - you actually have to cross the river on a wooden pedestrian bridge to reach it. As you disembark from your vehicle and step on the bridge, you get swayed. The gushing water of the river below and the mesmerizing backdrop of the Himalayas would want you to immerse more in it.
The location is also very close to the market area and the taxi stand so you can easily stroll around. There is a park at a stone's throw's distance and the hotel is perfect for any kind of traveler. To add to the fun, it is right opposite the Liddar Amusement Park in Pahalgam.
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| Manicured Laws and Nice Rooms |
What to Explore - Five Places to Visit
Pahalgam is a scenic small town and being here is an experience in itself. Especially for mountains where the sites are the raw views and hence covering points of interest is more of a formality. However, Pahalgam has a few areas to cover and each offers something unique in terms of perspective. Here is our list of places you may want to visit in Pahalgam. You could take a single taxi and cover all thrse in a day tour. There are other places that the taxi stand shows but we restricted our excursion to the three valley points (the first three in the list below).
Chandanwari
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| Views Enroute Chandanwari |
The most popular location in Pahalgam is Chandanwari as it is the starting point for the Amarnath Yatra (a holy journey for Hindus). This is the last point of the motorable road and the devotees take a pony ride beyond this point. Besides the religious significance, this place is also a very picturesque location. About 16 km away from Pahalgam and at about 2600 meters above sea level, you get perfect views of the snow-capped mountains. While the place itself has now gained a lot of tourist attraction, a small hike away you can find yourself in the company of nature and no one else.
As you disembark at the car parking, you will be accosted by a number of trolley carriers to take you to the "summit". However, it isn't a hike that needs help contrary to what they would make you believe. It would take you about 5 minutes on foot (i.e. when we had a 3-year-old with us). The "summit" is just a viewpoint across the Liddar River providing a clear glimpse of the Himalayas.
Betab Valley
On your way back from Chandanwari, you could stop at Betab Valley for some leisure moments. This is located almost halfway between Chandanwari and Pahalgam. The administration has developed this as a huge garden with a few activities to attract and engage tourists. The entire garden is spread over a huge area and if you would want to skip exertion, there are trolley carriers who would take you around. Since laborers push these trolleys manually we decided to skip it for ourselves. But in the interest of helping the lowermost strata of society, we hired one trolley for the kiddo. You can take a horse ride across the gardens as well.
The Betaab Valley (earlier known as Hagan Valley or Hagoon), got its name from the Bollywood superhit movie "Betaab" which was shot here. The valley has lush green meadows surrounded by mountains and the River Liddar flowing by. The river softens its stand in the valley and hence provides a very different view than it does in Pahalgam.
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| Activities at Betaab Valley |
The garden has a few swings for kids to engage themselves. There are also a number of animal owners (e.g. goats, sheep, etc.) who allow you to take a picture for a small fee/tip. This is also a great place for picnics if you are carrying your own food. However, there are no good options to pick food there. We spent about an hour and a half going around the garden.
Aru Valley
Aru Valley is located on the other side of Pahalgam about 12 kilometers away from the town. It is again famous for its lush green dense vegetation and nearness to nature. While the views may not be very different but it is a good picnic spot to take a break and unwind before proceeding back to the town to end the valley tour. While we did not take one, we saw a lot of folks taking a pony ride to the Baisaran Valley from here.
Local Markets
Pahalgam is a relatively bigger town in the Kashmir Valley and has a flourishing local market. If you are looking to pick some souvenirs - especially local handicrafts - then these local markets are much better than the "touristy emporiums". We spent the evening of the second day exploring various shops and picking gifts. We also had some local snacks in the eateries around and definitely recommend a couple of hours in this area.
Apple Orchards
As you approach Pahalgam on your way to the town, you will notice huge apple plantations around. There are acres of apple farms all around and they have now started developing them from a tourist point of view. They offer tours of the farms, serve apple juice, and sell apple-based products. We stopped at one of such farms as well. The experience was unique and rejuvenating. We were amazed by the sweetness of raw apples which enhanced in the juice form. The touristy break ended up being a recharge stop in itself. The richness of apples is simply clear from the fact that we stopped on our way back again to pick some apples for home.
Have you been to Pahalgam or other places in Jammu and Kashmir? What are your thoughts on the region? Any recommendations or thoughts? Any feedback on our article?
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