Pahalgam

Pahalgam is a stunner. You would have seen it without exactly recognizing it in a number of Hindi Film Industry movies. It is a town in the Anantnag district situated on the banks of the river Lidder which flows musically all through Pahalgam. It is named as the health resort of Jammu & Kashmir. No amount of time spent here is enough. This place has so much to offer that this article is going to be long. There is only one word to describe Pahalgam- Evergreen – just like the trees that grow on its hills.

Pahalgam is about 100km from Srinagar. A taxi would take about 3-4 hours to cover this distance. Sometimes it may take longer if there is some traffic jam or route diversion. Nevertheless, the road trip is not very exciting until you are 10-15 km away from Pahalgam. On the way, you will cross Pampore, where saffron is farmed. If you are in season (October), you may check out the flowers, too. There will be some dry fruit shops lining both sides of the highway. You taxi driver will definitely take you to one of those.

Caution:

• On the way to Pahalgam just outside of Srinagar, there are a number of dry fruit vendors whose shops are lined on both sides of the street. It is kind of a tourist scam. More about such scams in our suggestions post.
• In Pahalgam, there are two taxi stands to hire any taxi for local sight-seeing. The rate chart is displayed on the ticket counter for trips and different categories of vehicles. First check the rates. You may negotiate with a taxi outside the stands for better rates.
• They provide you taxi on a 1 hour per point basis. This is written on the rate charts but operators will not inform you. If you exceed your time limit they will charge extra money at least for an hour. This is a common trap for the tourists. So negotiate with your driver beforehand. Betaab Valley takes more than 1 hr.
• There are counters for tourist police or tourist helpdesk but I found them empty. The pony operators are all waiting on the sidewalks. They will quote very high prices to take you to 5/7 tourist points. All the points fall in the way of each other and some are so minor that they don’t even account for one point but that is how it works. Negotiate accordingly.

The tourist points are so beautiful that they are worth your every penny spent (if you were not scammed that is to say ! ). We want to keep going back to spend some time and explore the places on our own. Some of the points are as under:

Avantiswami Temple

On way to Pahalgam from Srinagar, there is a ruin of a temple called Avantiswami temple just on the road side. From what can be ascertained from the remains they once must have been a beautifully carved temple. All that now remains are some blocks of the building and some pillars with intricate carvings. The place is managed by ASI.

Apple Orchards

You will cross a series of Apple orchards on the way near Anantnag. You can visit any one where your taxi driver takes you. These are the famous Kashmiri apple orchards on the way to Pahalgam. Some orchards are made for a tourist stop over where you get to buy a ticket of around Rs.200 per person, in which you get to visit the orchard, enjoy the apple trees laden with big apples and even have a free fresh apple juice. You can also buy the apples if you wish. We bought some and they were sweet juicy and satisfying.

Lidder River

The best and the most beautiful thing about Pahalgam is the long winding Lidder river. The river and its rocky banks will definitely draw you before entering Pahalgam. The blue water, clean banks and tree lines gives a different charm to Pahalgam. It is everywhere! You can choose to stay in a hotel or camping huts beside the river. Or you can take a walk along its banks in the morning or the evening as suited. But, it is sure to calm you down. It forms the soul and character of Pahalgam.

Baisaran Hills

Strolling down the market street of Pahalgam you may hire a pony to take you on a trip to Baisaran, Kashmmir and Dabyan valley. It will cost you around Rs.1000-1200 per person. This amount is worth it considering the terrain the pony walks in. It is high, rocky and muddy, almost marshy if it rains. You may trek if you want to. It would be fun and you would feel less guilty for the animal carrying you. I almost got down of my pony and once almost toppled over. It was scary, thrilling, exciting all the same and took forever to finish.

Baisaran is the “mini Switzerland” as they call it and rightly so. As soon as you enter its campus you materialize to a different world. You will forget everything as you see vast spreads of green meadow in front of your eyes. The views are soothing. It is all white and snowy in winter. Choose your time. We suggest autumn or spring. You can stroll, sit, have a small picnic of sorts, do whatever you feel like at this place. It is beautiful.

Dabyan Valley

After the Baisaran, your pony operator cum guide would take you to the Dabyan Valley, higher up the terrain. By this time you will have become comfortable with the pony ride. It would be a little difficult for you to make out one place from the other and you will have to entirely trust your guide on his word that you reached Dabyan Valley viewpoint. Every step of the valley that you take will be as beautiful or even more than the previous one. So no complains.

Kashmir Valley

Returning from the Dabyan valley on the downward journey, you will find a few waterfalls, more slopes and then the Kashmir valley viewpoint. Pahalgam has Kashmir on one side of its hills, hence the Kashmir Valley. After spending so much time in Kashmir, everything is a valley and all look the same to you but there is no denying the beauty of it.

Aru Valley

Aru Valley is a famous tourist spot, made more famous after the movie Bajrangi Bhaijan shot here. It is very big to explore in a single day. You have options to stay over in Aru Valley. But, if you chose the day trip version. You will go to a tourist viewpoint where you can see the Lidder river cutting its way through the mountains and forming what we call the Aru Valley. It is beautiful and worth relaxing for a bit.

Chandanwari

Chandanwari is further up the valley. This is a stop point in the Amarnath Yatra trek. The holy Amarnath cave is just 72 km from here. You can find the deserted counters and railings still in place on one side and the water of lidder gushing down the slopes on the other. The greenish blue clear water, with big rocks on the bank and green trees lining the hillslopes provide the picture perfect for any mountain lover.

Betaab Valley

This place needs no introduction. The epic Betaab Valley gets its name from the Indian movie “Betaab”. It has been curated and conserved more like in the form of a park. You have to buy tickets to enter it. It is a big area and difficult to cover in an hour. You have to make the most of your time. If you have time in hand you can sit there and have ice creams or some snacks from the eatery inside or play with the crystal clear water of the shallow streams formed of the Lidder river. Photoshoot or videography is a must here.