Travel style · Kashmir
Treks and walks in Kashmir
From an afternoon ridge walk to two weeks on foot
Day walks between villages, teahouse treks in Nepal, camping treks to high lakes and passes. We grade every walk by hours, height gain and the highest point, and pair you with licensed local guides and porters where the rules or the terrain call for them.
Photo: KennyOMG · CC BY-SA 4.0 · CommonsTrekking in the Himalaya is mostly walking on old paths between villages, which means you can choose your comfort: teahouses in Nepal, homestays in Ladakh and Sikkim, tents where nobody lives.
Kashmir is a 135 km long valley at about 1,600 m, ringed by the Pir Panjal and the Great Himalaya. Come April to June for tulips and meadows, September to November for chinar and saffron, January to March for snow in Gulmarg. Six to eight nights covers Srinagar, Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonamarg.
Trips
Treks and walks trips in Kashmir
Photo: Fulvio Spada from Torino, Italy · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons
Comfort
Kashmir in autumn: saffron, chinars and Aru
Private car with driver
Photo: Fulvio Spada from Torino, Italy · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons
Saver
Gurez Valley on a budget by shared Sumo
JKSRTC or private bus to Bandipora, shared Sumos, one shared car day
7 places
Where to go
Photo: KennyOMG · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Aru Valley
Trailhead village for Lidderwat, Kolahoi and Tarsar
Photo: Nadeem Hassan · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Dachigam National Park
Home of the hangul, 22 km from Srinagar
Photo: Ankur P from Pune, India · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons
Doodhpathri
The valley of milk, 42 km from Srinagar
Photo: Aniketchoudhary87 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Gurez Valley
Log villages on the Kishanganga below Habba Khatoon peak
Photo: Unknown author · CC0 · Commons
Pahalgam
The shepherds' village where the two Lidder rivers meet
Photo: Wikiditot · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Sonamarg
The meadow of gold on the old road to Ladakh
Photo: Suhail Skindar Sofi · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Yusmarg
Pine meadows on the Doodh Ganga, a walk from Nilnag lake
Experiences
Days that fit the style
Photo: Mike Prince from Bangalore, India · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Aru to Lidderwat along the stream
A long but steady walk of about 10 km each way leads from Aru village through fir forest and meadow to Lidderwat, where…
Photo: Irfanaru · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Tarsar and Marsar lakes trek from Aru
From Aru, this trek climbs via Lidderwat and Shekwas to Tarsar, a deep blue lake below steep peaks at about 3,800 m, th…
Photo: Oliver139 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Meet the herders' camps above Aru
From June to September, Gujjar and Bakarwal families camp in the meadows above Aru with goats, sheep and horses. A slow…
Photo: Jyoti Chaurasia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Morning wildlife walk in lower Dachigam
Lower Dachigam is a broad, gentle valley floor of forest, orchards and meadow along the Dagwan. A guided morning walk o…
Photo: Tahirshawl · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Listening for the hangul rut in autumn
In autumn, hangul stags bugle across the forested slopes of Dachigam during the rut. Hearing their calls at dawn, and w…
Photo: Jyoti Chaurasia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Birding along the Dagwan river
The Dagwan river and the mixed forest of lower Dachigam are good for birds, especially in spring when summer visitors a…
Photo: Ankur P from Pune, India · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons
Riverbank and meadow walk on the Shaliganga
Walk along the Shaliganga from the main meadow, cross on log bridges, and climb gently to open grassland with views of …
Photo: Ankur P from Pune, India · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons
Pony ride from Doodhpathri to Mujpathri
Mujpathri is a small hamlet on the bank of the Shaliganga beyond the main Doodhpathri meadow. A pony ride there and bac…
Where to sleep
Stays in these places
Photo: Unknown author · CC0 · Commons
Budget
JKTDC Huts and Cottages, Pahalgam
The Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation runs cottages and huts in Pahalgam, set among pines near the…
Photo: Aniketchoudhary87 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Budget
JKTDC Tourist Bungalow and Huts, Dawar
JKTDC's accommodation at Dawar, the main township of Gurez, includes a tourist bungalow with rooms and log huts ne…
Photo: Suneeta3 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Mid
The Pahalgam Hotel
One of Pahalgam's oldest hotels, established in the early 1930s, set in gardens above the Lidder with rooms and su…
Photo: Unknown author · CC0 · Commons
Luxury
Welcomhotel by ITC Hotels, Pine N Peak, Pahalgam
A five-star hotel in Pahalgam on the Aru road side of town, run under ITC's Welcomhotel brand, with around 68 room…
Treks and walks elsewhere