Pahalgam

Located on the banks of the river Lidder, Pahalgam is a popular hill station in the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir. Pahalgam offers health resorts, tourist huts and hotels for stay and a number of treks. A 35km trail begins from Pahalgam, traverses through beautiful pine woods and reaches the spectacular Kolahoi Glacier. For the adventurous, besides trekking, there is White Water Rafting too. The scenic meadow of Baisaran sometimes called Mini-Switzerland can be reached by a fun journey on pony backs.
Pahalgam is also associated with the annual Amarnath Yatra, whose starting point Chandanwari lies some 16 km from here. About 11 km from Chandanwari is the mountain lake of Sheshnag, after which, 13 km away is the last stop, Panchtarni. The Amarnath cave is 6 km away from there. During the month of Sawan, an ice stalagmite forms a natural Shivling in the Amarnath cave.
Pahalgam can be accessed by road only, either from Srinagar (2.5 hours drive) or from Jammu (8 hours drive).
Best time to visit: July to August
Languages spoken: Kashmiri
Climate: Pleasant summers and very cold winters with snowfall
Holy Places: Amarnath Temple
Natural Wonders: Kolahoi Glacier, Chandanwari, Betaab Valley, Aru valley, Baisaran, Sheshnag Lake
Adventure Tourism: Kolahoi Glacier Trek, White Water Rafting

Kashmir- Paradise regained : Day 5 & 6

By

We had a fantastic morning in store for us. We assembled at a small pier. At Rs. 300 per head many of us had a go at water surfing. We have to stand atop a small plank which is tied to a pair of ropes. This will be pulled by a motor boat taking us for a spin around the lake. With no safety gear it was a risk… but that’s the fun part.

Read More
Raven

Paradise on Earth- Jammu and Kashmir (Part 3)

By

We passed the first town enroute – Ganderbal, within an hour. It was after Ganderbal that the real beauty of the drive commenced. After Ganderbal, the snow-capped Himalayas greeted us bang on. Every turn gave us panoramic new scenes, which always seemed to better than the previous one. Complimented by the untouched beauty of the Sindh River, the landscape was picture perfect.

Read More

Paradise on Earth-Jammu and Kashmir (Part 2)

By

These floating pieces of land are used by the landowners to do some kitchen gardening and are bound to the floor of the lake through a long pole. The boatman informed us that often these floating pieces of land are stolen in the stealth of the night and the police are left with no alternative but to register a case of ‘stolen land’!

Read More

With Love from Kashmir…

By

Continuing my exploration of the beautiful valley of Kashmir, my second visit was more like returning back to my second home. The enthralling beauty and the warmth of the people haunted me long enough to make me revisit Kashmir and I boarded the indigo flight for a 5 day visit.

Read More