Visit Pahelgam - the Most Scenic Spot in Kashmir, India

If you start visiting all the beautiful places in Kashmir, India, you might spend your entire life doing so as there are hundreds of such beautiful places located all throughout this lovely State of India. Luckily, I got the opportunity to visit most of the beautiful places in Kashmir. Therefore, I feel obliged to convey my pleasant experiences visiting Kashmir to all my AC friends and readers. Pahelgam has lot to offer to all the tourists in terms of natural beauty. I have visited Pahelgam 4 years ago and I stayed for three days.

Pahelgam is situated at around 55 miles away from Shrinagar, which is the summer capital of the State of Jammu & Kashmir. Shrinagar can be reached by road from Jammu or directly by air from Delhi, Mumbai, and other major cities of India. Most of the tourists visit Pahelgam from Shrinagar and return back on the same day evening. My suggestion to all the tourists would be to stay at Pahelgam for at least two nights. This would give the tourists the unique experience of staying close to the nature in the middle of lush green forests and the snow filled Mountains of Himalaya. We stayed in the cottage of the State Government of Jammu and Kashmir for two days at Pahelgam. These cottages are situated at the most beautiful location around Himalaya Mountains at the bank of the River Bias. Though, there are other few hotels available at Pahelgam for the tourists, it would be the best option for the tourists to stay at these cottages. Each cottage is having a living room, bed room, and the small family room with the large 36 inch size TV with cable connection. The cottage has also small verandah to sit and relax in the open area. The rates for such cottage are around Rs.5000 ($125) per day. Each cottage can accommodate four persons easily. There is a dining hall at this cottage complex that serves both vegetarian and non vegetarian meals at reasonable rates.

Pahelgam is situated at the sangam of three rivers, namely Bias, Leader, and Satin. The long leisurely strolls along the bank of Bias River at Pahelgam are really enjoyable and pleasant, particularly during early morning hours. The tourists love to visit Chandanwadi, which is around 6 miles away from Pahelgam. The tourists have to undertake this journey on back of the pony or by walking. The journey to Chandanwadi may take around two hours and is very pleasant as it offers the most scenic views of the Himalaya Mountains. There is a bridge of snow here at Chandanwadi, which is a rare sight for the tourists. However, this snow bridge can be viewed only during the winter months from November to January. The famous Hindu pilgrimage to Amarnath cave starts from Chandanwadi. The Tarsar Lake, which is situated at around 18 miles away from Pahelgam, is the next place to be visited. The regular buses ply from Pahelgam every day for this Lake and return back in the evening on the same day. The tourists also love to visit Aru, which is situated at around 5 miles away from Pahelgam. Aru is a large open area on a hill that is full of many types of colored flowers during spring. it gets full of snow during the winter. The tourists will have to travel on a pony back for visiting Aru. Pahelgam is also a better shopping place as compared to Shrinagar. The woolen shawls and sweaters are available here in ample varieties and that too at lower rates than in Shrinagar.

The daily luxury coaches are available from Shrinagar for Pahelgam, leaving from Tourists Reception Center of Shrinagar at around 8.30 am in the morning. You need to book your travel tickets at least two to three days in advance. The buses going to Pahelgam passes through Pampur, Avantipur, Achhabal, Matan, and Martand. The bus stops at Avantipur and Martand on the way to Pahelgam. The entire journey passes through the most scenic places and the tourists love this journey to Pahelgam.

I would strongly advise all my AC readers and friends to visit Pahelgam during their next visit to Kashmir in India and stay there for at least two days in the government cottage to enjoy this scenic and beautiful place of Pahelgam thoroughly.