Pahalgam, a heavenly place on earth

Pahalgam, a jewel in the picturesque Liddar valley of high Himalayas is famous for its scenic beauty. Besides, being a starting point for the annual pilgrimage to the holy Amarnath Cave, it is a value added ideal destination for holding:

a) hiking camps, 

b) trekking camps, and 

c) fishing camps.

The origin of Pahalgam dates back to anicient times when herders used to seasonally camp in the lidder valley for grazing their livestock herds and flocks of sheep. The paticular village which used to be a common asembling point for herders and shaphards for dispersal to different destinations in the Lidder valley with their livestock got its name as Pahal-gam "The Village of Herders or shaphards".  

Pahalgam is located in the western part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir and in the northern region of India. Pahalgam is situated at an altitude of 2130 m above sea level amidst the great Himalayan range, in the Liddar valley drained by the Liddar River

The weather in Pahalgam is alpine in nature with mild summers (April-June), and intensly cold winters (November-February) with heavy snowfall. 

For visiting Pahalgam every season is best for me however most of the local, national or international visotors is during the summers, between mid-April and mid-November. It can also be visited in July-August during the annual pilgrimage to the holy cave of Amarnath.

What is the average trip cost for Pahalgam?

INR 28,000 - INR 30,000. This price is subject to change according to the meals, transfers, accommodation, and sightseeing options you choose. If you wish to visit Pahalgam, check out our tour packages here.

In  Pahalgam five places are must to visit for first time visitors which include: 

1) Chandanwari

15 kms uphill drive from Pahalgam. This touristvspot is starting point for Amarnath yatra. Nice picnic amidst nature.

2) Betaab Valley

Enrout to Chandanwari, at a distance of about 7 kms from Pahalgam market, this is one of the most important places in Pahalgam tourism. Betaab Valley is encircled by tall deodar trees and pine forests. The Lidder River flows through the valley. The Bollywood movie Betaab was shot here, hence the name.

3) Aru Valley

11 km from Pahalgam, Aru is a beautiful tourist attraction. The location serves as a base camp for trekking to the Kolahoi Glacier and the Tarsar-Marsar Lake. Horse riding, trekking, camping and hiking are famous activities here.

4) Kolahoi Glacier

This glacier is located over the Lidder River. Basically, Kolahoi Glacier is a hanging glacier which can be reached from Lidderwat, a camping heaven, whose first view takes a visitor's breath away. Lidderwat is about 13 kms trek from Aru. Means of transport from Aru to Lidderwat to Kolahoi are ponies or horses.

5) Sheshnag Lake

Sheshnag Lake, a paradise for peace seekers, is the epitome of natural beauty and serenity. The lake is guarded by snow-clad mountains and alpine meadows. 

J&K WILDLIFE

MAN-WILD ANIMAL CONFLICT IN J&K STATE
MITIGATION MEASURES THEREOF

Dr. Mir M. Mansoor,
Chief Wildlife Biologist, J&K State.

Among the catalogue of environmental problems that Jammu and Kashmir faces, the conflict between man and wild animals, especially with regard to common leopards and Him. black bears, is of growing concern. Man -Wild Animal Conflict (MWAC) causes damage to human lives, property and cultivated crops and is currently the main threat to the survival of common leopards and Him. Black Bears in the state. This problem looks set to get worse, since about 75% of the state’s wild animal population lives outside Wildlife Protected Areas (National Parks & Sanctuaries) and the increasing human population demands ever-more land resources. Therefore, the identification of appropriate policy options to deal with the MWAC challenge is of paramount importance.

The wild animals, historically speaking, are considered part and parcel of Himalayan ecosystem. The role of Him. black bear in natural propagation of wild fruit trees in deep forested areas of Jammu and Kashmir, which, even at present, constitutes almost 70% of food used by other shy, crepuscular and nocturnal frugivorous wild creatures, can not be over shadowed by its present induced abnormal behaviour, for which man is the sole responsible agent, who converted vast stretches of forest habitats into agriculture lands, orchards and even human settlements, at the cost of there survival.

Similarly, leopards, once un-abundant specie, have of late, emerged as a deadly predator, which now very often comes in direct interface with humans and can be expected to show its presence even in the busy streets of Lalchowk, the business hub of the state. Now the question arises, what could be the possible reasons for its changed lifestyle in this Himalayan State, where, the beast is normally not expected to afford to leave its serene and natural forest habitat? To me the answer is none other than drastically changed politico-ecological scenario over the last two decades. Because of this change, the Jammu and Kashmir State experienced extreme disturbance in forest habitats which warranted coming-up of large number of security camps adjacent to and within the forest habitats. Presence of these security camps enhanced the conducive conditions for prolific multiplication of the easy prey of leopards in the shape of stray dogs, because of easily available and un-managed left-over food dumps (an attraction for black bears as well).

Besides, unprecedented climatic change, on account of global warming, is yet another reason and of paramount importance for modification of the natural behaviour of these mega-beasts.

In totality all these factors contributed in disturbance of the peaceful coexistence between humans and wild animals, which deteriorated significantly over the past two decades.

Now, despite the complexity of the problem, only a successful solution will go a long way to conserving the state’s endangered species populations without causing further deterioration to the social welfare of J&K State’s rural community, who very often become victim of MWAC.

Among the mitigation strategies that need to be adopted, the establishment of a physical barrier in the form of electric fencing is considered to be the most effective measure. A substantial number of electric fences have to be established in the State’s MWAC prone areas - an initiative that will involve substantial costs.

However, against this background, and before establishing large scale electric fencings, State Govt., needs to constitute a committee of experts to survey effectiveness of this device in other areas of the country, were such problems have already been tackled by establishing such devices. Only then, some highly MWAC prone areas need to be identified for establishing such hi-tech device, that too, in a phased manner. In first phase only two or three areas need to be undertaken for establishing such device. However, side by side, monitoring and evaluation is to be carried out by comparing the situation in areas ‘protected’ by electric fences to areas without this protection, so that the homogeneity of these treatment and control areas is first established. The effectiveness of the electric fences needs to be estimated using a number of indicators.

Although, there is no short cut for observing other precautionary measures by the masses, against these deadly interactions with wild beasts, while crossing over natural barriers for going deep into the forest habitats for different reasons, but it will be worth while to mention here that the electric fencing device will only be capable of controlling these incidents to a greater extent in areas where the wild beasts come down in search of food and shelter near human habitations. Moreover, the success of controlling MWAC by using electric fencing cannot can’t itself stand as a mitigation measure on its own unless and until number of technical as well as socio-economic factors that determine its success are observed. Among these, correct design, the consideration of geographical variation, climatic factors, movement pattern of wild animals, the completeness of the fencing and the community support for fence maintenance are the crucial ones. Besides, it will not be out of place to mention here that adhoc decision making, in relation to either the establishment of fences or settlements, contributed significantly to fence failure. This implies the need of an integrated approach to solve MWAC problem with comprehensive land use planning and habitat enrichment where electric fencing is an important component.