A Quick Guide to all things about Pahalgam, the famous hill resort in Kashmir, including Amarnath Yatra that makes it one of the most famous and worthy-of-a-visit-and-a-stay hill station in the entire Himalayas?

Even so, what really is a hill station? A hill station is a very colonial era name given to a town which is at a higher elevation such that people can go there to escape the heat of the plains in the months of summer.

Pahalgam is not a mere hill-station. Its a recreationresort. Its like going into the lap of nature to do many things – one of the best – that “do-nothing”. You want to have a romantic trip with your beloved, want to get together with you family, and have what they call a ‘quality’ family time, you want to do those little interesting things with the family and kids, like take a pony ride, just picnic next to a beatiful river, just lie down under the sun next to your ‘hut’ with fresh breeze blowing, and read a book, or have a game of cards. Go to a cosy market and have a cup of coffee, or eat normal not-cooked-at-home food, or shop some of the exquisite of Kashmiri handicraft.

Well, that’s what Pahalgam used to be. The new resurrected Pahalgam is a little more commercialized, albeit the same beauty. You could take rides in a new children part, or raft down the river Lidder. Golf is still there – the Pahalgam club with its table-tennis rooms, mini-golf and cards room missing.

Pahalgam is accessible from road, unless you can find a way to travel in a copter. There is, of course, no railraod either. If you are driving from Jammu, you can decide to go to Pahalgam some 45 kms before Srinagar (at Khanabal). Or you can fly into Srinagar, or drive first to Srinagar and then drive to Pahalgam – which is 96 kms away. It can take 2-3 hours.