Baisaran Valley, Pahalgam: Is It Open? The Status, With Dates (2026-27)

Baisaran is the meadow above Pahalgam that guidebooks call "mini Switzerland". It is also where the attack of 22 April 2025 took place. Most pages that rank for it still describe a pony ride and a picnic, and say nothing about whether you can go. This page is about that question, with a date and a source on every answer.

We last checked the official list on 3 October 2026. For everything else in the valley, see our Pahalgam guide.

Is Baisaran Valley open now?

No. The Anantnag district administration's list, "Details of closed Tourist Destinations in District Anantnag as on 07-07-2026", names Baisaran. On 3 October 2026 that list was still on the district website, and nothing newer had replaced it. We found no order, statement or news report, of any date, saying Baisaran has reopened.

• What the list names: Apple Valley Srigufwara, Daksum, Sinthan Top, Margan Top, Chandanwari, Chatabal Shangus, Baisaran and Tulian Lake.
• What the press says since: reports of 7 August, 17 August and 28 September 2026 all describe Baisaran, or the routes through it, as still closed.
• On the ground: in April 2026 the track up was reported sealed with barbed wire and guarded. We found no report from October 2026 itself.
• Visitor reports from 2026: none. No review we found describes a visit after 22 April 2025.

What happened at Baisaran

On 22 April 2025, militants attacked tourists on the meadow and killed 26 people: 25 tourists and a local pony operator, Syed Adil Hussain Shah, who was killed while trying to save visitors. The meadow has no road, and the injured and the dead were carried down on horseback, on all-terrain vehicles and on shoulders. It has been closed since that day.

The timeline since April 2025

When will Baisaran reopen?

Nobody in authority has given a date. The Chief Minister's target of May 2026 passed without Baisaran reopening. In April 2026 an unnamed official was quoted saying any decision on more sites "will be taken after thorough assessment". Pahalgam's traders, a former legislator and a trade body that wrote to the Prime Minister have all asked for it to be reopened.

Two projects are meant to change the access. A motor road of more than 4 km, from the Circuit Road in Pahalgam to Baisaran, had its foundation stone laid in August 2026; it is budgeted at ₹6.09 crore and expected to take two to three years. Officials said it would help the security forces secure the meadow. The local legislator also said a cable car is planned, and that its survey has been done.

We will update this page when the district list changes. Until it does, do not plan a trip around Baisaran, and do not pay anyone who says he can take you there.

What else is closed in Pahalgam, and what is open

So a Pahalgam visit today is the town and the river, Betaab Valley and Aru Valley, by Pahalgam Taxi Union car. Ask about Chandanwari at the taxi stand on the day: the sources disagree.

The memorial by the Lidder

The memorial to the victims is not at the meadow. It is a wall of black stone on the bank of the Lidder river, about 6 km from Baisaran, carved with the 26 names, with two national flags above it. It was in place by the first anniversary, 22 April 2026, when tourists paid tribute there. You can visit it.

What you will notice in Pahalgam now

• QR codes on service providers. Since March 2026 the Pahalgam police have registered pony handlers, hawkers, photographers and vendors, and given each a QR code. A scan shows the person's name, address, registration and police verification.
• Checks on the valley roads. The codes are checked at security points on the routes to Aru, Betaab Valley and Chandanwari.
• Only registered pony handlers. Handlers from outside Pahalgam are barred. By May 2026 about nine in ten of the 1,900 registered operators had their codes.
• An early finish. In April 2026, visitors to Betaab and Aru were reported to have to leave before 4 pm. We could not confirm whether that still applies, so go in the morning.

Where Baisaran is, and what the trip was like

For when it reopens: Baisaran is a hilltop meadow ringed by pine forest, at about 2,400 m, above Pahalgam town. There is no motor road. You went up on foot or on a pony.

• The path: walkers in 2023 called it a well-made path that needs some stamina. Riders in 2024 and 2025 called it muddy, steep and frightening on the way down, with no safety gear.
• Elders: one visitor in April 2025 wrote that his 70-year-old father was in much pain, and that nobody warns you the track is not suitable for senior citizens.
• Rain and snow: the trail turns to mud in rain, and is under snow in winter.
• What was there: tea stalls, zorbing and a zipline. Nothing has been reported operating since April 2025.

Baisaran pony ride price: the approved rate

The newest approved list we found sets the pony to Baisaran at ₹1,500 return, with one hour of waiting included. The list is undated; the file on the government corporation's site is dated 28 March 2026. It will matter again when the meadow reopens.

Many websites still quote ₹1,320. That was the rate on a board visitors photographed in 2022, valid until March 2023.

Before the closure, overcharging was the commonest complaint. Handlers listed each viewpoint on the way as a separate charge, though one visitor noted that "all the points will come along your way". The approved rate is per route, not per point.

What to do in Pahalgam instead

• Betaab Valley and Aru Valley: both open, and both by Pahalgam Taxi Union car from the stand in the main market.
• The Lidder: walk the river through the town.
• The parks near the market: reopened in June 2025.
• The memorial: on the river bank.

Each has its own guide: Betaab Valley, Aru Valley and, for its status, Chandanwari.

Fares for the union taxis, where to stay and how long to give Pahalgam are in our Pahalgam guide.