Is Kashmir Safe To Visit? My Experience + Current Advice
The official answer for New Zealanders is no: SafeTravel currently says do not travel to Jammu and Kashmir. It rates the territory Level 4 because of terrorism and ongoing violence.
My personal answer is much simpler: go. I travelled through Kashmir solo in 2022, loved it, met incredibly welcoming people and probably felt safer there than anywhere else I visited in India. I would go back.
That recommendation runs directly against the government advice, so I am not going to hide the warning in the small print. Read it, understand it, then make your own call. Mine would still be to go.
Table of Contents
The Current Answer
Heads up: New Zealand says do not travel. The UK advises against all travel to Jammu and Kashmir, explicitly including Srinagar, Gulmarg, Sonamarg and Pahalgam. The US also says do not travel to Jammu and Kashmir, with an exception for eastern Ladakh and Leh.
Would I recommend Kashmir to a friend? Yes. I would also send them the SafeTravel link before they booked. That is not fence-sitting; it is the difference between sharing my opinion and pretending the warning does not exist.
What Changed After My Trip
On 22 April 2025, gunmen attacked tourists at Baisaran meadow near Pahalgam. An Indian government account records 26 civilians killed, most of them tourists. This was not an incident hidden near a remote border; it happened at one of Kashmir’s best-known visitor areas.
One horrific attack does not make every visitor an immediate target. It does explain why the warnings remain so blunt: this is a different category of risk from pickpockets or getting ripped off by a taxi driver, and you cannot completely organise your way around it.
Security conditions can also change quickly. Curfews, road restrictions, protests, military operations and mobile or internet disruption are practical trip problems even when nothing directly threatens you.
What The Warning Is Actually About
This article is about the Indian-administered Kashmir Valley around Srinagar and Pahalgam, not every place that carries the name Kashmir. The region has been disputed since the 1947 partition of British India and remains divided between India and Pakistan, with the Line of Control separating the administered areas.
In 2019, India revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status and reorganised the former state into the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The politics are much deeper than that one sentence, but it helps explain why current advisories treat the Kashmir Valley and eastern Ladakh differently.
The warning is not saying ordinary Kashmiris are dangerous. My experience of ordinary Kashmiris was the complete opposite. It concerns terrorism, political violence, civil unrest and sudden security restrictions.
That distinction matters. The people can be wonderfully welcoming while the wider political situation remains volatile.
How Kashmir Actually Felt To Me
Kashmir felt safe. Not merely ‘nothing bad happened’ safe; relaxed, welcomed and looked after. People were kind, curious and generous with me, and I loved being there. It was probably the safest I felt in India.
That warmth was not something I imagined later to make a better story. It was the daily texture of the trip, from Srinagar to Pahalgam and then out across the mountains.
The jarring part was the militarisation. There was army everywhere. Soldiers on street corners, checkpoints every few kilometres, armoured vehicles, guns, barbed wire. Tanks.
It was nuts!
Once the shock wore off, I stopped reacting to every uniform and the place began to feel normal. More than normal, actually. It certainly felt safer than Delhi.
The security presence clearly was not decorative. But day to day, I did not feel tense or threatened. I felt comfortable travelling alone, asking strangers for help and saying yes when people invited me in.
Would I Go Back?
Tomorrow, if I could. Kashmir was one of the highlights of India and I would hate for this article to read as a long argument against visiting it. It isn’t.
My opinion is based on one excellent trip as a young male traveller in 2022. It is not a statistical model, but it is still my genuine recommendation: I felt safe, I was treated brilliantly, and I think Kashmir is worth going to.
What About Solo, Female And LGBTQ+ Travellers?
I travelled solo and found it easy to meet people, arrange transport and get help. I can only speak directly for that experience, but I never felt that travelling alone was a problem.
The women I met also spoke positively about travelling there. Kashmir is socially conservative, so modest dress and restrained public affection are sensible cultural choices for everyone. Nothing too complicated.
Same-sex relationships are legal in India. The current UK travel guidance confirms this, while same-sex marriage is not legally recognised and conservative attitudes can still mean harassment or discrimination, particularly outside large cities.
If You Decide To Go
I would not over-engineer it. Read the warning, check your cover, then sort these basics before you leave:
For trekking, use a local guide and confirm that the exact route is open. Mountain weather, altitude and rescue limitations already make remote walking serious; a changing security situation adds another layer.
Why I Still Love Kashmir
The mountain scenery was ridiculous, the hospitality was real, and Kashmir gave me some of my favourite memories from India. I think more travellers should see it, not fewer. Local families and guides also live with the cost every time tourism disappears.
So there is the recommendation, without another layer of legal padding: I would go. Just do not confuse my enthusiasm with official approval.
How I Would Spend Two Weeks In Kashmir
Do not make Kashmir a three-day stop on the way to Leh. Give it two weeks and you can properly settle into Srinagar, get out into the mountains, walk a decent trek and still leave room for the inevitable change of plans.
Srinagar: Three Days
Start slowly. Stay beside Dal Lake for at least a night, take a shikara out on the water, then spend another day around the Old City rather than treating Srinagar as a transport depot. Nishat, Shalimar and Chashme Shahi are easy to combine, but leave time to wander, drink kahwa and eat proper Kashmiri food too.
I would split the stay between a houseboat and a hotel on land. Houseboats are part of the Srinagar experience; having a normal shower and an easy taxi pickup afterwards is also quite nice.
Pahalgam: Four Or Five Days
Pahalgam is where I would spend the largest chunk. Walk beside the Lidder River, take a day out to Aru Valley, then do the two-day Tulian Lake trek. It was one of the best things I did in India.
If Tulian does not suit, walk from Aru toward Lidderwat and stay overnight before returning. Strong hikers could instead build the trip around a longer route such as Tarsar Marsar, which will consume most of a week and give Kashmir’s mountains the attention they deserve. Sort the exact route and current access with a local guide.
Where I Would Stay In Pahalgam
Gulmarg: Two Days
Gulmarg deserves an overnight stay, not just a rushed gondola ticket. Ride toward Apharwat when conditions allow, walk through the meadow and stay long enough to see the day-trippers disappear. In winter this becomes the skiing part of the trip; outside winter, it is an easy place to trade traffic for mountain air.
Sonamarg: Two Or Three Days
Finish in Sonamarg. Walk toward Thajiwas, follow the Sindh Valley and spend at least one night rather than driving out, taking a photo and driving straight back. There are bigger multi-day routes from this side of Kashmir too, including the Kashmir Great Lakes trek, but that is a trip in itself rather than a cheeky add-on.
For a trek-heavy fortnight, I would drop Gulmarg and Sonamarg and use those days on Tarsar Marsar or the Great Lakes route instead. For a first visit, though, the loop above gives you lakes, gardens, food, villages and a lot of mountain time without spending every night in a tent.
Build spare time into the route. Checkpoints, road closures, weather and sudden restrictions can all rearrange a Kashmir itinerary, so this is not the place for a tightly booked seven-day sprint.
Leh can wait for another trip, or another week. Kashmir is not the warm-up. It is the trip.
India Travel Planning Cheatsheet
🚑 Should I buy travel insurance for India?
100% YES! — India has free healthcare and it works, but it’s something you don’t want to experience (Trust me – I did!). For the private hospitals you’ll need travel insurance in case anything happens on your visit. Also be aware many policies won’t cover high altitude hiking as it’s a high risk activities like motorcyle riding!
(that’s right, check the t&c’s on your complimentary credit card insurance)
I highly recommend World Nomads as you can get specific add-ons for high altitude hiking UP TO 6000m (Which most travel insurance companies don’t offer!) and other activiites.
🎫 Do I need a visa for India?
Yes, probably — India require a tourist visa for visitors from most western countires which allows you stay for up to 90 days.
This Lonely Planet aritcle summarises the visa requirements nicely.
💉Do I need any vaccinations for India?
YES! Make sure you are up-to-date with all your vaccines. Common travel vaccines include Hep A/B + Typhoid, and Diphtheria + Tetanus.
Rabies is also an issue in India but the vaccine is expensive and ineffective as a preventative measure (it only lasts a few years and you’ll need to get them again if you require treatment). If bitten by a stray dog (like I was!) seek immediate medical attention!
As always, talk to your GP or specialised travel doctor a few weeks BEFORE you leave.
💸How do you pay for things in India?
Cash is king in Indiaa, so you’ll want to get some folding tender out from an ATM when you land. Larger businesses and hotels will take Debit / Credit Card but most resturants, and street vendors want cash.
I personally use a Wise debit card for all my international money needs as they only convert the funds when you make payment, plus they offer a much better spread (margin on the true exhange rate) than the banks do. They work in all the Tanzanian ATMs I tried. .
📲 How do I get internet/data/wifi in India?
This one needs a whole nother article, but the short version is prepaid SIM cards are cheap and availible to tourists and locals alike (You don’t need a pricey tourst SIM!)
Your cheapest option is buying a physical sim card on the street corner once landed and getting the shop assistant to help you set it up. I went with Vodafone and had generally good coverage.
Now when I travel I use is the Saily eSIM. This is a little more expensive but works from the moment you land is is SOOOOO much easier than the in person verification process required for a local sim. I used to use Airalo but now find Saily a much better product – you can get 5% off with code SPECIAL5
NB: The catch was travelling into Kashmir where out of state sims dont work, and you can’t get a local sim without a phone contract and local ID!
✈️ What’s the best site to buy flights to India?
For finding cheap flights, I recommend Skyscanner. Once you find the flight you’re looking for, I’d then suggest booking directly with the carrier (even if it costs a few $$ more than with one of the agreggators/agencies).
💧Can you drink the water in India?
Safest not to — tap water in India in some areas (larger cities) may be OK (the locals drink it) but is generally untreated and not reccommended for tourists. Purchase bottled water for drinking and teeth brushing.
