Amelie9626
★★★3.0Wrote on 19 Oct 2023
Beautiful but not umissable.
Paid 1000/- for each horse to visit "3 points". Took us 45 minutes to go up and 45 minutes to come down. saw 2 people fall off the horse, so its definitely not for all. When we went, the valley was not too crowded and it was ok ok. Clean, and though some vendors came to us, they didn't really pester us. We enjoyed looking at the view and came back soon enough. Its lovely but not unmissable. Depends on the crowds I guess. We paid 90 as entrance for 2 adults and 2 kids. They had ziplining for Rs, 350/- per person and also zorbing (but i dont know the rate for that one). There are 4-5 stalls selling maggi, tea and some other items.
Explore66067612725
★★2.0Wrote on 6 Oct 2023
Avoid using Taxi and Horse ride, Go in big group in private vehicle
I have already posted a review on the Dabyan Valley page, but I feel it's essential to share my experience here as well to protect fellow tourists, since page receives more frequent visits from travelers. The horse ride experience was, unfortunately, far from satisfactory. We were asked INR 17,000 which after negotiations, we were charged INR 11,000 for three people to visit fabricated points of interest that lacked any genuine beauty. Also, later we came to know a family of 4 paid only 8000K. The only place worth visiting is Mini Switzerland. The best approach is to drive to a point away from the Horse/Taxi stand scam area and walk approximately 20 minutes to reach Mini Switzerland. When it comes to visiting other places, such as Betab Valley (which is the only worthwhile location), Chandanwari (which is quite underwhelming), and Aru Valley (which was disappointingly dirty), beware of taxi drivers who claim that different taxis are required due to union regulations. This is an absurd scam, as there is no one monitoring which vehicles are allowed to go where. Private cars or any type of vehicle can access these sites. The drivers you will hire from srinagar, will tell you he can't go there due to restrictions, then contact their family or friends to charge you an additional 2500 INR to take you to these three locations. I strongly advise sticking to Betab Valley, enjoying a three-hour walk or a picnic, and skipping the rest. The excessive hawking activity in the area makes it nearly impossible to relax in any of the gardens, even if you disregard the financial scams. In conclusion, I would like to caution that the entire Pahalgam site appears to be rife with scams. It's best to avoid going there unless you have your own vehicle.
Vansid
★★★★★5.0Wrote on 1 Oct 2023
Avoid the ponies, you will enjoy the place
We hiked up the pony route in about an hour. It is about 3kms, half of the regular hiking route, but has a few tricky patches. We went up at 8am when no ponies had started so it was fine else would have been a problem. We came back through the old pony route which is not fenced off by the forest deptt. This is the steepest but since not in use by ponies, it was smoother. When we reached at 9, not even the ticket guy had come. Tea stall owners and zipline guy arrived at 9am. Zorbing person reached a bit later. All the negative reviews are about the pony-wallahs but we didn't have to deal with them so we enjoyed our time.
waterkid17
★★★★★5.0Wrote on 20 Sept 2023
Must visit
I did the trek from Pahalgam to the Baisaran valley on foot. It took me about 80 mins and it was a long a well made path with a few areas of undulation. The path can be followed all the way to the top, and Google maps can also be used in case of confusion. The views at the top are something out of a fairytale. This place definitely justifies its "mini Switzerland" tag, and a walk along the meadows is calming and rejuvenating. Definitely needs some amount of endurance, but do not let the the local pony owners discourage you. It is quite doable
Fearless28641292183
★1.0Wrote on 18 Aug 2023
Scam
Had a horrible experience here. The greedy horse owners were charging Rs. 4000 for a single horse. After hard bargaining, we brought it down to Rs. 2000 . We were heavily scammed , sadly. Will look up trip advisor in future
