Aru Valley

Aru is a small village 12 km above Pahalgam on a tributary of the Lidder River, sitting at around 2,400 m in a broad valley with excellent views of the Kolahoi Glacier to the east. It is quieter than Pahalgam itself and makes a good alternative base for trekkers: the setting is more open, the meadows above the village are easily reached, and the atmosphere is distinctly calmer.

The 2-day trek from Aru to the Kolahoi Glacier follows the valley steadily upward through forest and meadow, reaching the glacier at around 3,800 m. Day walks from Aru to the surrounding meadows at Lidderwat (10 km) are possible without a guide. Horses and guides can be arranged in the village.

things to do sight
A story
Aru is the starting point for one of the finest treks in Kashmir: the route over the Tarsar-Marsar pass, a 5–7 day circuit through alpine meadows, over high passes, and down into the Sindh Valley. The trek was largely abandoned during the worst years of the insurgency in the 1990s and early 2000s, and has been slowly reviving since. The isolation that made it dangerous then makes it remarkably uncrowded now — a rare thing for a trek in such spectacular country.