Everyone who comes to Kashmir asks about Dal Lake, Gulmarg, and Pahalgam. Almost nobody asks about the waterfalls, which is strange given how many the region actually has. Kashmir's rivers drop off the Pir Panjal and the Himalaya at dozens of points, from roadside giants you can reach without leaving the car to forest walks that take a proper morning of effort. This guide covers the best waterfalls in Kashmir for 2026, organized so you know upfront what's an easy add-on and what needs a day to itself.
Aharbal is the one most people mean when they say "waterfall in Kashmir." The Veshaw River, a tributary of the Jhelum, drops close to 25 meters through a granite gorge in Kulgam district, about 70 to 75 km from Srinagar via Shopian, roughly two and a half hours by road. The volume of water rather than the height has earned it the nickname Niagara of Kashmir. There's a proper park, a ticket counter, tourist huts, and a flight of steps down to the viewing gallery, so it's an easy add if you're already routing through South Kashmir. Best time is May to October, earlier in that window for the fuller snowmelt flow.
This is the one we know best, because we run a day trek to it. Babagil sits inside Limber Wildlife Sanctuary near Boniyar in Baramulla district, close enough to the Line of Control that a border permit is required, which we arrange as part of the trip. The walk in is 7 to 8 km through forest that shelters the rare Markhor goat, and the reward is a waterfall dropping into a clear pool with almost nobody else around. If you want the version of Kashmir waterfall that hasn't been packaged for tour buses, this is it. Full details, permits, and departure dates are on our Babagil Waterfall Trek page.
Noori Chamb sits on the Mughal Road in Poonch district, near the village of Bahramgala below the Pir Panjal pass (Peer Ki Gali), about 10 km from Bufliaz. It's the second-tallest plunge waterfall in Poonch district, and it's named for Nur Jahan, wife of Emperor Jahangir, who is said to have bathed here on her way to Kashmir, and there's still a stone frame nearby where a mirror was once mounted for her. The fall has eroded from its original 100 feet down to about 75, and the fine spray it throws off has earned it the local name "the milky waterfall." Worth flagging plainly: this is Poonch district, well over 100 km from Srinagar by road via Shopian and Peer Ki Gali, so it's not a casual add-on to a Kashmir Valley itinerary. It belongs on a Mughal Road route, not a day trip from Srinagar.
Sukhnag sits on the river of the same name near Doodhpathri in Budgam district, about an hour's walk through forest starting just before the main Doodhpathri meadow. It's a good pairing if you're already headed to Doodhpathri for the meadows, since the two rivers that cut through that valley, Sukhnag and Shaliganga, are part of what gives the place its "valley of milk" name in the first place.
Dudnaar, also called Dodnaar locally, sits in Chewa village near Safapora in Bandipora district, about 34 km from Srinagar, close enough for a half-day out. It's a compact fall rather than a dramatic one, forest-fed and reached without the crowds that gather at Aharbal or Drung, which is exactly its appeal if you want a quiet stop rather than a photo-op destination.
Likely Lam Tral, tucked into forest near Tral in Pulwama district, about 50 km from Srinagar via NH44. This isn't a single clean drop like Aharbal, it's a layered cascade, water stepping down over several rock shelves rather than falling in one plunge, which gives it a different rhythm and a series of small pools rather than one large basin at the base. Pine cover and moss-covered rock line the trail in, and the canopy breaks in patches to let light through onto the water, which makes it a better spot for photography than for swimming. Flow is best April to June on snowmelt. It's a short hike from Tral town and one of the quieter entries on this list, more a weekend escape for locals than a tour-circuit stop.
Also known as Namblan or Batnisar, this one sits on the Mundri Nallah in the Narvaw Sheeri tehsil of Baramulla district, roughly 17 to 18 km from Baramulla town. The water drops into an almond-shaped pool deep enough that locals warn against swimming too far out. It's reached by a short forest walk from Nambla village, past walnut orchards and deodar stands, and remains the lowest-traffic entry on this list outside the Poonch and Kishtwar outliers.
Abhshar sits in the Ghan Sarthal area of Kishtwar district, roughly 25 to 30 km from Kishtwar town. Unlike some of the more obscure entries on this list, it's a popular local spot, known for its green surroundings rather than for being hard to find. It also sits in Naag country, an area where local tradition treats mountain springs as sacred, so the site carries some of that cultural weight alongside its natural appeal.
Noorkhah sits in Boniyar tehsil of Baramulla district, about 32 km from Baramulla town, close enough to Babagil that the two are effectively in the same forest tract. It's a forceful, roaring fall into a clear pool, and the access road remains unpaved, which keeps the crowds down. Locals from Kanispora and nearby villages use it as a summer picnic spot more than tourists do.
Nandi Chool (also spelled Nandishool) is a roughly 150-foot fall near Loran village in Poonch district, about 12 km from Loran and 6 km from Sultan Pathri, fed by streams off the Pir Panjal. This is the most remote entry on this list by a wide margin, close to 190 km from Srinagar via the Mughal Road and even farther from Jammu. It belongs to a Poonch-district itinerary built around Loran and Sultan Pathri, not a Kashmir Valley trip.
Drung sits about 3 km off the main road from Tangmarg, roughly 50 to 55 km from Srinagar, which makes it an easy detour if you're already headed toward Gulmarg. What sets Drung apart is winter: the entire fall freezes into a wall of ice, which has made it one of the more photographed frozen waterfalls in the region. Local taxi unions control the final stretch into Drung village, so plan to switch to a local vehicle or ATV at Tangmarg rather than expecting to drive all the way in with your own car.
Shranz is the actual waterfall on Ningle Nallah, a stream about 10 km from Gulmarg near the Baba Reshi shrine, fed by meltwater off Apharwat Peak and Alpather Lake. It's a small fall passing through granite boulders inside dense forest, easy enough to reach that it works as a half-day add-on to a Gulmarg trip rather than a destination on its own. The wider Ningle Nallah stream around it is a popular picnic and camping spot, so expect more foot traffic here than at the trickier-to-reach entries on this list. Best time is June to September.
These aren't evenly spread out. Aharbal, Sukhnag, Drung, Shranz, Babagil, Noorkhah, Dudnaar, and Nambla all sit within a few hours of Srinagar and can be strung into Kashmir Valley itineraries without much trouble. Noori Chamb and Nandi Chool belong to a separate Poonch-district route built around the Mughal Road, and Abhshar sits deep enough into Kishtwar that it's its own trip, not an add-on. If you're planning your own route rather than joining one of our treks, a self drive car rental in Srinagar gives you the flexibility to chase good light and skip the tour-bus crowds at the more popular stops.