Yes, most of Kashmir is open to tourists right now. Not all of it, though. Treks in Kashmir, including the Kashmir Great Lakes trek, are closed to tourists, and so are Baisaran, Chandanwari, Sinthan Top, Margan Top, Warwan Valley and Aharbal. A place that's open today can be shut tomorrow on security inputs. Kashmir is safe to visit if you check what's open before you book, not after you land.
Get live updates: We post every opening and closure on our Wildfloc WhatsApp channel. Follow it before you plan anything.
I was born in Kashmir and did my schooling here before moving to Bangalore for higher studies. I've been going back and forth between the two ever since. At Wildfloc, we've taken thousands of travellers through Kashmir, mostly on offbeat routes like Gurez, the high-altitude treks and our women-only departures, rather than the busy Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonamarg circuit.
This post isn't a summary of news reports. It's what we see on our trips and what I tell people when they call us asking the same question you're asking now.
On 22 April 2025, terrorists attacked tourists at Baisaran meadow near Pahalgam. Twenty-six people were killed: 25 tourists and Syed Adil Hussain Shah, a local pony operator who was shot while trying to stop one of the attackers.
I'm not going to skip past this, because a guide that does is just a sales page. It was a horrific attack on people who had come here on holiday.
The effect on tourism was immediate. Around 95% of our bookings were cancelled. Some guests asked to move their dates, but most just cancelled. For a business like ours, it was devastating. It took the whole industry a long time to recover, and the government has been reopening tourist places in phases ever since.
More security, more checking. You'll see more security personnel, and checks are more frequent than before April 2025. If you're carrying a valid ID and following the rules, these checks are routine.
Interior places are closed. Most of the closures are deeper, less-visited spots: meadows, trek routes and side valleys. The main towns are working normally.
Things change overnight. This is the part most people don't expect. A place can be open one day and closed the next, based on inputs from the security forces. You can't plan a Kashmir trip from a blog post you read three months ago. That includes this one, which is why it carries a date.
The QR system isn't really being checked. After the attack, a QR-code ID system was introduced for registered pony operators and guides in Pahalgam. It's a good idea. In practice, I rarely see operators bothering with it or tourism police checking it, so don't count on it as your safety net. Book through a registered company you can hold accountable.
Our own groups. Because we mostly run offbeat routes that are less commercialised, our trips have been largely unaffected. A few times since 2025, we've had to change a group's route after an update from local authorities, mostly around Yusmarg and the Naranag area. Other than that, it has been safe.
This is what our team on the ground is seeing right now.
| Status | Places |
|---|---|
| Closed to tourists | All treks (including Kashmir Great Lakes and Tulian Lake), Baisaran, Chandanwari, Sinthan Top, Margan Top, Warwan Valley, Aharbal waterfall |
| Often closed | Yusmarg (and tourists aren't allowed to stay overnight there) |
| Open | Srinagar, Gulmarg, Sonamarg, Pahalgam town, Gurez Valley |
Chandanwari is also the route to the Amarnath Yatra, and Tulian Lake is reached via Baisaran, which is why both remain shut.
For the official list, check the district notices, such as the Anantnag district list of closed tourist destinations.
Treks in Kashmir are closed to tourists
This is the question we get asked most, so I'll be direct: treks in Kashmir are currently closed for non-local tourists. Some locals still go into the mountains, but tourists are not allowed on trek routes right now.
That includes the Kashmir Great Lakes trek, the most famous trek in Kashmir and the one people message us about every week. It's closed, and so is our Tulian Lake trek. We're not taking bookings for either until the authorities reopen the routes. Please don't book flights around a Kashmir trek right now, and be careful with anyone who says they can get you onto a closed route. If something goes wrong on a route that's officially shut, nobody can help you.
When treks reopen, we'll announce it on our WhatsApp channel first.
Follow our WhatsApp channel for open and closed updates
Closures in Kashmir change faster than any blog post can keep up with. So we post every update on our Wildfloc WhatsApp channel: which places have opened, which have closed and when treks like Great Lakes are back on. It's free to follow, whether you travel with us or not. Our own guests use it to plan each day on the ground.
Follow the Wildfloc WhatsApp channel before you finalise your Kashmir plans.
Gurez wasn't affected by the post-Pahalgam closures and is open right now. It's also where most of our Kashmir trips go.
It's a border valley, though, so the rules are different from Srinagar. Indian travellers need a permit, issued in person at the Tragbal army checkpoint. There's no online application. Carry your original government photo ID (Aadhaar, passport, voter ID or driving licence), expect more ID checks further in, and never photograph army posts, bridges or checkpoints. Our complete Gurez Valley guide has the route, permit and season details.
It isn't security. It's not checking.
The most common problem we see since Pahalgam is travellers who don't research which places are open before they come. They land, hire a car and find half their itinerary is closed. Check closures before you book anything non-refundable, and check again a day or two before you travel.
A few other practical things catch people out:
Yes. We run a women-only Kashmir trip every month, departing on the 3rd, and women travel with us on our regular group departures too.
The usual sense applies: arrange your airport pickup in advance and note the driver's name and vehicle number, stay somewhere with good reviews, don't go into forests or high meadows alone, and share your day's plan with someone back home. Dressing modestly helps in villages and religious places.
The UK government and the US State Department both advise their citizens against travel to most of Jammu and Kashmir. Their advisories are written for their own nationals and factor in limited consular support. Travelling against that advice can also void your travel insurance. If you hold a foreign passport, read your own government's advisory and check your insurance before booking.
When a parent calls and asks me "is it safe?", I tell them the truth. Safety is ultimately in the hands of our Creator. But everything that's in our hands, we do. I would put my own life on the line to protect a guest, and I mean that.
That's also why I tell everyone the same two things: do your research on what's open, and book through a registered local company that knows the place inside out.
After Pahalgam, a lot of people started seeing every Kashmiri through the same lens. That isn't fair. What happened was wrong, and nobody here denies it. But the man who died trying to stop the attackers that day was a Kashmiri pony operator. Judge the people you meet here by who they are, not by what someone else did.
You can also read the J&K Police safety tips for tourists.
If you'd rather not track closures and checkpoints yourself, travel with a local team on our offbeat Kashmir tour. For packing, permits and money, read our things to know before traveling to Kashmir.