Baltal is a camping ground for pilgrims, 75 km from Ganderbal town in

Ganderbal district The Ganderbal district, is an Indian-administered district in Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the ...

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory since 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered by India as a state from 1952 to 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (prin ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and 93 km from capital city

Srinagar Srinagar (; ) is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary ...

and 15 km north of

Sonamarg Sonamarg or Sonmarg (), known as Sonamarag (; ) in Kashmiri, is a hill station located in the Ganderbal District of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is located about 62 kilometers from Ganderbal Town and northeast of the capital city, Srinaga ...

on the

Sind River The Sind River or the Sindh River is a river in the Ganderbal district of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is a major tributary of the Jhelum River and is long. Geography The Sind River forms the Sind Valley. The ...

at the base of

Zojila Zoji La (sometimes Zojila Pass) is a high mountain pass in the Himalayas. It is located in the Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir and the Kargil district of Ladakh, both union territories of India. This pass connects the Kashmir Valley ...

pass. This little valley is only a

day's journey A day's journey in pre-modern literature, including the Bible and ancient geographers and ethnographers such as Herodotus, is a measurement of distance. In the Bible, it is not as precisely defined as other Biblical measurements of distance; the ...

away from Srinagar and provides a shorter high-altitude alternate route to the sacred cave of Amarnath.

Overview

Perched at an elevation of , the highland pastures, Baltal serves as the base camp for pilgrims on their onward journey to Amarnath Caves, 14 km away. The site is seen with pitched tents meant for the pilgrims to spend the night. Baltal is one hour away from Sonmarg on a taxi or a bus. It can also be reached from

Pahalgam Pahalgam () or Pahalgom () is a town in Anantnag district of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is located on the banks of Lidder River at an altitude of in the Vale of Kashmir. Pahalgam is the headquarters of the Pahalga ...

, 24 km away, in about 1 day by foot. For hikers, it takes around one day to reach Baltal from Pahalgam. Renowned for its scenic beauty, Baltal meadows offers tent accommodation for the pilgrims and tourists alike at reasonable prices. Both pony rides or, for those who can afford, helicopter services are available to the holy Amarnath Caves. Helicopter passengers have to disembark at Panjtarni and foot it, or take a pony ride, to the cave, 5 km away. For the hikers, the 14 km distance from Baltal to Amarnath takes about 8 hours on a winding steep trail. Basic teashops are available on route.

References

Geography of Jammu and Kashmir {{JammuKashmir-geo-stub