Is Kashmir safe to visit now? What the official advice says

What governments advise

These foreign advisories don’t apply to Indian visitors. For them, the district closure orders below are the main official limit on where tourists can go.

What has changed since April 2025

1. 22 Apr 2025
   An attack at Baisaran near Pahalgam killed 26 people, including 25 tourists and a local pony operator, according to The Wire and Brighter Kashmir.
2. After the attack
   Authorities closed 48 to 50 of the valley’s 87 tourist destinations, the Kashmir Observer reported.
3. Jun 2025 to Feb 2026
   Sites were reopened, or ordered reopened, in stages, including Betaab Valley, Aru Valley, Doodhpathri, Yousmarg and Thajwas Glacier. Yousmarg stayed restricted: in May 2026 an official told The Wire that tourists “are not allowed to venture beyond the main bowl”, in September Kashmir Life still described it as “largely inaccessible to visitors”, and on 4 September the Kashmir Observer reported that it “has been shut for tourists” during a security operation. Doodhpathri, closed for bad weather in July 2026, reopened on 21 August, the Kashmir Observer reported. See the full timeline.
4. 7 Jul 2026
   Updated district orders kept sites closed to 31 December 2026, including Baisaran, Chandanwari and Tulian Lake near Pahalgam and Babareshi Tangmarg near Gulmarg, according to the Anantnag notice and The Wire.

The Go Kashmir app flags each closed place on its place card, with the date it was checked.

Tourist numbers

Kashmir valley arrivals, from official data reported by ETV Bharat on 15 October 2026. By 13 October, 2026 had reached about 55% of 2024’s full-year total.

Rules for foreign visitors

These rules come from official pages and dated reports; check them again before you travel.

• Ladakh permits: foreign tourists visiting Ladakh, a separate Union Territory, come under its system of Protected Area Permits (PAP) and Restricted Area Permits (RAP), with restricted areas “particularly in the northern and eastern regions of Ladakh”, the Ladakh administration said on 24 August 2026. See Srinagar to Leh by road for the areas.
• Gurez: foreign tourists need “special permission from the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Bandipora”, Greater Kashmir reported in February 2025. See the Gurez guide.
• Hotel registration: “Hotels, hostels and other accommodation providers must register foreign guests with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office”, using the online C-form, says the UK government. Ladakh’s administration calls it Form III. In December 2025 Srinagar Police registered five cases against hotels, a homestay, a house owner and houseboats that had not filed it, Kashmir Reader reported.
• Satellite phones and GPS: “It is illegal to possess and operate satellite phones and GPS devices in India without a licence”, the UK government warns.
• Drones: in July 2026 Srinagar police booked a production company for allegedly flying a drone against the District Magistrate’s orders and “without obtaining the requisite permission or clearance from the police”, Kashmir Life reported.

Before you go

• Check every place on your plan against the closure list.
• Read your own government’s advice, and check your travel insurance against it.
• Follow local instructions: district administrations announce closures and road suspensions, as with the Gurez road in October 2026 (see the Gurez guide).

Safety questions