Sonamarg: Thajiwas, the Zoji La road and what’s open

At a glance

Distance from Srinagar

87 km Ganderbal district figure

Road time from Srinagar

2–3 hours Go Kashmir app estimate, 22 Oct 2026

Taxi from Srinagar

About ₹3,000 one way, ₹4,055 return one operator’s 2026–27 list

Sonamarg tunnel

Opened 13 January 2025

Baltal

15 km away, a base camp for the Amarnath Yatra

Thajwas Glacier

Ordered reopened, February 2026

What’s open and what’s closed

These were checked on 23 October 2026.

• NoteThajwas Glacier: not on the official closed list as on 7 July 2026; its reopening was ordered in February 2026, Outlook Traveller reported.
• Closedthe Kashmir Great Lakes circuit, including Vishansar and Gadsar. It was among the trek routes still closed as of June 2026, according to the Kashmir Observer on 3 September 2026. The same report says the Lieutenant Governor ordered the Naranag–Gangabal trek reopened on 31 August, but on 28 September The Wire reported that permission for a Gangbal Lake trek had been denied. We found no report of the rest of the circuit reopening.
• NoteNote: the Zoji La beyond Sonamarg can close after heavy snow. In March 2026 it reopened on 14 March after six days closed by snow, News On Air reported on 15 March 2026; Greater Kashmir counted five. The road on to Leh is in Srinagar to Leh by road.

Things to do in Sonamarg

1. Thajiwas glacier

   Sonamarg’s main summer attraction, and ponies can be hired for the trip up to it, says the Ganderbal district site. A portion of the glacier broke on 25 May 2024 and a tourist died after falling into a snow cavity, Greater Kashmir reported; on 2 June another portion collapsed and a local sledge rider died, it reported the next day. Stay off the ice and follow local instructions.

   

2. Baltal

   A small valley 15 km east of Sonamarg at the foot of the Zoji La, and a base camp for the Amarnath Yatra. The Shrine Board calls Baltal the “shorter” Yatra route, the National Herald reported on 28 August 2026. See Amarnath Yatra 2027.

   

3. The high lakes

   Trekking routes from Sonamarg lead to the Vishansar and Krishansar lakes, known for trout, according to the district site. They are part of the Great Lakes circuit, reported closed in 2026, so check before you plan.

4. The road towards Ladakh

   Trekkers and travellers cross the Zoji La from here towards Leh. The pass is separate from the Sonamarg tunnel and can still close in winter.

   

Zero Point on the Zoji La road

Zero Point is a snow spot on the Srinagar–Leh National Highway near the Zoji La, beyond Sonamarg. On 17 October 2026 PTI photographed tourists playing in fresh snow at “Zero Point Zojila on the Srinagar-Leh National Highway”, in pictures published by Outlook India. Because it lies on the Zoji La road, you can reach it only when that road is open: see Srinagar to Leh by road for when the pass closes. On 27 March 2026 avalanches on the stretch between Zero Point and Minimarg killed at least seven people, Onmanorama reported.

Taxis go there from Sonamarg. In 2023 the Ganderbal district administration fixed rates for “taxi services from Sonamarg to zero point”, IANS reported on 1 June 2023, but the report gives no figures and we found no official rate list. Agree the fare at the taxi stand before you set off.

Getting to Sonamarg

• By road: an estimated 2–3 hours from Srinagar, according to the Go Kashmir app as of 22 October 2026.
• All-weather link: the Sonamarg (Z-Morh) tunnel, inaugurated on 13 January 2025, gives “all-weather connectivity between Sonamarg and Gagangeer”, News On Air reported.
• By taxi: about ₹3,000 one way or ₹4,055 return on one operator’s 2026–27 list; another lists a sedan at ₹3,300. Compare them in Srinagar taxi fares.
• By air: Srinagar airport is about 102 km away, according to the district site.

Sonamarg questions

Sources

1. Ganderbal district administration, Sonamarg (page updated 19 Jan 2023). Read 22 Oct 2026.
2. News On Air, Sonamarg tunnel inauguration, 13 Jan 2025.
3. News On Air, traffic resumes on Zoji La after a six-day closure, 15 Mar 2026, and Greater Kashmir, Zojila reopens after five days, 15 Mar 2026.
4. Outlook Traveller, 14 tourist spots reopened, 19 Feb 2026.
5. Kashmir Observer, the trekking ban and the legal fight, 3 Sep 2026.
6. National Herald, Amarnath Yatra 2026 concludes, 28 Aug 2026.
7. Vargis Khan, Srinagar taxi rate list 2026–27, and TravelMyKashmir, Srinagar to Sonamarg taxi fare. Read 22 Oct 2026.
8. Go Kashmir app, estimated road time from Srinagar, 22 Oct 2026.
9. Siasat (IANS), fresh snowfall shuts highways, 27 Jan 2026.
10. Official list, details of closed tourist destinations as on 07-07-2026 (PDF, linked from the Anantnag district site). Read 23 Oct 2026.
11. The Wire, adventure tourism workers wait for the trails to reopen, 28 Sep 2026.
12. Greater Kashmir, tourist slips to death in Sonamarg, 26 May 2024; portion of Thajwas glacier collapses, 2 Jun 2024; and missing labourer’s body retrieved, 3 Jun 2024.
13. Outlook India (PTI photos), fresh snowfall at Zojila Pass, 17 Oct 2026.
14. Onmanorama, avalanches on the Srinagar–Leh highway, 27 Mar 2026.
15. Sakshi Post (IANS), taxi rates fixed in Sonamarg, 1 Jun 2023.

We write from published sources and do not claim personal visits. How we check facts.