The Amarnath Yatra is a summer trek to the ice Shivling in a cave at about 3,888 m in Kashmir, open for roughly six to eight weeks each year. Our Amarnath packages run from 3 to 6 nights. The short Baltal route is 14 km each way and can be done up and back in a day. The traditional Pahalgam route covers about 48 km over three days. Every pilgrim needs advance registration with the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), a compulsory health certificate and an RFID card, so the paperwork starts in April, months before you travel.
Amarnath Yatra packages at a glance
| Package | Nights | What it covers | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltal route from Srinagar | 3N / 4D | Fly to Srinagar, Baltal base camp, 14 km trek or pony, darshan, a spare day | Short trips, pilgrims who can manage a steep climb |
| Pahalgam route, the traditional yatra | 5N / 6D | Jammu base camp, convoy to Pahalgam, camps at Sheshnag and Panchtarni, return via Baltal | Fit walkers who want the full yatra |
| Amarnath with Vaishno Devi | 6N / 7D | Katra and the Vaishno Devi trek, then the Baltal route from Srinagar | Families combining two yatras in one leave |
| Pony or palki yatra | 3N / 4D | The Baltal plan with a pony or palki booked for the climb | Pilgrims in their 60s, anyone with weak knees |
The full day-wise plan for Amarnath Yatra by Baltal 3N/4D is on its own page. The other formats are built from it, adding or dropping days, and any of them can be changed to suit you.
Registration, health certificate and RFID card
No registration, no yatra. For 2026, advance registration opened on 15 April, online on the Shrine Board’s website or at 554 bank branches of J&K Bank, PNB, SBI and Yes Bank across India. The fee was ₹150. Registration is Aadhaar based, with biometric eKYC, and it works on a first-come, first-served daily quota for each route.
- Compulsory Health Certificate (CHC). It must be on the SASB format and signed by a doctor or hospital on the Board’s authorised list for your state. A certificate from your family doctor won’t do. For 2026 it had to be dated on or after 8 April, so an old one can’t be reused.
- Age limits. Only pilgrims aged 13 to 70 are registered. Women more than six weeks pregnant are not allowed, even with a valid CHC.
- Your permit fixes your route and date. It names Baltal or Pahalgam and the day you may cross the gate: Domel for Baltal, Chandanwari for Pahalgam. Arriving early doesn’t let you go early.
- RFID card. After registration you collect an RFID card in person, after a biometric check, at centres such as Bhagwati Nagar in Jammu, Srinagar, Baltal and Nunwan. Nobody crosses Domel or Chandanwari without one.
- Groups. Group registration takes 5 to 30 people, and bookings for a date close seven days before it. Tatkal and on-the-spot slots exist but are limited.
Good to know: the CHC is the step families leave too late. Book the authorised doctor’s appointment as soon as the Board publishes the year’s list, then register the same week. We help you fill the forms and pick dates once your certificates are ready.
Baltal or Pahalgam: which route?
Baltal is short and steep. Pahalgam is long and gradual. Most families with older parents take Baltal with ponies. Fit walkers who want the yatra as the scriptures describe it go via Pahalgam.
| Baltal route | Pahalgam route | |
|---|---|---|
| District | Ganderbal, near Sonamarg | Anantnag |
| Distance to the cave | About 14 km one way | About 48 km from Pahalgam, of which 16 km to Chandanwari is by road |
| Main stops | Domel access gate, then a steep track to the cave | Chandanwari, Pissu Top, Sheshnag, Mahagunas, Panchtarni, Sangam, cave |
| Time on foot | One long day up and back, or two days | Three days up, then most return via Baltal |
| Gradient | Steep, especially near the end | Gentler, but longer and higher overall |
On the Pahalgam side, it’s about 12 km on foot from Chandanwari to Sheshnag, and the last stretch from Panchtarni to the cave is about 6 km. Ponies, pithus (porters) and palkis are available on both routes.
Is there a helicopter to Amarnath?
Not in the last two seasons. In 2025, and again by government order from 1 July 2026, both routes were declared a no-fly zone for the whole yatra for security reasons, so no helicopter seats were sold. Before that, helicopters flew from Baltal and Pahalgam to Panchtarni. Be very wary of anyone selling Amarnath helicopter tickets before the Shrine Board confirms the service for the year. For now, plan on walking, a pony or a palki.
Yatra dates: 2026 and 2027
The 2026 yatra ran for 57 days, from 3 July to Raksha Bandhan on 28 August, when the Chhari Mubarak (the holy mace) reached the cave. More than 4.8 lakh pilgrims went through the Pahalgam and Baltal routes. The yatra always ends on Shravan Purnima.
The 2027 dates have not been announced yet. In 2026 the Shrine Board announced the dates on 12 April and opened registration three days later, so expect something similar. Whatever week you pick, keep a spare day, because the track can be closed for a day or more in bad weather.
Getting there: Jammu base camp, Srinagar and the convoy
There are two ways in. One is by road from Jammu, where pilgrims gather at the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas base camp. The other is to fly into Srinagar and drive from there.
- From Jammu by road. Since 2025, yatris on the road from Jammu travel only in security convoys, and individual travel isn’t allowed. In 2026 the convoys left Bhagwati Nagar for Baltal and Pahalgam in the early hours, often between about 2.30 and 6.30 am. You can reach Jammu by train from Mumbai or Delhi, or fly in.
- Via Srinagar. Flying from Mumbai, Pune or Delhi to Srinagar saves the long road day. Baltal is a short drive beyond Sonamarg. You can also take the Vande Bharat from Katra to Srinagar, which makes it easy to combine Amarnath with Vaishno Devi.
- Phones. Prepaid SIMs from outside J&K don’t work there. Postpaid connections do, and prepaid yatra SIMs are sold at the Baltal and Nunwan base camps.
What to carry, and rules on the track
The Shrine Board warns that temperatures can drop below 5°C quite suddenly, even in July.
- Documents: yatra permit, RFID card, original Aadhaar and your original CHC. Keep them in a waterproof pouch.
- Clothes: woollens, a windcheater, a raincoat and an umbrella, plus waterproof trekking shoes. Women are advised to wear salwar kameez, a tracksuit or trousers, not a saree.
- Personal medicines and a small first-aid kit. Carry dry snacks and a waterproof bag for food.
- Don’t: take shortcuts off the marked track, drink alcohol or smoke, leave plastic behind, or throw coins and cloth at the Shivling.
Senior citizens and the altitude
The upper age limit of 70 is firm, and the climb is hard on anyone near it. Start walking 4 to 5 km a day a month before the yatra and practise deep breathing. On the route, climb slowly and drink plenty of water. The Board advises against staying the night at the cave. If anyone gets a headache, breathlessness or confusion, go down at once and see the nearest medical camp. Altitude sickness (HAPE and HACE) can be fatal if it’s ignored. For parents in their 60s we book ponies or a palki for the climb and pick the Baltal route.
Questions pilgrims ask before booking
Can I do Amarnath in one day?
From Baltal, yes, if you’re fit or take a pony: up to the cave and back down is about 28 km in total. Start very early. From Pahalgam, no. That route takes three days up.
Can my 72-year-old father go if he is fit?
No. Registration is only for pilgrims aged 13 to 70, and you can’t cross the access gates without a registration permit and RFID card. For him, Vaishno Devi by helicopter is a far easier yatra.
Can I book a helicopter for 2027?
Not yet. Helicopters were stopped in 2025 and 2026 under the no-fly-zone order. If the service returns, the Shrine Board will announce it along with the yatra dates, and we’ll update this page.
Dates, registration rules, CHC, age limits and routes checked November 2026, from reports of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board guidelines in News On AIR, PTI, Daily Excelsior and Organiser, and the Board’s earlier advisories. The no-fly-zone order and convoy rules are from news reports of 2025 and 2026. The Board’s website could not be reached from our side at the time of writing, and it sets new rules each April, so we confirm the current ones when we send your quote.