Aharbal is a hill station in the south-western part of Kashmir Valley, 75 km south of the state capital Srinagar.
Aharbal is known for its waterfall, Aharbal Falls. The falls are about 13-km from Shopian, from where there is a motorable road and a trekker’s route leading through dense pine forest. The falls are said to be the best in Kashmir. The road leads over a high bridge at Kongwatan from where a magnificent view of the awesome gorge created by the Vishav River can be seen less than 2-km further on are the foot of the falls, where the river drops more than 15 metres over a distance of 3-km. The road continues on here a further 3-km to the top of the falls where from a rock outcrop one can look down around 60 metres to the river rushing below.
Aharbal Falls are also referred to as the Niagara Falls of Kashmir, owing to the volume of the water that falls.
Aharbal is a base for adventure tourism. The Veshu River is stocked with trout. The fishing permit can be obtained from the Fisheries department stationed at Aharbal. The alpine meadow of Kungwatan lies at the halfway point of the two-day trek to the high-altitude Konsarnag Lake, which is the source of the Veshu. Other activities include horse riding, photography, and skiing during winter.
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