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Trekking forms an integral part of the adventure sports flourishing in the hilly tracts of Jammu and Kashmir. However, Ladakh takes away the prize of being a trekker's paradise despite of its harsh weather conditions and snowfall. It is only recently that adventure tourism has got its long-due attention from the tourism industry but now, a considerable part of the tourists who visit Kashmir like to trek, if just to glimpse at its matchless natural beauty. The major trekking regions in the Kashmir Valley are: - Amarnath Yatra A long trek, equally that is popular among both the trekkers and the pilgrims is the Amarnath trek that takes one to the naturally formed shrine of Lord Amarnath, one of the holiest pilgrimage spot for Hindus. As many accidents have occurred here in the past, all the stages of the yatra is carefully controlled by the Indian authorities. The first stage of the trek is to Chandanwadi, the second to Sheshnag and the third over the Mahagunas Pass to Panchtami. However, many pilgrims visit the cave from Panchtami and return to Sheshnag the same day, walking back to Pahalgam on the fifth day.

Thajiwas Trek
A popular short walk from Sonamarg, which is a major highlight of the place in the summers, is the 4-km route to Thajiwas, a small valley at the foot of the Sonamarg glacier. It leads up to the Shakhdar hill that overlooks the glacier from the northeast. Climbing the steep slope leading up to the glacier can prove to be dangerous and one may hire opt for ponies for the trip. In early summer, one may also spot the nomadic groups of Gujar passing through Sonamarg on their way to the alpine meadows for the summer.