Overa Aru Wildlife Sanctuary

Prime Day & Hours: Monday to Friday 9 AM - 1 PM

Suggested Duration: 3-4 hours

Tickets: Offline

Nearest Railway Station: Srinagar Railway Station, approx 86.1 kms away.

Nearest Airport: Srinagar International Airport (SXR), approx. 90.70 kms away. 

Nearest Bus Stop: Pahalgam Bus stand, approx 1.7 kms away.

The Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the beautiful Aru Valley near Pahalgam which is in the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir. This sanctuary spans across 511 square kilometers, and is filled with coniferous forests, lakes, glaciers, and mountain peaks. The park has the Lidder River flowing close through it which provides fresh water for animals, plants, and people nearby.

This sanctuary is home to different types of forests where at lower levels, you can find trees like walnut, horse chestnut, and mulberry. However, as you move higher, you can discover the silver firs, blue pines, and Himalayan birch trees. Near the top, you can also see alpine shrubs like juniper and rhododendron, along with colorful wildflowers. Spot several mammals such as Hangul, musk deer, Himalayan serow, ibex, brown bear, black bear, and leopards. You can see smaller species include langurs, macaques, jungle cats, and red foxes. The sanctuary also hosts diverse birdlife therefore you can spot Himalayan monal, koklass pheasant, warblers, and flycatchers. Reptiles, including snakes and lizards, are also present across different zones. 

• Visit the Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary in the peaceful Aru Valley near Pahalgam which is spread over 511 square kilometres of protected land.
• Walk through forests filled with a mix of trees like silver fir, blue pine, Aesculus indica, and Juglans regia, giving the sanctuary a rich green cover.
• Discover more than 120 bird species which include the Egyptian vulture, European roller, Kashmir flycatcher, and Tytler’s leaf warbler, all commonly seen in this area.
• Spot rare mammals such as the Kashmir stag, Asiatic black bear, common leopard, and Kashmir musk deer that live in this high-altitude forest.
• See nearly 20 species of butterflies fluttering around, with four of them listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List.