Six Hidden Tourist Destinations Of Kashmir Are Now Being Explored

Kashmir is popularly known as ¡®paradise on earth¡¯ for its natural beauty which includes snow-capped mountains, gushing water bodies, lush green forests and hospitality. Yet the valley has only been known by the places like Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Sonamarg and Doodpathri, but there are many other places that have never been explored yet by the tourists.

Now, the J&K government is making all the efforts to take these hidden spots on the national and international tourism map and push them for the visitor¡¯s arrival. The government is also making these spots available for the winters and making all the necessary arrangements.

This story features a few places of Kashmir which have never been explored by the tourists but may be of great help for the adventurous people.

Karnah

Karnah, a remote area of north Kashmir¡¯s Kupwara district was the biggest tehsil of Muzaffarabad wazarat before partition. Presently 16 square kilometers area of Karnah is located on this side of the LoC excluding its Dhoks and forest areas. It is 78 kilometres away from the main town Kupwara.

Zeeshan Khan|Karnah

Karnah people have been protesting for the last 30 years to press for their demand for construction of a tunnel at the Sadhna Pass on the Kupwara-Tangdhar highway, which has emerged as a ¡®death trap¡¯ over the years.

The stretch gets closed every year in the winters due to the heavy snowfall. But this year authorities said that Karnah would be kept open in winters too. The place is also being promoted as the first Bollywood film shoot took place near the LoC village in Karnah recently.

Gurez valley

Gurez is a valley located in the high Himalayas, about 86 kilometres from north Kashmir¡¯s Bandipora district and 123 kilometres from Srinagar. At about 2,400 metres (8,000 ft) above sea level, the valley is surrounded by snow-capped mountains. It has diverse fauna and wildlife including the Himalayan brown bear and the snow leopard. The Kishanganga River flows through the valley.

Muzzam Bhat|Gurez Valley

The valley lies near the Line of Control, which separates it from the Astore and Neelum districts of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK).

Gurez has never been explored in the past but for the last few years a couple of events have been organised by the government and army to attract tourism. The government has also been facilitating the visitors with night stays in tents and trekking. Recently, horse polo was also played in Gurez after a gap of 70 years with an aim to bring tourists to this unknown valley.

In October, Bollywood filmmaker Onir visited Kashmir¡¯s Gurez valley and shot the film titled ¡®Chahiye Thoda Pyaar¡¯.

Gurez gets closed every winter due to snowfall at Razdan pass but this year authorities have assured to keep it open and would use chopper services too.

Bangus valley

|Mussarat Zia|Bangus Valley

Around 128 kilometres away from Srinagar, at an altitude of 10,000 feet above sea level, with lush green meadows and majestic mountains lay a beautiful valley of Bangus. Situated in the northern region of Kupwara district, the Bangus valley is a Himalayan sub valley of the Kashmir valley.

In recent years, efforts have been made to bring the valley on the tourist map. Bangus valley is now coming up as one of the most exotic places in Kashmir.

During the lockdown people, especially youth, started exploring unknown places as means of escape and Bangus valley was one of them. Now, every day, scores of people visit the valley, trekking through the absorbing meadows and hills and spend days exploring its beauty.

Uri

The border town Uri may have got some name after 2019¡¯s Vicky Kaushal starrer Uri: The Surgical Strike but it looks that it hasn¡¯t as needed.

Uri town in north Kashmir¡¯s Baramulla district is located on the left bank of the Jhelum River, about 10 kilometres east of the Line of Control with Pakistan.

Idrees Bukhtiyar|Uri

Uri is located at the entrance to the Kashmir valley from the west, lying on the Jhelum valley road. Prior to the partition of Kashmir, the road linked Uri to Rawalpindi and Srinagar. Another important road linked Uri to Poonch via the Haji Pir pass.

Earlier, Uri has been in the news for cross-border shelling but since borders have calmed down, tourism is also picking up here.

The government had a few months back held a Pahari cultural festival near LoC in Uri so as to promote this place. The people from different places of the valley visit Uri for night camping and trekking.

The officials have also been working to promote border tourism as the guns have fallen silent at the LoC.

Tosamaidan

Surrounded by thickly wooded forests, Tosamaidan is situated about 10 kms from Khag area of central Kashmir¡¯s Budgam district in the mountains of the Pir Panjal range. The pristine Tosamaidan valley has been a tourist attraction for the last so many years. Due to its gorgeous landscape and pleasantly cool breeze during the summers, visitors throng the place in hordes.

Mufti Islah|Tosamaidan

After crossing the upper mountain reaches of Drang, Zakhora and some small villages, one reaches the pasture of Tosamaidan. From here, a path also leads to Nilnag where a fabulous lake is located which is edged by tall pine trees.

During the summer, the camping of the Gujjar community and shepherds with their flocks of sheep in the pasture present a riveting picture.

This place used to be the army's artillery firing range but it was vacated back in 2014.

Bootapathri

Bootapathri is a meadow falling close to the LoC, some 10 kilometres away from hill station Gulmarg.

The tourist spot Bootapathri is a little-known dreamland in the lap of Nagin valley.

Saima Wani|Bootapathri

Bootapathri was opened for tourists in May 2012 by the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department.

Now, there is a huge influx of tourists who visit Bootapathri on a daily basis boasting of the serene natural beauty of Gulmarg and giving a boost to the economy of the tourism industry.

The infrastructure over here is environment friendly, eco sensitive and is completely a new destination for the tourists.

More importantly, the area has a huge population of nomads who visit here during summers.