North Kashmir Nature in its magnificient shades

Col R S Ravi

Beyond Kashmir's familiar tourist circuit lies North Kashmir - a region of river valleys, alpine meadows, forests, orchards and mountain communities, many of which remain relatively unknown to travellers. This region showcases the true essence of what we call "Heaven on Earth". Shumali Kashmir is a not-for-profit initiative working to bring these destinations into wider focus. It highlights the region's natural beauty, culture, heritage, local products and varied travel experiences, encouraging visitors to discover a side of Kashmir that extends far beyond its usual postcard destinations. However, the work of Shumali Kashmir goes beyond destination promotion. The initiative has worked to make tourism in North Kashmir safer, smoother and more convenient by bringing all stakeholders right from Civil Administration and Security Forces to Hospitality stakeholders together on the same platform. Through continued coordination among these groups, it seeks to improve visitor facilitation, simplify tourism-related processes and build the cooperation required for a better travel experience for everyone visiting this majestic land. Its dedicated tourism portal, www.shumalikashmir.com brings together useful information on local experiences, places to visit, things to do, culture, accommodation, native products and important contacts. The website also features an AI-Assistant that can answer all travel related questions about North Kashmir and also help travellers plan their personalised itineraries. Together with a dedicated tourism brochure, the portal makes reliable information easily accessible while giving lesser-known destinations, tourism services and local enterprises greater visibility.

Shumali Kashmir Tourism Conclave 2026

A major step towards this goal was the Shumali Kashmir Tourism Conclave 2026 which was held on 7th June 2026. The event was inaugurated by Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate Shrikant Balasaheb Suse, IAS. The conclave brought together the civil administration, security forces including SSP Kupwara, tourism and hospitality stakeholders, hoteliers, homestay owners, writers, entrepreneurs, media representatives, Lakshyaa Foundation & other non-governmental organisations and members of local communities. On a single platform, they discussed the opportunities and challenges facing tourism in North Kashmir and considered how coordination, permissions, visitor facilitation and other tourism-related processes could be made smoother and more streamlined. The conclave also marked the formal launch of the Shumali Kashmir Tourism Portal and the dedicated North Kashmir Tourism brochure. A showcase of local products and home-grown brands further demonstrated how tourism can support enterprise, create livelihoods and carry the identity of North Kashmir to a wider audience. The initiative was successful in giving a significant boost to tourism across North Kashmir which was evident in Keran's daily footfall of nearly 3000 visitors in July 2026 and the growing number of travellers exploring campsites, cafés and local cultural experiences throughout the entire region.

Habba Khatoon, Gurez

This growing interest is not difficult to understand. North Kashmir brings together an extraordinary range of landscapes within a relatively compact region - the Kishanganga flows past mountain settlements, forests descend into orchards and cultivated valleys, and vast alpine meadows stretch beneath the great northern ranges. These changing landscapes are closely connected with the architecture, languages, traditions and everyday lives of the communities that inhabit them, giving travellers an experience that extends well beyond scenic beauty.

Purana Tulail, Gurez

The region's destinations are not simply variations of the same mountain landscape. Gurez and Tulail offer river adventures and the living heritage of the Dard-Shina community, Lolab is known for its forests, villages and orchards, Kalaroos for its caves and folklore and Bangus for its sweeping grasslands. Keran, Machhal, Tangdhar and Tithwal add traditional settlements, frontier geography, local culture, history and faith to the journey. Together, they make North Kashmir a collection of distinct experiences, each revealing a different character of the region .

Among its best-known valleys, Gurez lies at about 8,000 feet and combines an imposing Himalayan setting with a distinctive cultural inheritance. Once part of an old corridor connecting regions across Dardistan, the valley is home to the indigenous Dard-Shina community, which continues to preserve the Shina language, traditional wooden architecture and rich oral traditions. Dawar, its principal settlement, was recognised as a Best Tourism Village in the Gold category in 2023. The Kishanganga is central to both the landscape and Gurez's growing outdoor appeal. River rafting, trout fishing, trekking and mountain biking are complemented by photography, village walks and homestay experiences.

Log Hut Cafe, Gurez

Habba Khatoon Peak, Khandiyal Heights, the Kishanganga River, Peer Baba Shrine and Log Hut Café are among the prominent attractions. Shinon Meeras, the Shina Cultural Centre, and the Shina Gilgit Radio Station add an important cultural dimension to a valley too often described only through its scenery. Beyond Dawar, the landscape continues into Tulail, where Purana Tulail is known for its traditional wooden architecture and mountain setting. Sheikhpora offers meadows, a riverside environment and Dard-Shina food traditions, while settlements such as Angaikot, Barnoi and Chakwali carry the journey farther into the upper valley.

Shiekhpora Village, Gurez

The landscape assumes a different character in Lolab. It is a country of forests, fields, villages and orchards, where the drama of the high mountains gives way to a greener and more intimate landscape.

This makes it particularly attractive to visitors interested in nature, village life and quiet exploration. Chandigam and its riverside countryside also provide opportunities for camping, allowing visitors to experience the valley's forests, orchards and rural surroundings at a slower pace.

Kalaroos Caves

Nearby Kalaroos introduces one of North Kashmir's more unusual natural and cultural attractions. The Kalaroos Caves, locally called Qila-e-Roos, are carved into limestone formations and surrounded by stories of ancient passages through the mountains. The Satbaran, or Seven Doors, carvings have generated their own body of folklore. Although these stories remain legend rather than established history, the caves, rocky slopes, quiet hills and surrounding countryside give Kalaroos an identity unlike the region's river valleys and meadows.

Lolab valley

If Lolab draws the landscape inward, Bangus opens it dramatically. Its great grasslands, principally Bod Bangus and Lokut Bangus, form one of North Kashmir's defining natural environments. Open meadows, clear streams, grazing horses and livestock, forests and distant mountain horizons create the extraordinary sense of space for which the valley is known.

The experience of Bangus lies precisely in this openness. Its meadow country invites walking, exploration and unhurried time outdoors without depending on a conventional built attraction to provide the focus. Bod Bangus, Lokut Bangus and Tee Pee are among the principal places associated with this expansive natural landscape.

Bangus Valley

Keran brings the Kishanganga back into the North Kashmir story, this time beside a frontier settlement where traditional Kashmiri architecture, apple orchards, nature walks and forest paths shape the visitor experience. The river, settlement and surrounding mountains come together to give Keran a character distinct from the alpine grasslands of Bangus and the mountain settlements of Gurez.

Keran Valley

Rooh-e-Hind, the Scenic LoC Viewpoint and Keran Kampers' Klub are among the places highlighted in Keran. Winter is valued less for adventure sports than for atmosphere: snow-covered rooftops, meadows and mountains, the distant flow of the Kishanganga and the warmth of local homestays.

Machhal adds another dimension to the region through its mountain setting, traditional settlements and relative remoteness. Its appeal lies in the relationship between village life and the surrounding landscape, giving the valley a character distinct from both Keran and Bangus. Maidan Baikh and Hunmar Gali open into high meadow country, while Naaz-e-Hind at Zamindar Khan Gali, Dhwaj-e-Hind and Pushwari provide further points of interest.

Machhal

The annual Machhal Mela introduces local culture and community celebrations into this mountain setting. Among its most visually striking features is the traditional pony race, which brings together the people, customs and landscape of the valley.

Sharda Devi Temple, Tangdhar

Farther north-west, Tangdhar, Karnah and Tithwal contribute another layer to the North Kashmir experience, one shaped particularly by Pahari culture, military history and frontier geography. Shaurya Gatha brings together military remembrance and the story of the region, while the Pahari Cultural Centre preserves and presents local customs, lifestyles and heritage, reflecting the close relationship between the people and their land..Harbaksh View Point, Sadhna Café, Azmat-e-Hind and Gaurav Gatha add to the circuit. At Tithwal, the Tithwal-Chilehana Crossing Point and Sharda Devi Temple bring history, faith and the Kishanganga together within the same landscape.

Pahari Cultural Center at SM Hill

Seen together, these valleys explain why North Kashmir cannot be represented by one place alone, however prominent it has become. Gurez and Tulail contribute the Kishanganga and the living heritage of the Dard-Shina community; Lolab brings forests, orchards and rural landscapes; Kalaroos adds geology and folklore; Bangus offers immense alpine grasslands; Keran combines the river with traditional architecture, orchards and frontier geography; Machhal introduces mountain settlements and high meadows; and Tangdhar-Tithwal brings Pahari culture, military history, heritage and faith.

Bangus Valley

This variety also creates opportunities for tourism to benefit local communities through homestays, cafés, guides, campsites and other small enterprises, provided development remains sensitive to the rivers, forests, grasslands and settlements on which the region's appeal depends. North Kashmir's greatest strength is not that it offers another version of destinations already familiar to visitors, but that every valley adds something different to the journey. Together, they reveal a Kashmir of rivers and grasslands, cultures and communities, folklore and history-a Kashmir extending far beyond the postcard.