Picturesque Kupwara District, which borders the Line of Control, is considered the ‘crown’ of the Vale of Kashmir. The district boasts gorgeous valleys, all of them barely visited and waiting to be explored. These valleys lie between the northern Himalayan range and the snowy pinnacles of the Shamsabari Range that enclose the Vale of Kashmir to the west. The proximity of the Bangus and Drangyari valleys to the LoC, just over the passes on the Shamsabari Range, meant they were closed to the traveller for long. But now, these have been cautiously opened up to tourism. You can stay in and leisurely explore Lolab and Drangyari, and trek in the unmatched virgin mountain landscapes of Bangus. For so long had these legendary valleys been forbidden fruit that even Kashmiris, so used to the natural beauty around them, go into raptures over these hidden worlds.
Driving up to Kupwara from Srinagar, it’s not easy to ignore the heavy Army presence in this frontier district. But you’ll shed some of that tension as you turn east from Kupwara and approach the massive welcoming gates to Iqbal’s ‘jannat’ on earth — the Lolab Valley. The spacious tourist rest house, in a verdant setting at Chandigam village, is an excellent base for exploring Lolab. From here, drive back to Kupwara and explore the pristine Drangyari Valley beyond. Or head for Bangus, spending a night at the Reshwari tourist bungalow beside the Mawar River, and climbing up into the forests of Bangus the next day.
TIP To get the best out of these valleys, get a package tour with JKTDC, or a recognised travel agent who is familiar with the terrain
Lolab Valley
A soothing tranquility envelops us as we leave the highway behind and descend into the embrace of the legendary Lolab Valley. To our right lies a huge meadow broken by groups of trees. The pretty villages of Lolab — Khamrial, Sogam, Nagsari, Sheikhnar, Khurama, Dooraswani, Varnow — punctuate our drive. All is calm, all is quiet.
We stow our bags at the J&K Tourist Bungalow at Chandigam, enjoy a nice home-cooked lunch and then we’re off, exploring the Wadi-Lolab, as the locals call it. The gods have been generous to this verdant valley, which has many freshwater springs, deep ponds and the shimmering Lalkul River, swollen with the offerings of the many tributaries from the surrounding deodar-rich hills.
We plunge across the valley, 25 km long and 5 km wide, embroidered at the edges by lofty mountains, past pretty meadows and cultivated fields, past orchards of apples, cherry, peach and apricot, past walnut groves and maize fields where monkeys forage. We eventually slow down in the Kala Roos area and stop at the outskirts of Madmav Village, parking 1½ km short of Satbarran, an unusual rock face protruding from a hillock. Seven doors are set in the rock face, but none of these are the entry to Satbarran. Climb further up the slope to the left of the rock face to get to the entrance. You enter into a large, high ceilinged cave where you’ll find some local guides equipped with torches. They’ll guide you into a thin passage leading off to the right, so thin only one person at a time can enter. The guide leads and you follow. Definitely not an experience for the claus trophobic. After about 100 m, the narrow path widens and you enter another large, high-ceilinged and lit up cave. From here, the guides say the narrow passage winds deeper into the hills for another 3-4 km, ending where the roof of the cave lies collapsed. A local legend says this is a secret passage which used to meet up with the Silk Route to Central Asia. Fascinating, but we didn’t attempt this second stretch as we were wary of entering a narrow subterranean cavern with guides unrecognised by the Kupwara Tourist Office. It’s believed that the collapsed cavern could hold Buddhist or Hindu archaeological remains.
We went next to the lush Nagmarg Meadow, surrounded by deep pine forests and offering captivating views of Wular Lake, Kaj-i-Nag, Kaghan and the Pir Panjal. One of Kashmir’s prettiest meadows, its lush grasslands are often dotted with grazing sheep, ponies and cattle. A trekking trail goes all the way from Nagmarg to Bandipora.
At Khamrial we clamber up a narrow village path to investigate the LBDDA’s new Tourism Interpretation Centre and a couple of newly launched tourist huts. At Nagsari, after crossing the trout-filled Moorki stream, we come upon a gathering of villagers planning strategy for a meeting with the local politico. The tourist hut here is superbly located with the Moorki stream below and the snow peaks above. Offering me a cup of fragrant tea, the village sarpanch tells me, “Madam, you must make tourists aware of how beautiful it is here, how safe, and how important their coming will be for the village economy.” He points out PoK, behind the ridge. “See, the big guns have been taken away from here.”
On our return we stop by at Dooraswani, 5 km from Chandigam, to check out the local houses, made of cedar logs and mud. Suddenly a gaggle of geese blocks our path, beaks snapping aggressively. The reason — a gosling has fallen into the village drain and can’t get out. We had to somehow distract the mother so the baby could be rescued.
Back at the Chandigam Tourist Bungalow, a meal of tender chicken and Kashmiri-style sticky rice packs us off to bed. I’m up at dawn, soaking in the stillness and allowing my toes the luxury of feeling the dew in the grass. Then, breakfast summons us and we’re off to a fresh day at Drangyari.
Stay in Lolab
The Lolab-Bangus-Drangyari Development Authority’s (LBDDA) Chandigam Tourist Bungalow (Tariff: ₹1,000), where we stayed, has 10 rooms and a restaurant. The Satbarran Camping Site near Khamrial (Tariff: ₹1,000, tents ₹500) has six rooms and arranges tents as needed. There’s also a small cafeteria here. The Guest Lodge at Krusan (Tariff: ₹1,000) has two rooms. A caretaker arranges meals. Book all these at the LBDDA office in Kupwara (Tel: 01955- 253335 or J&K Tourism, Srinagar (Tel: 0194-2479548). A guest house is being built in Sheikhnar.
Drangyari Valley
We speed back to Kupwara to hit the Chowkibal Road to the Drangyari Valley, with beautiful meadows, springs and snowmelt streams. We sweep past Trehgam village, birthplace of JKLF cofounder Maqbool Bhat, where a masjid and mandir sit side by side along the road. The road spins out ahead of us past vast tracts of cultivated fields dotted with families working the land; apple orchards whizz past and ahead of Kralpora, we are greeted by the forest as we head west toward the Shamsabari Hills. The Army presence is more visible now. At Chowkibal, a massive Army base, the driver hops out to record our entry at the checkpost. We continue snaking our way along the Kupwara-Karnah Valley Road which passes through the Drangyari Valley. The valley is rich in natural wealth but infrastructure for overnight stays is still being put in place. We drove all the way up to the Sadhna Pass (named after yesteryear actress Sadhna!) and into the remote Karnah Valley, with the towering Shamsabari peaks as the backdrop, before returning to stay the night.
Stay in Drangyari
The Reddi Tourist Lodge (Tel: 01955-253335; Tariff: ₹1,000) in Panzgam is beautifully located by the thundering Kehmil Nallah. There’s also a state bungalow here, where the caretaker at the tourist lodge arranges stays.
Bangus Valley
Arriving late the next day at Kupwara, we learned that it could be too late to explore the beautiful Bangus Valley. Undeterred, we made our way to this highly patrolled valley, which is just 25 km from the LoC. We turned south to Handwara and then west along the Mawar River to the Naugam Army camp. If you want to trek in Bangus, you must show your permit from the District Magistrate at Kupwara (Tel: 01955-253335, 252130 ) here. After getting clearance, we followed the road along thick deodar forest, broken by several small villages, to Reshwari, the base for the 18-km trek up to Bangus Valley. The beautiful JKTDC guest house located on the banks of the Mawar River at Reshwari is the main place of stay near Bangus. Surrounded by the Shamsabari and Leepa mountain ranges and the Rajwar and Mawar areas, Bangus is a trekker’s paradise in summer. Its lush pastures are a haven for the nomadic Bakarwals. From Reshwari, the motorable road continues for about 10 km, from where an 8-km trek leads up to the Bada Bangus meadow. Lokut Bang (small Bangus) lies to the east of Bada Bangus. At present, only guided day-treks (4-5 km) are arranged by the tourist department in this sensitive area, said LBDDA CEO Muhammad Yasin Lone, who helped make all our arrangements for the journey to these three gems of Kupwara. Bangus’ unique ecology is also expected to earn it the protection of a biosphere region, following a study conducted by INTACH.
Stay in Bangus
Reshwari Tourist Spot (Tariff: ₹1,000) at Reshwari has two guest lodges with 2 rooms each, a dining area and a lawn overlooking the Mawar River and the snow peaks. About 2½ km ahead of Reshwari is the Kishtwar Tourist Spot (Tariff: ₹1,000) with two guest lodges (1 room each). Meals at both are prepared by the caretakers. Book in advance at the LBDDA, Kupwara, or J&K Tourism in Srinagar.
FAST FACTS
When to go June to September
Permit To trek in the Bangus Valley, you must send an application in advance to the District Magistrate in Kupwara (Tel: 01955-253335, 252130), along with two photographs and copy of ID proof. It can take about two days so it’s best you get the help for these arrangements with the LBDDA Tourist Reception Centre at Kupwara
Tourist Offices
Lolab-Bangus-Drangyari Development Authority (LBDDA), Tourist Reception Centre, Kupwara, Tel: 01955-252333,
J&K Tourism, Director General, TRC, Srinagar, Tel: 0194-2479548, 2472449, Website: jktourism.org
JKTDC, TRC, Srinagar; Tel: 2472644, Website: jktdc.co.in, STD code Kupwara District 01955
GETTING THERE
Location The three virgin valleys of Lolab, Drangyari and Bangus are located in Kupwara District; Lolab Valley lies to the south-east of Kupwara Town, separated by the Kupwara reserved forests and accessed via Khamrial; the valley of the rangyari River lies against the Shamsabari Range south-west of Kupwara towards the Line of Control, with access along the Trehgam Road; Bangus is also south-west of Kupwara town towards the Line of Control, separated from Drangyari Valley by Puhodalo Peak and accessed via Handwara
Distances Kupwara is 86 km N of Srinagar; Chandigam in the Lolab Valley is 18 km southeast of Kupwara; Chowkibal in the Drangyari Valley is 26 km south-west of Kupwara; Reshwari, which affords access to Bangus Valley, is 40 km south-west of Kupwara
JOURNEY TIME By road 3 hrs from Srinagar to Kupwara
Route to Kupwara from Srinagar NH1A to Sangrama via Mirgund and Pattan; Sangrama- Sopore Road to Sopore; Sopore-Kupwara state highway to Kupwara via Handwara
Route to Lolab from Kupwara Kupwara to Chandigam via Khamrial, Putushai and Sogam
Route to Drangyari from Kupwara Kupwara to Chowkibal via Trehgam and Panzgam
Route to Bangus from Kupwara Kupwara to Reshwari via Handwara, Chountipora and Naugam; trek to Bangus Valley
Air Nearest airport: Sheikh-ul-Alam Airport, Srinagar (97 km/31/4 hrs from Kupwara; Tel: 0194-2303000/31, 2303635), is connected to Delhi, Mumbai, Leh and Jammu by Air India, SpiceJet, Indigo and Go Air. Hire a taxi from the Srinagar TRC (Tel: 0194-2479548) for travelling around Lolab, Drangyari and Bangus, or make a deal with the taxi from the airport. The cost would nearly be the same as from the TRC
Rail Jammu Tawi Railway Station (384 km/10 hrs up to Kupwara). Jammu Taxi Stand (Tel: 0191-2546266) offers a 6-day package for Lolab-Drangyari-Bangus region costing ₹2,200 per day, plus a driver’s charge of ₹150 per day. For a drop at Kupwara, the taxi cost is ₹4,500. Else travel to Srinagar (taxi ₹4,500; shared taxi ₹600; JKSRTC deluxe bus ₹500) and travel onward to Lolab, Drangyari and Bangus
Road All three valleys are accessed from Kupwara, north of Srinagar via Mirgund, Pattan, Sopore and Handwara. You can book taxis for Lolab, Drangyari or Bangus at Srinagar’s Taxi Stand No. 1 (Tel: 0194-2452527) near the TRC. For a package trip, the cost would be around ₹2,000 per day. depending on the number of days.