My blogs

05 Aug 2022 | Pir Panjal Range Topo sheet along with route and terrain details Far towards the South western end of the valley, around Pir Ki gali, there are dozens of alpine lakes within 3-4 km of radius. Some of them fall in Kulgam district and some in Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu & Kashmir and accordingly there are many routes from these districts to explore all of them.  I started my journey from Kashmir division and m inimum of three days is required to explore the whole area. Jaddi nar valley On 5th of Aug 2022, I with my friend Muhammad Zahid left from Srinagar towards Dongimarg, Mughal road, some kms before from Pir ki Gali and parked our car near the wildlife dept. At around 8am in the morning we left from Dungimarg, crossed the Yanga nar stream which at Sokh Sarai is joined by Rupri Nar and forms the Rambiara river, a tributary of Jehlum river. Chandan Sar T...

Exploring Pir Panjal Range Pir Panja l is a name of the basaltic mountain range with which the Vale of Kashmir is encompassed. It is the largest range of all lesser Himalayan ranges and bounding Kashmir from south. For trekkers in summer and for skiers during the late winter and spring, the Pir Panjal range is a paradise. It is known for its verdant landscapes, upland pastures, high altitude alpine lakes and lofty summits. It separates the valley from the plains of Punjab and a wide range of passes over its crest connects valley with other places. Gurwan Sar I   3rd July 2022 | Sunday Doodhpathri  is a tourist destination at an elevation of 2700m on the lower slopes of Pir Panjal Range and is about 50kms from Srinagar. I along with my team ALPINE ADVENTURERS started our hike from Doodhpathri at about 7am in the morning. The trail first leads through the forest with a gradual ascent and then through a steep scree gully towards the top of the ridge(3350m) that surrounds D...

Tarsar lake   Photo by © Muhammad Zahid Sindh valley to Lidder river valley  traverse via Sanamus pass. Sindh and  Lidder valleys are two most beautiful side valleys of Kashmir and got their names from the rivers flowing through these valleys( Sindh & Lidder river ) Sindh valley is long, narrow opening up in North Western side of the Vale of Kashmir while the lidder valley opens into the North Eastern corner of the valley. These valleys are separated by a long mountain range that runs from East to West forming the southern side of Sindh valley. The end of this range forms the line of mountains behind the Shalimar garden, throwing spurs from other branches form successively the half circles that enclose Dal lake, khonmoh & valley of Tral. Sanamus pass & mountain ranges  The range has so many summits and mountain passes that connects these valleys. Some of these passes are Lakhath/Kolahoi pass, Basmai pass, Gumbar Pass,Yamhar pass Sanamus pass etc ...

Exploring SE extremity of the valley. On sunday 12 june 2022, explored two alpine lakes namely Mawarnag at an elevation of around 3800m, located towards South-East extremity of the valley near the administrative boundary of Kashmir and Kishtwar.  A chunk of land with beautiful alpine flowers near the ist lake. Roadhead: Ahlan Garol Kokernag (33.49373 75.40190) Then a 2km off-road drive through forest to a place known as Yaripather where the road ends. Details : The trek starts from Yaripather , a 2km off-road drive from Ahlan Garo l, following the stream through the forest. Enroute to the valley comes a place known as Akhran bror/ Arian bror , with dozens of terraced isolated dwellings of nomadic people. Settlements at Arian/Akhran Bror  As it is early summer, shepherds are yet to visit high alpine valleys which resulted in the valley being full of wild alpine flowers like Buttercup (Botanical name:Rununculus acris.  Kashmiri name : Batakh Loon’t بطخ لونٹ ). Buttercup flo...