Another lost trekking season in Kashmir | India News

SRINAGAR: For nearly two decades, adventure tourism has transformed the mountains of Kashmir into a magnet for high-end domestic tourists and foreign visitors. Trekkers cross alpine meadows, glacier-fed valleys and mountaineers climb the Kolahoi Peak, making this sector one of the fastest growing tourism industries in the valley. Much of that activity has now been silenced.After last year’s Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, all trekking routes across Kashmir have been closed, bringing the valley’s once booming adventure tourism industry to a near standstill.“Adventure tourism in Kashmir has picked up in a major way over the last two decades and has become an essential part of Kashmir tourism. But it has died in the last one year,” said Rauf Trumbu, president of the Winter Games Association and a well-known mountaineer of the Valley.From his office overlooking Dal Lake, Trumbu said the government has heavily promoted trekking over the past six years, encouraging local entrepreneurs to invest heavily in camping equipment, trekking logistics and mountaineering infrastructure. A tourism department official said the government has opened more trekking routes in the valley after the abrogation of Article 370, taking the number to 75. Even forest huts were made available for visitors.Over time, tourists streamed in, particularly from Southeast Asian countries, which were less affected by safety-related travel advisories than those in Europe and the United States. “Our trekking season is from June to October. Due to the long closure (after the Pahelgam attack), we have effectively lost this year,” he said.The main routes include the Kashmir Great Lake Trek — a 70 km route through alpine lakes, glacial streams, grasslands and mountain passes — Kolahoi Glacier Trek, Tarsar Mercer Trek, Tosamaidan-Usmarg Trek and Dara-Pahlgam, an offbeat high-altitude trail connecting Pashalgam with Lushnagar. The Dara-Sonamarg trail and the Kashmir-Ladakh route, via the Warwan Valley in Kishtwar also attracted enthusiasts.The Great Lakes Trek, which ascends to about 13,800 feet at the Harmukh Pass, was the most popular. Arif, known as Arif Mountaineer, who runs Cliffhangers India, an adventure tourism company in Kashmir, said the Great Lake Trek led to the opening of other routes.In 2024, Arif said his company takes at least two teams per week on the Great Lakes trek, creating employment for guides, porters, cooks, horsemen and camping staff throughout the villages along the route. Trumbo said his company employs about 2,000 to 2,500 horses each year.“We even catered to South Indian food. I had over 45 workers and we would hire hundreds of horsemen. Now we are just a five-member team. The Great Lakes trek was safer as it was surrounded by army cantonments. We want the industry to at least be revived to survive,” said Arif.Ari shifted base to Manali as recession deepened. Trumbu now takes trekkers to Ladakh. “I had the option to leave but others are not so lucky. They may leave the business,” Arif said.There is little clarity as to when the situation might improve. “The decision to open trekking routes is beyond our jurisdiction,” said a tourism department official, adding that now only rafting is allowed in Sonamarg and Pahlgam.