Winds of Change

‘Wadi-e-Lolab’ or ‘Lolov’ are additional names for Lolab Valley. Given that hundreds of domestic tourists visited the valley this summer, it is quickly rising to the top of the list of favoured tourist destinations. However, there is still much work to be done for it to thrive, like improving the roads and other tourist-related infrastructure. A trail leads to an oval-shaped valley floor with breathtaking beauty and expansive mountain ranges from the distinctively beautiful Lolab entry gate, 9 km north of Kupwara. Due to the valley’s connection to several regions along the Line of Control (LoC), incidents between security personnel and terrorists have been common in Lolab during the past few years. It served as a hub for the movement of terrorists. Apricot, cherry, peach, apple, and walnut stretches may be found in Lolab. The valley’s splendor justifies spending that much time out of your schedule, despite the fact that it is 100 kilometres from Srinagar and requires about 4 hours to travel there by road. Domestic visitors do not miss out on discovering the Kalaroos Caves in Lolab Valley, which, according to a legend, contain enormous amounts of water and a direct path to Russia. Even though the visitor is unable to enter the caves to verify the legends, the outside is still a magnificent sight. The valley is dotted with numerous lakes, with Gangbal Lake being the most well-known. It follows the path to Apharwat Peak if hiked. Ecotourism and adventure tourism are highly prevalent in Lolab. There are multiple locations in Lolab that attract nature lovers and a few of them have got the historical significance as well. Among them are Warnow, Affan, Doban, Khurhuma, and Kuligam (on Putnai side); Chandigam, Sogam, Lalpora, Putushai, Dorusa, Tekipora (in Brohnai area); and Kalaroos. There are many meadows that provide breathtaking scenery and soothing views like Amari, Trumukh, Bumsi, Nagmarg, Keemsar, Nichan, and Lushkoot. Nagmarg, Keemsar, Nichan and Lushkoot are very close to Lolab Valley and people can reach here by foot or by horse from there. This summer hundreds of domestic tourists visited various historically important sites. A huge chunk of revenue was generated by local businessmen. Though the government had taken a lot of steps to develop Lolab as a complete tourist destination, a lot more is needed to be done. The roads need to be widened more and there is still a lack of tourist infrastructure. Tourism Department has constructed rest houses and huts at some places, but the stakeholders say that it is not enough to make it a complete tourist destination.