Kashmir is called the Jannat on earth, and Gurez is a hidden part of this Jannah. How unfortunate it is that everybody knows how appealing and breathtakingly beautiful Gurez is, just like other amazing parts of Kashmir. The English rock climber Oscar Eckenstein, who roamed parts of Kashmir in the 1890s, particularly noted similarities between the Swiss countryside and Gurez, an intimate clasp of small villages in the Kishanganga river valley. “The scenery here exactly resembles the Swiss but is on a larger scale,” he wrote. Gurez was mapped in greater detail by Sir Walter Roper Lawrence, an English civil servant, in his 1895 book, The Valley of Kashmir. He ventured that someday the sweep of its harsh mountain crags, soothing teal streams, and freshly tilled plains might pry visitors away from the more obvious appeals of Kashmir’s other prominent vacation spots.
Sir Walter Lawrence called the Gurez Valley “one of the most beautiful scenes in all of Kashmir,” where the tourmaline waters of the Kishenganga River are framed by “mountain scarps of indescribable grandeur.” Lawrence predicted that Gurez would soon become one of Kashmir’s most popular Himalayan tourist destinations. Gulmarg, Sonamarg, and Nágmarg are charming places for a summer holiday,” he wrote. “Perhaps Pahlgám, the village of the shepherds which stands at the head of the Liddar valley with its healthy forest of pines, and Gurez, which lies at a distance of 85 Km from Bandipora, the port of the Wular lake, will before long rival in popularity the other Margs.”
For reasons he never could have foreseen, 130 years later, since, Pahalgam fulfilled the promise of Lawrence’s expectations, very little has been done to develop Gurez Valley. Though in beauty Gurez can equal or even beat most parts of Europe that the world finds so enchanting, Gurez is still waiting for its independent development authority as other tourist destinations of Kashmir.
Famous traveller and explorer Zulfiqar Ahmad Khan writes for the Condé Nast Traveller “After having travelled through so many countries I had never seen anything like Gurez. I could spend a lifetime just admiring the beauty of Gurez. The villages, mountains, the people untouched by time, and the wooden houses are witness to centuries and hordes of traders on the silk route. The unique culture, food habits, bee-keepers, barbed wires, dusty tracks, the omnipresent armed forces, Pakistani army postings in the distance… So much more to see. Gurez, in some ways, is a magical frontier. It whispers of a rich past of a tough race of people. Of relationships broken by the border. All that and the absence of any mobile connectivity, and electricity makes you feel like you’re somewhere on the Silk Route of yore”.
Jammu and Kashmir experienced a huge influx of tourists in 2023. Over 21.1 million tourists flocked to the region in the last year, impacting the economy of the region positively, as per the J&K tourism department. Gurez’s contribution to the overall tourism figures is still smaller than that of other destinations but it is rising; in 2022 estimates were around 50,000, but in 2023, one lakh tourists had visited the region by July.
Gurez is the most peaceful area for tourists, people are known for their great hospitality, virgin natural health resorts and tourist destinations that make one feel like heaven.
Gurez is the most beautiful valley of Kashmir, located 85 kilometres from Bandipora district headquarters in the high Himalayas. Gurez, the ancient silk route which connected the Kashmir Valley with Gilgit before continuing further to Kashgar, is the most beautiful and safest place to visit for tourists. A valley between high snow-capped mountains, Gurez is a place of beautiful simplicity and pristine natural beauty. Being still underdeveloped in the tourism sector, this part of Kashmir is yet neglected.
Amidst the uproar of development, a traveler in Gurez still feels like they have entered into an old page of history. Though recognized as a celebrated tourist destination in the Union Territory, Gurez is still out of so many travellers’ eyes. In 2023, Gurez was showered with more recognition when the Ministry of Tourism chose Dawar, the headquarters of the Subdivision, as the best tourism village among 750 entries from all over India. When taking into consideration, the prediction of Sir Walter Lawrence and other travellers around the world, this is just a little, or we can just say a delayed, wish fulfilment.
Being such an appealing tourist attraction, there is much more to do to develop Gurez Valley on the world tourist map. The road to the valley, even though it consumes a hefty budget every year, still makes the journey full of headaches and nausea. Limited roads, winding potholes, cracks, rough or uneven surfaces, lack of drainage, lack of markings, and obstacles on the road make a few hours of rewarding journey in terms of natural landscape and sightseeing places a difficult and tiring day trip. Despite having the Kishanganga Hydroelectric Project, a run-of-the-river hydroelectric scheme in Gurez Valley which generates 330 MW of power, Gurez continues to be without power supply. Amazingly, the hydroelectric power generated here reaches all parts of the country, while the Gurez Valley remains deprived of it. Although the main town of Dawar was connected to the electricity grid last year, 90% of the area is still relying on diesel generator sets for electricity which is low voltage and only a shade better than candlelight. Some villages even lack generators and a few have solar lights which remain almost nonfunctional, especially during winter.
The valley remains cut off from the rest of the world for almost four months during winters due to heavy snowfall. A tunnel through Razdan Pass may have mitigated the problems faced during winters, which is still a demand, a dream. The degree college faculty, other teaching staff, the healthcare providers both doctors and paramedical staff, and the engineering staff posted in Gurez do not bother to work here. One way or the other, they stay in Bandipora or Srinagar and mark their attendance as on duty. One can hardly find the government officials posted in Gurez at their respective offices. Most of them complain about insufficient resources and lack of basic facilities, somewhat true as in contemporary society any of us will only reside in a place where there is a regular supply of water and electricity and almost all the government buildings here in Gurez are without these basic amenities.
Notwithstanding the poor infrastructural development here, Gurez is so astonishingly beautiful that it attracts tourists. If there had been development, an upgrade, and availability of basic amenities, there would have been a great tourist surge in the valley. In conclusion, let’s say since the year 2022, the prediction of Sir Walter Lawrence has come true to some extent. Gurez has indeed become a popular tourist destination in Kashmir. Its stunning natural beauty, with its mountain crags, teal streams, and tilled plains, has attracted visitors from all over the world.
While it may not be as well-known as Gulmarg, Sonamarg, or Pahalgam, Gurez has gained recognition as one of the most beautiful scenes in all of Kashmir. People are now discovering the charm and allure of this hidden gem in the Himalayas. But a lot has to be done yet, and we are pretty optimistic that the development and upgrade of the basic amenities and facilities in the valley will surely give a boost to the tourism industry. The boost and surge in the tourism industry will in turn boost the local economy, and for sure, the prediction, the dream of Sir Walter Lawrence and other great travelers of the world will come true.
The writer can be reached at bi********@***il.com
‘Gurez would soon become one of Kashmir’s most popular Himalayan tourist destinations’: Did the prediction of Sir Walter Lawrence come true?
