Srinagar, May 19: As large parts of the country continue to reel under an intense heatwave, tourists are flocking to Kashmir\u2019s offbeat destinations such as Razdan Top in Gurez, Tulail Valley, Bangus Valley and Sonamarg, seeking relief from soaring temperatures in the plains.<\/p>\n
According to the details available with the news agency\u2014Kashmir News Observer (KNO) with temperatures crossing 45 degrees Celsius in several states tourists are thronging the Valley in large numbers.<\/p>\n
At Razdan Top, the high-altitude mountain pass connecting Bandipora with Gurez Valley, tourists were seen enjoying fresh snow, an uncommon sight during the month of May.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels unbelievable to see snow in May. We came from Delhi where temperatures are extremely high, and here we are playing in snow and wearing jackets,\u201d said Rohan Sharma, a tourist from New Delhi visiting Gurez with his family.<\/p>\n
Another tourist, Mehak Gupta from Punjab, said the weather in Kashmir was a \u201chuge relief\u201d from the scorching heat in the plains.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had seen videos of Razdan Top on social media, but witnessing snow here in May is completely different. The beauty of this place is unmatched,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Tourist movement has also increased in Sonamarg and Bangus Valley, where visitors are spending time near snow-covered peaks, streams and vast green pastures.<\/p>\n
At Sonamarg, tourists were seen taking pony rides and enjoying the cool breeze along the Sindh stream.<\/p>\n
\u201cBack home in Rajasthan, it is impossible to step outside during daytime because of the heat. Kashmir\u2019s weather is pleasant and refreshing,\u201d said tourist Ankit Verma.<\/p>\n
In North Kashmir\u2019s Bangus Valley, known for its dense forests and sprawling meadows, tourists described the landscape as peaceful and untouched.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe natural beauty of Bangus is extraordinary. It is less crowded and feels very close to nature,\u201d said Sana Khan, a tourist from Mumbai.<\/p>\n
Local tourism stakeholders said offbeat destinations in Kashmir were witnessing increased footfall this season as more tourists explored lesser-known locations beyond Srinagar and Gulmarg.<\/p>\n
\u201cTourists are now looking for unexplored places. Gurez, Tulail and Bangus are attracting visitors because of their natural beauty, pleasant weather and peaceful atmosphere,\u201d said local tourist guide Hilal Ahmad in Gurez.<\/p>\n
Another guide in Sonamarg, Mushtaq Ahmed, said many tourists were extending their stays due to the cool weather conditions.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople arriving from Delhi, Rajasthan and Punjab are enjoying the climate here. Many tourists are surprised to witness snow at Razdan Top during May,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Officials in the tourism sector said the recent weather conditions and social media promotion of offbeat destinations had contributed to the rise in tourist arrivals across the Valley. (KNO)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Srinagar, May 19: As large parts of the country continue to reel under an intense heatwave, tourists are flocking to Kashmir\u2019s offbeat destinations such as Razdan Top in Gurez, Tulail Valley, Bangus Valley and Sonamarg, seeking relief from soaring temperatures in the plains. According to the details available with the news agency\u2014Kashmir News Observer (KNO) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":20401,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-news","category-kt-front"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20400"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20400\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20402,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20400\/revisions\/20402"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}