UNEXPLORED KISHTWAR (J&K).

As we drove across the Doda region.

The scarry highway across NH-1B

The R. Chenab..

The drive is on towards Sinthan Pass from Kishtwar.

The Govt. Tourist Guest house, Kishtwar by the high mountain range at its backdrop.

At Bhadarkoot.

                     

The view of Kishtwar town from Tourist Guest House,Kishtwar.

As we drove off to Kishtwar-NH-1B

 Kishtwar is the biggest town in Doda distt. of J&K state. It is almost 299kms from Jammu City & approx. 59kms from Pul-Doda on NH1B.Zaskar of Ladakh lies on the north , Anantnag to the west, Bhaderwah to the south & Himachal Pradesh to the east. It is 1634ft above sea level & is uniquely known as the LAND OF SAPPHIRE & SAFFRON. It has lofty mountains around  & bears a fascinating look. Valleys like Marwa, Warwan, Padder & Chaatru terminates at Kishtwar town . R. Chenab flows thru' the distt. ,cutting deep gorge. Major Hydel power project at Kishtwar is DUL HASTI. Kashmir Sapphire's produced from a single mine at Padder Valley. The Sinthan pass links Kishtwar with Daksum Valley at Anantnag distt. Bhaderwah is the most scenic place in this region ...a total untouched beauty of J&K.
     After Batote ,as soon as one takes on NH1B ...its like drive close across heaven.... The roads are very well maintained But cann't predict the falling rock scene , on the highway.... Hardly any eatteries on the way ,except few Vaishno dhaba....So, one need to be quite prepared while drive off to such place. Once Pul-Doda is reached , there's diversion of road towards Kishtwar...Unexplored & unexploited due to scare road connectivity ,these areas got lush green forest covers, humming heights talking upto the sky, green meadows& alpine pastures in the lap of high rising mountains.
    One need to book for tourist guest houses for night stays prior...as hotels are very few. We stayed at Govt. Tourist guest house at Kishtwar..... Nearby places which can be visited are Bhadarkoot(12kms from Kishtwar town)...Sinthan pass(44kms from Kishtwar)... Pochhal hatta(Saffron safari)..Dachchan Reserve forest; There's a fort at Bhadarkoot ( for trekkers).................

***** If planning a drive upto Sinthan Pass from Jammu City...Do make it atleast a 3 days programme..as driving across high Himalayas are quite time consuming & cannot speedup the drive.