Kishtawar

Kishtawar, the upland valley in the north-east corner of Jammu region, lies ensconced among the picturesque folds of the Pir Panjal and the Great Himalayan Ranges.

Bakkarwals Moving through Kishtwar Valley

The area is drained by the Chenab river system which, flowing in from neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, enters the area through Paddar, home of the famous sapphire mines.

Paddar, Dacchan and Marwah are major valleys of Kishtawar. It is along these valleys that the trans-Himalayan trekking trails leading to the Suru and Zanskar valleys of Ladakh pass amidst breathtaking mountain sceneries.

Kishtawar town occupies a central plateau set amidst sylvan surroundings of forested hills. It is famous for the fine saffron grown here. Several waterfalls provide enchanting contrasts to the lush green landscape. The nearest of these is only 3 kms away from the town and drops down from a height of over 700 m in a series of seven cascades. Other local attractions include the highly revered shrines of two Muslim Sufi saints to which thousands of devotees and pilgrims throng from far and wide.

Climbing in Kishtwar:

Glacier in Kishtwar

The main purpose for visiting Kishtawar would be for climbing or trekking across the Great Himalayan Range. Kishtawar is a major mountaineering base of J&K State and is surrounded by an incredible number of peaks. There are peaks like Tupendo up the Kaban Valley, which closely resemble the Chamonix Aigulles with varying degrees of climbing options. The walk up to the base camps of most of the peaks generally takes 2-5 days. Peaks like Cerro Kishtwar have been attempted by serious mountaineers like Mick Flower and Andy Perkins in recent times, while as other steep faces like the Hagshu North Face have had John Barry and his team attempting four times without success. The area was first explored for climbing by two Austrians, Fritz Kolb and Krenek in 1946 who were held up in India at the outbreak of the World War. Eight years later, as they waited for their passages home, they went off to Kishtawar and climbed Bramah-II (6, 425 m) and christened it as ‘Dreikant’.

After a period of closure, Kishtawar was reopened for climbing in the early 70’s, and in 1973 Chris Bonnington and Nick Escort made the first ascent of Brammah-I via the south-east ridge. The first ascent of Sickle Moon (6574 m) was achieved in 1975 by an Indian expedition of the High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS). In 1986, two lady members of a French expedition were on the summit as well. The Japanese were active in the late 70’s in the Barnaj group which lie in the eastern part of the valley. During the late 70’s and early 80’s, one of the major Indo-British expeditions led by Chris Bonnington and Balwant Sandhu climbed Sickle Moon and made the area quite popular as a climbing destination. Other popular peaks in the area are Brammah, Brammah’s wife (5478 m) and Eiger (5513 m), all of which have been attempted by renowned mountaineers during the seventies and eighties.

Following is the list of the known peaks in the Kishtawar Himalayas:

Sickle Moon (6574 m) Eiger (6001 m) Cathedral (5370 m) Charcha (6065 m) Namtse (6000 m) Lhalung (Durung Glacier).

Climbing in Kishtwar mountains

In the Nanth Nala Region

Brammah-I (6416 m) Brammah-II (6425 m) Brammah’s wife (5297 m) Crooked Finger (5630 m) Flat Top (6100 m) Dereikant (5890 m) Eckpfeiler (5710 m) Gur (5709 m) .
Kalidhar Kishtwar (5835 m)

In the Barnaj Nala Region

Barnaj-I (6100 m) Barnaj-II (6290 m) Arjuna (6200 m) Agyason (6200 m) Shiviling (6000 m) Chapra (Bhazum Nala) (6500 m) Tibetsi (5600 m) Hagshu Janam peak (6330 m)
Charol (6000 m) Chering peak (6107 m) Mardi Pabrang (6062 m) Cerro Kishtwar (6200 m) Tupendo-I (5700 m) Tupendo-II (5600 m)

Kishtawar town (altitude of 1640 m) is situated at a distance of 216 kms from Jammu, but only 107 kms from the national highway resort of Batote. The area is connected with Jammu as well as Srinagar by regular public transport services. Accommodation with basic facilities is available in PWD rest houses / dak bungalows and small private hotels. But the best option is camping in the picturesque surroundings.

Important Note:

In view of the prevailing security situation in Doda District, intending visitors to Kishtawar should contact the Director Tourism, Jammu or Srinagar for the latest ground situation and about the possibility of visiting the region.