Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India.Jammu and Kashmir is home to several valleys such as the Kashmir Valley, Tawi Valley, Chenab Valley, Poonch Valley, Sind Valley and Lidder Valley. The main Kashmir valley is 100 km (62 mi) wide and 15,520.3 km2 (5,992.4 sq mi) in area. The Himalayas divide the Kashmir valley from Ladakh while the Pir Panjal range, which encloses the valley from the west and the south, separates it from the Great Plains of northern India. Along the northeastern flank of the Valley runs the main range of the Himalayas. This densely settled and beautiful valley has an average height of 1,850 metres (6,070 ft) above sea-level but the surrounding Pir Panjal range has an average elevation of 5,000 metres (16,000 ft).Tourism in the Kashmir valley has rebounded in recent years, and in 2009, the state became one of the top tourist destinations of India.Gulmarg, one of the most popular ski resort destinations in India, is also home to the world's highest green golf course. However, the decrease in violence in the state has boosted the state's economy and tourism. It was reported that more than a million tourists visited Kashmir in 2011.
Jammu and Kashmir Travel Guide
Top Destinations in Jammu and Kashmir
Srinagar, India
Dawn breaks softly over Srinagar, gilding the rooftops and mosque minarets in a misty gold as the city stirs to life. The scent of wood smoke mingles with dew, ... more
Leh, India
Early morning in Leh has a rarefied hush, the air crisp and almost sweet, mountain sunlight fanning across flat rooftops and whitewashed stupas. In the old city... more
Katra, India
The first light washes over Katra with a gentle, expectant hush: shop shutters clack open, temple bells ring faintly in the distance, and the cool Himalayan air... more
Jammu, India
Jammu wakes gently in cool Himalayan air: the rising sun gilds the Shivalik hills, and temple bells drift down narrow lanes. The city curves around the Tawi ... more
Pahalgam, India
Early morning in Pahalgam unfurls with cool, pine-scented air and the distant rush of the Lidder River, its waters glinting blue beneath honeyed shafts of ... more
Gulmarg, India
In Gulmarg, the morning air tastes crisp and clean, laced with an undercurrent of cedar and pine as mist uncurls between slopes mottled with wildflowers. As you... more
Kargil, India
There is a hush to Kargil, a watching stillness that lingers above the roar of the Suru River. Dawn pours pale gold over rugged ridges and poplars, grazing the ... more
Patnitop, India
Crisp mountain air greets you in Patnitop, where stately deodar and pine trees stand sentinel along winding trails, their needles crackling underfoot. Early ... more