Bangus Valley, also spelled as Bungus Valley, is a valley located in the Kupwara District of Kashmir. Spread over a large area, it is blessed with a diverse variety of flora and fauna and is best known for its breathtaking natural beauty, including snow-capped mountains, vast meadows, lush green forests, and crystal-clear streams.
But despite all this, Bangus Valley is a name that has yet to find its place on the tourist map. It receives almost no visitors at all. People who do come here are mostly the local Kashmiris out for a family outing or a picnic over the weekends.
As a matter of fact, until a couple of years ago, this entire region around Kupwara was never considered a tourist destination due to militancy-related problems. This also included destinations like Lolab Valley, Keran, Machil, Tangdhar, and Teetwal. However, things are slowly starting to change now and efforts are being made by the Indian Army and Kashmir government to promote tourism in the area.
I visited Bangus Valley during my recent Kashmir Trip and spent an entire day exploring the region. The post below is a brief narration of our visit and provides all the necessary details on how to plan a trip to Bangus Valley. You can also take a look at the video below that I shot during my visit to get a better idea of what you should expect during your visit.
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About Bangus Valley
The name Bangus Valley is said to be derived from the Sanskrit words Van (Forest) and gus (grass). The average elevation of the valley is approximately 10,000 feet (3,000 m) and it is located at a distance of about 100 kilometers from Srinagar.
The valley is divided into two parts, Chhota Bangus and Bada Bangus, or Upper Bangus and Lower Bangus. In the local Kashmiri dialect, it is pronounced as Boud Bangus and Lokut Bangus. Both parts of the valley are connected by motorable roads from Kupwara and Handwara.
Until now, the majority of tourism was centered around the lower part of the Valley but recently, the entire Bangus Valley has been gaining attention as a tourist destination. How you can plan a trip to this small piece of paradise is what I will be talking about in the post below. Let us first begin with details on how you can reach Bangus Valley.
Also Read: How to Plan a Trip to Kashmir – A Complete Travel Guide
How to reach Bangus Valley
In order to reach Bangus Valley, you will first have to reach Srinagar. For people coming by their own vehicle, you can just drive to Srinagar city by either the regular Jammu–Srinagar highway or the Mughal road through Shopian. Once you arrive in Srinagar, you can then just continue driving towards Bangus Valley via Kupwara.
If you were however not traveling by your own vehicle, then Srinagar is well connected to the rest of the country by Air, Train, and Bus service. No matter which part of the country you live in, you can easily reach the city by either flying or boarding a train. For more details, please take a look at How to Plan a Trip to Srinagar.
How to reach Bangus Valley from Srinagar
There are two different routes that you can take to travel from Srinagar to Bangus Valley. The first and easiest route is via Kupwara and the second route is via Handwara.
- Route 1- Via Kupwara: Srinagar – Sopore – Kupwara – Kralpora – Drangyari – Tee Pee – Bangus Valley = 130 kilometers
- Route 2 – Via Handwara: Srinagar – Sopore – Handwara – Wadipora – Bangus Valley = 100 kilometers
The route via Kupwara may be a little longer but is also easier than the second one. The road conditions are also better on this route. Going this way will also make it easier for you to explore other places in this region like Lolab Valley and Keran Valley.
The problem with the route from the Handwara side is that it is under construction and in bad condition. I am not sure why but usually, the Army does not allow people to enter Bangus Valley from that side. Tourists are usually sent back and asked to go via Kupwara.
So your best bet is to skip this route entirely for now. Otherwise, there is a high chance that you will be about to reach Bangus but will get sent back by the Army. You will then have to circle back again to Kupwara and then approach Bangus via Chwokibal and Tee Pee.
Maybe in the near future, once the roadwork is complete, people will be allowed to enter the valley via Handwara as well but as of now, it is really a gamble. You may get allowed or you may not get allowed. So make sure that you are planning your trip from the Kupwara and Chowkibal side only.
Also Read: How Much Does a Trip to Kashmir Cost?
Bangus Valley Permission
We will talk about both these routes in detail but before that, let us take a look at how you can get a permit to visit Bangus Valley. Even though tourism has now been permitted in this region, you still need to get a permit to go there.
There are two ways to get a permit for Bangus Valley. The first one is online and the second one is in person from the Kralpora police station. The online process is much easier but even if you get it stamped from the police station, that should also not take long.
Online Process
To get your permit online, please visit the Online Portal of J&K Government.
Once the page is open, scroll down and click on Apply Online. On the next page, select Citizen in the ‘Applying As’ dropdown and hit Next. It will take you to another page where you will need to fill in all the required details, upload your Aadhar Card copy, and click on Submit Application.
If you are traveling in a group, then hit Add More Person at the bottom and enter details of people traveling with you one by one. Once the permit is generated, take a printout and ensure that you are carrying at least 4-5 copies of it.
In Person
To get the permit in person, you will have to first reach the Kralpora Police station. First of all, find a stationery shop there or a photocopy shop. They usually keep printouts of applications handy in the following format.
Just buy an application, fill in your details, go to the police station, and get it stamped. After that, go back to the photocopy shop and get 4-5 copies of the stamped application.
If you were not able to find a stationery shop or did not get a copy of the application, just write it on a piece of paper by hand and get it stamped. That will also work fine.
Both processes are more or less hassle-free. The thing with the online process is that you can get your permits in advance and won’t have to spend time in Kralpora trying to get the permit stamped.
Bangus Valley Route via Kupwara
Now that you know how to get the permit, let us briefly take a look at the journey to Bangus Valley from Srinagar. Ideally, this should be a 2-day trip with a night stay planned either in Kupwara or somewhere near Bangus Valley. This is not a journey that you can plan as a day trip from Srinagar. It will need at least 2 days.
On Day 1, you will reach Bangus Valley and spend the night somewhere in that area. The next day, you can either stay there and explore other tourist destinations like Lolab Valley, Keran, and Teetwal or you can return to Srinagar. I will provide information on the accommodation choices later in the article.
Srinagar to Kupwara to Kralpora
The first part of your journey will have you travel to Kupwara and then to Kralpora. Make sure you get an early start from Srinagar, possibly by 7 am so that you can at least avoid the traffic.
The road from Srinagar to Kupwara is a single-lane road that sees heavy two-way traffic. So even though the journey is only about 85 kilometers, it can easily take you anywhere between 3 to 5 hours to complete, depending on the traffic.
There is not much to see on this route. It is really a very boring drive on a flat road with no views anywhere in between. You will cross a few small villages and towns on the way and reach Kupwara.
Cross the town of Kupwara and continue driving on the same road for another 15 kilometers to reach Kralpora. If you did not get the permits online, this is where you will have to get those stamped.
Kralpora is just a small town so finding the police station will not be a problem. Ask anyone where the police station is and the locals will point you in the right direction. Get your permits signed and continue driving on the same road to reach Chowkibal.
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Kralpora to Chowkibal to Drangyari
About 10 kilometers after Kralpora, you will arrive in the small town of Chwokibal. One thing that I should mention here is that the Chowkibal marked on Google Maps is incorrect. I do not know why but Google Maps picks Tee Pee as Chowkibal and will tell you a distance of about 32 kilometers but that is incorrect. Chowkibal is about 10 kilometers after Kralpora.
Take a break if you need to in Chowkibal and continue your journey. Immediately after the market, you will reach a bridge. See the image below.
At this point, do not go straight and turn left on the bridge. It would look like it is going into an Army Base but that is the road you need to take. You will be stopped, your permit will be checked, names will be registered, and the driving license of the person on the wheel will be checked as well.
The road will start gaining altitude after the check post and will pass through a forest area. You will cross a couple of small villages on the way and will reach Drangyaari.
The views will get really amazing near Drangyar. There is one spot where you see the river flowing through a gorge and the wide valley in front of you. That place is definitely worth stopping to take a few pictures.
Also Read: When is the Best Time to Visit Kashmir?
Tee Pee – Bangus Valley
Finally, after a drive of about 18 kilometers from Chowkibal, you will reach this point in Tee Pee. There are a couple of small dhabas here and a forest rest house. Tee Pee is the name of a village in this region but you do not exactly go into the village.
You will come from the right side and need to turn left, on the road that is marked by the arrow. The road straight ahead goes to Sadhna Pass, Tangdhar, and Teetwal Village but you are not going that way. Take a break at this bifurcation, get some tea, and continue your journey. Bangus Valley is about 10 kilometers from here.
The condition of the road will continue to remain good and you will also start gaining height significantly. Finally, after a journey of 10 kilometers and about 20 minutes, you will arrive in Bangus Valley. There will be a parking spot to your right where you would need to leave your vehicle.
Right in front of you would be the lower Bangus Valley called Chhota Bangus, a beautiful sight indeed.
Before you proceed any further though, at the top of a hillock, there is a check post where you would first have to go and get your names entered in a register. Don’t worry, even if you do not notice this check post, someone will shout out and ask you to come to the check post before moving on.
Lower Bangus / Lokut Bangus
Bangus Valley is basically a meadow, a large lush green ground where you just walk around, see the sights, rest, relax, and enjoy. There is nothing else to do here other than to enjoy the views. Walk around in the lower Bangus Valley. There is a water stream that you can go down to and it is a good spot to click some pictures.
After that, start walking straight ahead. You will notice some villagers, kids playing around, and some shepherd’s houses on the slope of the mountain.
Just keep walking in that direction, straight ahead, and it will take you to the upper Bangus Valley. If you weren’t sure of the way, just ask any of the local shepherds.
Upper Bangus is about 4-5 kilometers of a trek from the spot where you left your car. It can easily take you anywhere between 60 to 90 minutes to complete.
The walk is easy enough though but it does involve gentle climbs in a few places. If you do not want to walk that much, you can hire a pony as well. You will have several pony owners approaching you asking if you want to hire them.
Finally, after walking for about an hour, you will reach Bada Bangus.
See that road over there. It is still under construction. Once completed it will run through the Bangus Valley, connecting both upper and lower Bangus to Handwara town. This road right now is not complete and may take a couple of years more.
Upper Bangus / Bada Bangus / Boud Bangus
Like Lower Bangus, there is nothing to do in Upper Bangus as well, other than to enjoy the natural beauty of the place. Sit, relax, click pictures, walk around in the grass, and that is mostly it.
There are several small dhabas here where you can get something to eat.
What you see here is just a small section of the valley though. The principal valley of Bada Bangus has an estimated area of about 300 square kilometers, imagine that. To explore it properly, you will have to go on a trek lasting 2 to 4 days and will have to rent ponies for it.
But for regular tourists, what you see here is charmingly beautiful and sufficient enough. You should try to capture some timelapse videos here. They will come out great.
After spending some time, walk back the same way to your car and then return to your hotel. If you want to stay in Bangus Valley, you can camp here for the night. More details on that later in the article.
Also Read: How Much Does a Trip to Kashmir Cost?
Bangus Valley Route via Handwara
The problem with the route from the Handwara side is that it is under construction and in bad condition. I am not sure why but usually, the Army does not allow people to enter Bangus Valley from that side. Tourists are usually sent back and asked to go via Kupwara.
So your best bet is to skip this route entirely. Maybe in the near future, once the roadwork is complete, people will be allowed to enter the valley via Handwara as well but as of now, it is really a gamble. You may get allowed or you may not get allowed.
After that road is fully functional, a trip to Bangus Valley could be done in the form of a circuit covering both Kupwara and Handwara routes but that will take a couple of years at least to happen.
By Bus / Shared Cabs
Planning this trip by Public transport will be tricky and is not advised. You may be able to find a bus from Srinagar to Kupwara but there is no regular bus service beyond Kupwara to places like Bangus Valley, Lolab Valley, Keran, and Teetwal.
In Srinagar, depending on where you are staying, you will first have to reach Parimpora. That is where you will get either a bus or a shared cab to Kupwara.
You can travel from Srinagar to Kupwara by Bus but after that, it is best advised to look for a private taxi. The Kupwara bus and taxi stand are right there in the main market. You can go there and ask for a bus or shared cab to Bangus Valley but I highly doubt that you will find one. You may find a shared cab for Kralpora or Chowkibal at most but not for Bangus.
By Private Taxi
You can plan this in two ways. The first one is that you hire a private taxi from Srinagar itself. This will cost you anywhere between Rs. 5000 to Rs. 8000 for a two-day trip to Bangus Valley.
The second way is that you first go to Kupwara by public transport and hire a cab there. This will cost you anywhere between Rs. 1500 to Rs. 2000 for a trip to Bangus Valley lasting 5-6 hours approximately. For more details, please take a look at Taxi Rates in Srinagar.
Accommodation in Bangus Valley
There are three choices of accommodation currently available. You can either stay in a hotel or a J&K Government Dak Bungalow, or you can camp for the night. Let me talk about these in detail one by one.
Hotels in Bangus Valley
When it comes to hotels or guest houses, your choices are severely limited. The biggest reason behind this scarcity of hotels is that there is no tourism in this area. The only tourists that come here are the local Kashmiris, out for a picnic or an outing on a Sunday. They would obviously go back to their homes by evening and wouldn’t stay in a hotel.
Currently, there are only two hotels in this region and both of them are located in Kupwara town. One is called City Park and the other one is known as Raj Palace. Both these hotels are near the main market of Kupwara, opposite the bus stand. Please note that these are very old, poorly maintained, and shabby hotels.
The rooms are very small, and dirty, have no TV, and have old broken furniture in them. Since they are located right along the main road, the sound of the traffic drove me crazy while I stayed there for a day. It was so bad that I could not even sleep properly.
If you must stay in a hotel, a better option would be the Bangus Valley Resort. It is located near Chowkibal, just after the checkpoint. I have not personally stayed in this resort but have seen the pictures of it sent to me by its owner. It surely is a much better option than the hotels in Kupwara. If you want to book your stay here, you can talk to Mir Mehraz at 96226 88376.
Also Read: How to Plan a Kashmir Trip Itinerary
J&K Government Dak Bungalows
Your best bet for accommodation is the J&K government Dak Bungalows, also known as Forest Huts. There are a lot of these rest houses in this region, some maintained by the tourism department and others by the Forest department.
Kupwara has a government rest house that accepts tourists. There is another one in Kralpora and a third one in Chowkibal. There is a forest rest house in Tee Pee as well, about 10 kilometers from Bangus Valley, but I do not think tourists are allowed to stay there.
The bookings of these rest houses are available online on the online portal of J&K Tourist Department and the website of J&K Forest Department.
If the rest house was not listed on the portal for some reason, then there is a number provided on both these websites. You can call that number and book your stay over the phone.
The Dak Bungalow I stayed at for 3 days while we explored Lolab, Bangus, and Keran was the one in Chowkibal. It is located in a small village called Reddi, about 6 kilometers from Kralpora.
It is a beautiful rest house located right next to a river. The rooms were well-maintained, spacious, and had clean bedding. The name of the caretaker here is Iqbal and his phone number is 968 264 9223. You can call him directly to book your stay.
The rest house has a kitchen as well and you won’t have to go out to have food. You can just let the caretaker know and he will cook for you as well. You can read a detailed review of this rest house at J&K Dak Bungalow – Reddi, Chokibal.
Camping in Bangus Valley
If you want to camp in Bangus Valley, it would be best to bring your own gear. I did notice about 4 or 5 tents while I was there but I am not sure if those were available for rent or if belonged to someone who was doing self-camping. Since tourism in this area is just getting started, it will be some time before proper campsites come up here so for now, bring your own tents.
Other than that, the small dhabas can also provide a bed to crash for the night but you will have to talk to them. Most of these belong to the local shepherd villagers so do not be surprised if they instead ask you to come to their homes and stay as a paying guest.
Places to Visit & Things to Do
What do you see in Bangus Valley? Well, not much really. In all honesty, it is just a huge meadow, a vast grassland covered with different kinds of flowers and that is what you see. The natural beauty of this place is magical and the only thing to do here is to experience that magic.
Bangus Valley is blessed with a diverse variety of flora and fauna. The meadows and the slopes of the side plateaus are covered with a wide range of flowers and medicinal plants. As many as 14 streams of water flow through the valley, of which Roshan Kul, Tillwan Kul, and Douda Kul are notable.
The water of these streams also inhabits several types of moderate-size fishes. The valley’s forests and plains serve as the breeding, feeding, and protection grounds for many wild animal species including the musk deer, antelope, snow leopard, brown bear, black bear, monkeys, red fox, and a large number of residents and migratory birds.
So what you see here is this natural beauty. What you do here is sit back, relax, click pictures, shoot videos, and enjoy the tranquility of the place. That is all that Bangus Valley is about.
Another fun thing to do would be to talk to the villagers around here. Listen to their stories about how this entire area and its people remained cut off from the rest of the world for so long. It would be interesting to know how tourism now has changed the lives that were once spent in such hardships.
Bangus Valley Festival
Bangus Valley festival is basically an attempt by the government to promote tourism in the area and to engage better with the local people. It was started a couple of years ago but is still far from being a full-fledged event.
The festival is held in the month of September. Activities that were planned for the festival included cricket tournaments, photography competitions, bike expeditions, and village games. Some cultural programs and musical evenings were also on the plans.
As far as I know, it happened in 2021 but not in 2022. I planned to be there at the time of the festival in 2023 but it happened a full 10 days later than the planned date and I missed it.
Even when it did happen, it was just a single-day event that lasted a few hours with a couple of sports activities and nothing more. In the next couple of years, as more tourists start to visit Bangus Valley, this festival will also grow on a large scale but as of now, it is nothing that you should hold your breath for.
Mobile Network and Data Connectivity
Irrespective of which network you are on, your phone will work fine as far as the parking spot in Lower Bangus. We were carrying Airtel and Jio connections and received strong connectivity with 4G data speed. In fact, I had Google Maps on the entire time we were on our way to Bangus.
But once you get out of your car and start walking through the meadow, you will lose network immediately. Even near the parking spot, it was an intermittent connection and we only received a stable network when we started to get close to Tee Pee again.
We did not have Vodafone or Idea connections with us but I doubt they will work near Bangus Valley. With these providers, you can hope to receive a network until Kupwara or Chowkibal at most but not beyond that.
BSNL / MTNL of course works pretty much everywhere in the country but their service is not as good as Jio or Airtel. Voice clarity will be missing and the date speed will be way too slow. For more details on this topic, please take a look at Mobile Network in Kashmir & Data Connectivity.
Best Time to Visit Bangus Valley
The best time to visit Bangus Valley, in my opinion, is either the month of April or September. This is when the valley is lush green and you will enjoy your journey the most. It looks good in the rest of the months as well but April and September are when the views are at their best. Below is a monthly breakdown.
Bangus Valley in January, February, March
Bangus Valley remains closed in the winter season and cannot be reached. You will definitely not be able to get there in January and February. In March, depending on the amount of snow on the ground, you may be able to get there toward the end of the month. But even that is highly doubtful.
In the winter season, the farthest you will reach is the Army checkpost in Chowkibal but not beyond that. In the coming years though, as tourism in this area grows, I am sure this valley will be made accessible to tourists in winter months as well.
Bangus Valley in April, May, June
The reason why I called April one of the best months to visit Bangus Valley is because the weather at this time will be perfect. Winter will be long gone but summer wouldn’t have arrived yet. Sun in these areas can be a little harsh but that will not be the case in April. All the melting snow from the previous months would irrigate the land well and it would be lush green all around.
May and June can be good times to visit as well but the weather in these months may get a little hot, not just in Bangus but all over Kashmir. Sometimes, it gets so hot that it would be hard to believe that you are visiting a hill station.
Bangus Valley in July, August, September
July and August are the months of monsoon and in general, it is not a good time to be in the mountains anyway. In the case of Kashmir, this is also when the season of Amarnath Yatra and resulting traffic jams, rules and regulations, crowds everywhere, and overpriced hotels. This is not really a good time to visit Kashmir.
September on the other hand is a perfect time to visit Bangus Valley. The rains will stop, the Amarnath Yatra will end, and the views at this time will look magical.
Bangus Valley in October, November, December
October is the month of the Autumn season and this is when you see that Orange color in the trees. But this is also the time when grass starts to dry. So if you are planning a trip in early October, it may still be a good time but after that, the views in Bangus Valley may look a little dry. On top of it, if it started to snow early, you may not even be able to reach Bangus Valley in October, though the chances of that happening are a little thin.
The same is the case with November and December. These are generally considered bad months to visit Kashmir. The scenery at this time is quite boring, the views will be dull and dry, the weather will be very cold and there won’t even be any snow around.
In the case of Bangus Valley, depending on the weather and the snow on the ground, you may not be allowed to travel to Bangus Valley. You may get there in early November but definitely not in December.
Bangus Valley Itinerary
Last but not least, let me also talk about how you can plan a trip to Bangus Valley. As I previously mentioned, it is a minimum of 2-day journey from Srinagar. There is absolutely no way that you can do it in a single day. Ideally, you should keep at least 3 to 4 days in hand to explore this side of the valley. Below is how you can do it.
- Srinagar to Lolab Valley – Day 1
- Explore Lolab Valley and reach Chowkibal Rest House – Day 2
- Chowkibal to Bangus Valley to Chowkibal – Day 3
- Day trip to Keran Village. Return to Chowkibal – Day 4
- Chowkibal to Srinagar – Day 5
Another way to plan this journey can be as mentioned below.
- Srinagar to Lolab Valley – Day 1
- Lolab Valley to Sadhna Pass to Tangdhar – Day 2
- Day Trip to Teetwal and return to Tangdhar – Day 3
- Tangdhar to Bangus Valley to Chowkibal – Day 4
- Day trip to Keran Village. Return to Chowkibal – Day 5
- Chowkibal to Srinagar – Day 6
If you only have two days and are only interested in Bangus Valley, then on Day 1, start early from Srinagar and reach the rest house in Chowkibal. You can also stay in the rest house in Kupwara or Kralpora. Or you can book your stay in Bangus Valley resort, which I provided the number of in this post.
The next day, start really early from Chowkibal, go to Bangus Valley, spend a couple of hours there, and return to Srinagar by late evening.
Bangus Valley – Conclusion
This is it. This is mostly all that you need to know about visiting Bangus Valley. I hope the information above was of help. If you have any questions, you can contact me on Instagram and I will be happy to answer. You can also consider subscribing to my YouTube channel and asking a question there.
