The Gurez Valley, the northern frontier of Kashmir, is located not 15kms (about 9.32 mi) from the Line of Control with Pakistan and is the last post of Kashmiri culture/first post of Batlic culture before you can travel no further on your Indian Visa. To access Gurez you must get a permit (at no charge) from the Banidpora Police Station. Forms for the permit are available in the main Bazaar from all Photostat Shops and require a passport-sized photo. To reach Gurez (123 km (about 76.43 mi) from Srinagar) you must first travel to Bandipora by taxi or bus from the JVC Taxi Stand. You can either stay the night in Bandipora, there is one guest house located above the Kashmiri Wazwan Restaurant in the main bazaar or push to Gurez. Taxis for Gurez leave with some frequency from the main bus stand which is a small dust block about 2 km before the main bazaar. The journey to Gurez will take you straight up. It is a slow wind through the pine trees Overlooking Bandipora town. You will then pass through many army cantonments, with some of the most magnificent views. You will be stopped here maybe more than once for identification and purpose inquiries. The Gurez Valley itself is spacious and open, about 2 km across, surrounded by lovely peaks, and at the base of the valley is situated the very charismatic Habba Khaton mountain glowing almost purple all the while calling you to come and visit it! Dawar is the name of the main village and is easy to negotiate as it has one street running through the center of the valley. There is a very comfortable tourist bungalow to stay in with basic cooking facilities, a restaurant serving veg and non-veg, tea stalls, and a bazaar with basic vegetables and packaged goods. Potatoes are the staple food of the Gurezi.
Gurez is important historically because it was the ancient Dardish capital. The Dards are the Indo-Aryans that came from the north and settled in the Kargil/Kashmir region (there is more on the Dards in the Kargil section) and could arguably be the original habitants of the region The Gurezi still speak Shina which is the language spoken in the now Pakistani controlled areas of Gilgit and Baltistan. The people of Gurez have a mixture of Kashmiri and Balti culture running through their land. Kashmir, being the major center of the region for so many hundreds of years, has not failed to leave its mark. Yet in Dawar Village the faces start to resemble more of their Northern neighbours of Baltistan. The road to Gilgit runs from Gurez, and the valley falls along the ancient Silk Route, which connected the Kashmir Valley with Gilgit, before continuing further to Kasgar. Archaeological surveys in valleys north of Gurez have uncovered carved inscriptions in Kharoshthi, Brahmiand Tibetan. Kharosthi is anancient Indic script used by the Gandhara (Buddhist) culture of ancient Northwest South Asia (modern-day Afghanistarn and Pakistan). These carvings provide a wonderful insight into the history of Tibetan Buddhism which was an early religion of the region and into the ancient Kashmiri people. The main river that flows through the Gurez Valley is the Kishen Ganga. And for all those who like scenic fishing, there is a wealth of fish (snow trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, shuddgum) to be discovered under this rushing river. Whereas still beautiful with a wealth of small hikes and stunning scenery to enjoy, the Gurez Valley itself has become victim to modern infrastructure incursions, therefore the Tulail Valley (located further along the road) with its rugged villages and village faces, is another stunning worthwhile excursion while you are in the area. Either catch a sumo from Dawar Bazaar or hitch a lift, the mountain road is bumpy, so hold on! Here you will again travel through amazing mountainous Country and pass through villages straddling the mountains and the river. You can travel just shy of the border in over an hour and work your way back. You will be the only people traveling by the mighty Kishenganga exploring small Muslim villages on the mountainside, with their variety of faces, chang in gonce again from the more European Kashmiri looks to the Central Asian Balti tribes. Witness another piece of the puzzle in South Asian human migration and expansion fall into place.
A trip to Gurez is worth your time for those who desire to explore the different cultures and lifestyles of the Kashmir region, which remains sun distracted by tourists and opportunism. These people are well educated thanks to an army goodwill programme, and not cut off from modernity as Gurez holds the special title of more army to civilians in any civilian settlement in the world.
