With Kashmir experiencing longest dry spell, tourists explore Sinthan Top covered in snow

Kashmir Valley is witnessing one of the longest dry spells in the winter. It's been more than 50 days of dry spellin the Valley, leading to a huge disappointment among the tourists visiting Kashmir. This has led tourists and locals to explore alternative destinations which are covered with snow. Sinthan Top in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district is covered with snow and is becoming a hot tourist spot.

The majority of tourists visiting the Kashmir Valley during January mostly come to experience snowfall. This time, it has been a dry winter so far, but neitherthe tourists nor the locals are giving up. They have startedexploring higher altitudeplaces that are covered in snow. Sinthan Top in South Kashmir is a renowned mountain pass linking Anantnag and Kishtwar and is suddenly seeing a huge rush of visitors as the peaks are covered in snow and tourists are getting the real feel of winter.

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About 130 kilometres away from Srinagar at a height of 12500 ft above sea level, Sinthan Top is situated in the Anantnag district of South Kashmir. As perofficial records, around 1.46 lakh tourists, including 28 foreigners, chose Sinthan Top as their destination in 2023, and the numbers seem to go up drastically during January 2024 as it is one of the few high-altitude places which are accessible and covered with snow.

''I have come here with my wife, it's nice at the Sinthan top. We are feeling so much nicer here as compared to other places in Kashmir Valley. We did not get to see any snow in Gulmarg and Sonamarg. The expectation was fulfilled here only at Sinthan Top. Sinthan Top is a must these days and it's looking much better than Gulmarg," a Tourist from Madhya Pradesh said.

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Hundreds of tourists have visited the place during December and January to experience the snow. The administrations of Anantnag and Kishtwar haveensured swift road clearance after every snowfall to maintain accessibility for travellers. Despite the limited facilities, it is the snow that takes precedence this season at this newly emerging tourist destination of Kashmir.

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''We are a group of four and are visiting Sinthan Top. We did not find snow anywhere in the Kashmir Valley, we went to Baisaran Valley, and it looked barren with no snow. But this is good, and the snow is nice. Whoever wants to see snow should only come to Sinthan Top as there is no snow anywhere else,'' said a female tourist from Bhopal.

The dry spell has affected the tourism business the most in the Kashmir Valley. Many hoteliers have said that people have cancelled theirtrips in the absenceof snow in resorts like Gulmarg, Pahalgam, and Sonmarg.