A Corner of Heaven

Kashmir is definitely a piece of heaven on earth but in this blissful valley there are a few unexplored gems that supersede the rest of the valley in terms of peace and serenity. One of these hidden gems is Taobat.

The village is 38kms from Kel, you’ll have to rent a jeep to get to the village but, the 90-120 min long journey to the village is one of the most scenic drives, you’ll ever do.

You drive through a narrow valley with green mountains on both sides, and Neelum river gushing down on your right. The journey is long and tiring because you drive on gravel and mud throughout, so it’s always good to just stop the car and sit next to the fast-flowing river and reminisce a little.

After 2 hours the road will end, and you’ll just see a wall of mountains in front of you, that’s when you have reached the last station of Pakistan Administered Kashmir.

There is not much to do here, but it is the most peaceful place ever. An Ideal spot for artists retreat. You’ll hardly ever see any other tourists here, but there is small local restaurant where you can get some tea and samosas. Recently, they also made small rest house there for people to spend the night.

Taobat is not very well-known because before general public got exposed to the area, it was only used as a basecamp for the Minimarg hike. It’s a 15.26mi hike. It is one of the difficult hikes in Kashmir with total elevation gain of 5,000 feet. You go up to 12,738ft above sea level. It’s an atrocious hike but every time you stop to catch a breath you look around and all the fatigue instantly wears off.

This is the end of my Kashmir series. I wasn’t able to hike to some of the more famous spots in Kashmir as I was travelling with family, but I hope to return someday and explore every corner of this piece of heaven on earth.