With major winter tourism attractions in Kashmir disappointing due to lack of snowfall, tourists are now turning to Sinthan, an off-beat destination in the higher reaches of the valley, to enjoy snowfall.

Situated at an altitude of 12,500 feet, Sinthan Top is a snow-clad mountain peak that connects Anantnag in South Kashmir with Kishtwar in the Jammu region via Kokernag.

Officials said the state is currently going through its worst dry spell as snow has melted in most places, which usually have a thick blanket of snow at this time of the year.

He further said that the higher reaches of the valley, which used to look pristine with a white carpet of snow, are looking barren as most of the glaciers have melted.

Tourists enjoying snow on Sinthan Top

A large number of tourists who visited Jammu and Kashmir on New Year’s Eve in the hope of enjoying snow in Gulmarg returned disappointed. However, the only silver lining at this point is the snow on Sinthan Top, which has retained some quantity and is providing some respite to visitors, officials said.

Otherwise an off-beat destination, Sinthan Top is attracting a large number of tourists these days as local travel agents redirect visitors to the place to experience some snow. They are also advising tourists to include Sinthan Top in their itinerary.

Travelers share experiences at off-beat spots

Aslam Saleem, one of the tourists from Dhaka, Bangladesh, who had come to see the snow on Sinthan Top, shared his experience. Salim said, ‘There is no snow anywhere else in Kashmir in the month of January, but when I reached here, my heart was filled with joy. The weather is very nice, Kashmir is really heaven.”

Another tourist from Bangladesh said, “It is a very nice place.” I am here with my family and we were very happy when we reached here. We are enjoying it a lot.”

Vaishali, a tourist from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, said she changed her plans when she heard about snowfall on Sinthan Top. “Except this place, there is no snow anywhere in entire Kashmir. Our plan was to visit Aru and Bitab valleys, but, when we learned that there was snowfall in Sinthan Top, we changed our plan. “We are really enjoying it here and are glad we changed our plans.”

Tour operators advise tourists to add synth tops to the itinerary

“Tour operators are providing options to tourists to change their itinerary and visit places like Sinthan Top to see the snow. Ruf Trambo, president of Travel Agents Association of Kashmir (TAAK), said many tourists are choosing to go to Sinthan Top instead of other places due to snowfall in Pahalgam. PTI, He further said that tourism players in the valley are worried about the lack of snowfall and the month of January has been a “complete loss”.

“Bookings have decreased by 75-80 percent. Tourists used to come here especially in Gulmarg to see the snow and then it flowed to other places including Srinagar. But, now, there is loss at the source as there is no snow in Gulmarg,” he said.

Tour operators were now offering tourists the option to delay their travels until February or March.\

Also read: Why is Kashmir’s ski haven Gulmarg seeing a snow-free winter this year? , Explained

Hotels are trying to maintain bookings amid lack of snowfall

Young hotelier Asif Burja, who is the managing director of Ahad Hotels and Resorts, said bookings and tourist arrivals have gone down. “We are trying our best to maintain bookings, but we are not sure about the snow,” he said.

Many tourists come to Kashmir to experience snowfall. In its absence at many major places, tourists are preferring to go to places like Sinthan Top. We expect snowfall and the numbers will increase,” said Burja. PTI.

Meteorologists are expressing concern over the decreasing snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir.

Experts have said studies show that glaciers in Jammu and Kashmir have declined by 25 per cent over the past six decades, while even with moderate climate change, 48 per cent of them could disappear by the end of the century.

An earth scientist and glaciology expert has expressed concern highlighting the importance of snow and glaciers for JK and Ladakh. The scientist also said that the glaciers in the region are melting due to climate change and rising temperatures.

There has been a significant decline in winter snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Ladakh this year and the situation is unlikely to change before Republic Day, an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said.

According to IMD data, December 2023 has seen 79 per cent less rainfall, while the first half of January this year has also been largely dry barring one-time light snowfall at places like Gurez.

The lack of western disturbances over northwest India is often related to climate change in the emerging scientific literature. Global warming and changed weather patterns impact snowfall patterns. The lack of ice threatens to cause serious disruption to the local ecology as well as the economy.

According to the weather ChannelWestern disturbances are storm systems originating in the Mediterranean Sea that bring non-monsoonal rainfall and snowfall across northwest India.

(with agency input)