Bangus Valley

Bangus, officially Bungus, is a high valley in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir, west of Handwara, at about 10,000 feet and some 100 kilometres from Srinagar. The name is traced to Sanskrit words for forest and grass. The main valley, Boud Bangus, is an elongated bowl of roughly 300 square kilometres lying east to west, with the Kazinag range to the south; a smaller valley, Lokut Bangus, lies to its north-east.

About 14 streams, among them Roshan Kul, Tillwan Kul and Douda Kul, run across the valley and feed the Kamil River. Flowers and medicinal plants cover the meadows, and the forests hold musk deer, snow leopard, brown and black bear and red fox, along with monal, tragopan and other pheasants. Armed conflict and a lack of facilities long kept tourists away. The road from Handwara via Mawer was completed in 2022, small cars can be hired in Handwara market, tents are available for overnight stays, and Bidrun Top is a favourite with trekkers.