Frontier Treks & Tours India

As a tourism company focusing on the Kashmir region, figuring out what to say or not say regarding the protests happening this summer in Kashmir is difficult. Protests in a tourist destination are never good publicity, especially for Kashmir which already struggles with travel warnings from some Western countries.

The current protests that began in June 2010 have greatly affected the whole tourism industry for Kashmir. We have had to make changes to our plans, including revising the Lumen Dei photo workshop/tour that had a portion of its itinerary in Kashmir.

At the present time tourism isn’t impossible for Kashmir, but the situation is far from normal. Certain activities are not advisable, such as touring cultural heritage sites in the old city area of Srinagar (where most of the protests are happening). Others, like visiting the Mughal Gardens or exploring Dal Lake on a shikara boat ride, are possible.

At FT&T India we know Kashmir can be a riskier place for tourists, yet we take the safety of our customers seriously. We don’t rely only upon news reports to evaluate the situation. We spend most of our time in Kashmir, so we know firsthand what’s going on and have built a reliable network of local partners that helps us assess potential risk. While the current situation in Kashmir is far from ideal, we hope for things to improve and remain committed to benefiting Kashmir through responsible tourism.

If you have questions about the latest developments in Kashmir and what’s possible or not for tourism, let us know by email or in the comments below.

Update 3 November 2010: The protests that began this summer in Kashmir are still continuing, however they have lessened in intensity from where things were in August and September. It’s still not “normal”, but tourism is certainly possible provided you stay aware of the situation in case things change. We’ve seen Indian and foreign tourists begin returning to Kashmir in October without any problems. I’m going to close the comments for this post, but please feel free to still email us if you have questions about the situation.

Ever since India revised their tourist visa policy late last year to require a 2 month gap outside of India between visits, there has been lots of talk and rumors about if this policy might change. Tourists who have plans to visit nearby countries and then come back in to India again in less than 2 months before returning home have faced significant challenges with their itineraries.

However, things seem to be opening up slightly for tourists with those types of travel plans. I just read this article from The Hindu about some new revisions to the tourist visa policy. You have to read the new changes closely, but it looks like good news for those tourists who want to go in and out of India for short trips to Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, etc. and then come back in to India before heading home.

As a further reference, here is the Tourist Visa FAQs as written by the Ministry of Home Affairs in India after the initial policy change.

India has recently made a key change to their tourist visa policy, namely that travelers holding tourist visas who are departing India cannot return to India for 2 months without being granted special permission.

Various news sources indicate that these new policy changes are still being worked out and are not being implemented consistently throughout India. For example, there seems to be some confusion whether the new policy only applies to long-term (5, 10 year) tourist visa holders or all tourist visas including ones for only 6 months. The Times of India recently had this article indicating the new restrictions may be eased for certain tourists.

US citizens are encouraged to check out the Warden messages from the US Embassy in New Delhi for further announcements from them regarding these new visa policy changes. You can find the Warden messages HERE.

We’re now accepting applications for the Lumen Dei Kumbh Mela Photo Workshop and Tour. Details and application can be found HERE.

Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to experience Delhi, Varanasi, and the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar with lead photographers Matt Brandon and Gavin Gough. The next Kumbh Mela won’t take place until 2013, so sign up soon if you’d like to come.

I’m excited to announce that we’re now taking applications for Lumen Dei Kashmir & Ladakh 2010! The previous Lumen Dei tour sold out in 3 days so don’t wait long if you’d like to join Matt Brandon and David duChemin for this excellent photo workshop & tour.

As implied by the name, Kashmir and Ladakh will be the featured destinations, and the tour will run from September 12th to 25th, 2010. The rest of the details and online application can be found on the Lumen Dei tour HERE.

Update: the name of this Lumen Dei tour has been revised since we now are offering a second one in 2010 for the Kumbh Mela in April.

I’m excited to announce our brand new website for FT&T India! We even have a new logo too, incorporating the iconic image of the chinar tree found throughout Kashmir.

Hope you enjoy the new look and content. Stay tuned for more updates soon regarding our 2010 tours, including the widely anticipated 2010 Lumen Dei Photo Workshop and Tour.

Starting from November 1, pre-paid mobile connections will be banned for Jammu and Kashmir state. The Indian government is banning these types of connections as a security precaution. You can read more HERE and HERE.

This is very big news for Kashmiris, as there are almost 4 million pre-paid users in the state. Many of my Kashmiri friends today were trying to figure out what they would do as getting a post-paid connection will be more expensive for them. While I have a post-paid account, I’m wondering how I’m going to get a hold of people in the future. I would bet the majority of numbers in my phone are pre-paid numbers and not everyone has a landline phone at home.

Now it looks like the main option for international tourists needing to use a phone in Kashmir will be to head to the nearest STD phone shop/stand (unless you have intl roaming on your phone). As far as I’m aware if you buy a pre-paid mobile connection somewhere else in India the service won’t work once you cross into Kashmir.

The political stability in Kashmir can vary a lot from year to year. Because of that, many tourists coming to Kashmir want to know what the situation is like prior to their arrival. Here are some helpful news sources on the web you can check out before a trip.

International sources for a broad view of things in the region (Kashmir only gets mentioned if something significant is happening):

• BBC News South Asia
• Reuters India

Local sources for a better sense of what’s happening day to day:

• Greater Kashmir (widely read local English newspaper)
• Rising Kashmir

Even when the political stability is good in Kashmir, reading these sources can help prepare you for your trip. You’ll be a more informed traveler and some of the news stories may provide interesting topics to discuss with locals.

Once you’ve already arrived in Kashmir, you can look for the local papers in print or keep checking them online if you want. However, don’t forget that some of the best sources for local news are all the people you’re walking among out on the streets. From our experience it’s best to ask at least 3 local sources, as you may discover there can be some variety in their answers!