Foreign tourists will now be able to explore and climb the 104 restricted Himalayan peaks on the Indian side of Kashmir (mostly in the Ladakh mountain range) for the Indian government has given its nod to open peaks for expeditions. The new move is expected to give a major fillip to the ailing tourism sector in the Kashmir region. In order to woo travellers, the government of Jammu & Kashmir (one of the 5 bordering Indian states) has declared 2010 as "visit Kashmir year."
The peaks — located in the Leh-Ladakh area — along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and Line of Control (LoC) were so far declared as ‘restricted’ areas. The peaks range from 9,840 feet to a whopping 26,246 feet. Though there are no specific travel warnings about Kashmir as such, the visitors are warned to travel at their own risk. The Himalaya Range that separates Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan plateau is a home to some of the world’s highest peaks like Mount Everest, K2, Lhotse, Kanchenjunga and others.
