Sanasar: The mini Gulmarg of Jammu redefines serenity!
Jammu, June 04: Sanasar commonly known as Mini Gulmarg of Jammu is one of the best places for tourists when in Jammu as it is the perfect destination that replaces Kashmir in Jammu and the breathtaking scenic beauty just redefines the serenity here.
It is a huge, cool area with greenery everywhere having echo points and a lake in the middle with horse rides making the day for the tourists who can enjoy the desi food in the nearby Dhaba even though except for the a hotel of tourism department no other outlet is available here.
But these deficiencies also adds to its glamour as the place remains quite and cool where one can enjoy a serene day and night if one actually wants to spend a relaxing time in the lap of the nature without the hustle bustle of the usual tourist destinations.
The place is simply cute with a mesmerizing lake surrounded by woods and a Nagraj temple where women are not allowed inside due to some tradition but overall the place is just mind-blowing and many tourists find it more beautiful than any other place due to its serenity and quite atmosphere.
Situated at an altitude of 2050 metres above sea level, just 17 kms from Patnitop, Sanasar is one of the remotest areas of Jammu and Kashmir State. Owing to the awe-inspiring natural environment of forests and meadows, Sanasar is the aero-adventure-sports capital of the Jammu region having to its credit Rock-climbing, Abseiling, Paragliding, Parasailing and Hot-air ballooning. Sanasar is a sports-adventurists’ paradise as one gets an avenue for learning and practicing these rare and skilled sports.
Sanasar derives its name from two small lakes in the neighbourhood – ‘Sana’ & ‘Sar’ and is not a typical town per se – which is probably why one won’t find it on an online map but Sanasar is a very popular adventure-sports destination of India nevertheless.
Sanasar, also known as a ‘mini Gulmarg’ pretty much has Gulmarg-like qualities – it is at a moderate elevation allowing both Summer and Winter adventurous activities. Sanasar, basically a cup-shaped green Meadow which is encompassed by tall imposing Cedars offers an enchanting view and experience of nature in all its glory.
Exploiting the lush green coverage – which is just right for the royal and prestigious sport – Golf, a part of Sanasar has also been developed as a Golf Course open for tourists to try their hand at it. The Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department promotes and controls adventure sports in Sanasar and provides the sports gear as well for those who want to indulge in the sports. Summer temperatures between 10-20 degrees Celsius provide an ambience conducive for these adventure sports and also make them enjoyable.
At Sanasar, you will find mostly ‘Tandem Hand-gliders’ which are meant to carry both the pilot and a passenger at once. The trained and experienced J&K TDC gliders would coach you on gliding technique as well as landing technique before taking off. The paragliding flights will commence at the parking lot in Sanasar and land at Kud and last between 20 minutes to an hour depending on the wind speed and wind direction, giving a breathtaking aerial view of the green-scapes. Infact it makes you want to stay up in the air longer. The shorter flight flies over the Sanasar Lake and lands in the meadows close by. The height attained by the paraglider in 200 feet max before it starts to descend to land. The organizers also take your video-footage of paragliding flight from take-off till you are still visible mid-air – capturing one of your most hallmark mountain memories.
Sanasar being an unexplored and remote area has only J&KTDC’s tourist’s bungalows and self contained huts. These are well equipped with basic modern amenities and good services. However, power cuts, poor mobile network coverage, lack of telephone and internet facilities are the major hurdles for the tourist’s inflow in Sanasar hotels.
But being a secluded place with huge greenery and breathtaking scenery the place is loved by one and all.
The only drawback for the majority of the tourists is that this destination has not been promoted despite its huge adventure sports potential as well as general tourist potential due to its multipurpose utility both in summers and winters.
The destination needs to be highlighted for its adventure tourism and for spending quite moments and once the tourist flow increases to this place; Sanasar will definitely be the most sought after tourist destinations at national and international levels having the added advantage of being easily approachable and on the way to Kashmir. (Compiled with inputs from JKTDC and other tourism and history related sites)