One of the Most Dangerous Mountain Roads in the World
The Road which connects Killar in Pangi Valley in the Chamba District of Himachal Pradesh to Gulabgarh in the Padar Valley of Kistwar District is often reffered to as the Most Dangerous Road in the World. The Road runs along the Chenab / Chandrabhaga River’s Gorge.
The most dangerous section of the Road is between Tyari and Ishtyari in the Padar Tehsil of the Kishtwar District of the Jammu Division of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The Cliffhanger section is cut through a solid Rock face and the River runs thousands of feet below the Road with a sheer fall. An alternative to this Cliffhanger is being built and once that is complete the Cliffhanger will be closed.
The Photos below are a Visual Essay on the said Journey and we aslo have a Video shot on the Cliffhanger section to give you the feeling of Driving on the most Dangerous Road in the World.
The picturesque Kishtwar Town which is the District Headquarter of the Kishtwar District.
A place called Banderkoot near Kishtwar where the Marsudhar coming from the Warwan Valley meets the Chenab
The winding Road down to Bandarkoot from Kishtwar Town
Moving from Kishtwar towards Gulabgarh in Padar
Atholi Village in Padar Valley with the Chenab in the foreground
The small Town of Gulabgarh which is the main population center of Padar
Looking back towards the Road we came from in Gulabgarh
A beautiful Waterfall on the way. There are numerous such small and big Waterfalls all along this Route
Driving towards the Village of Sohal where we stopped for a sumptuous Lunch of Rajma and Chawal. And as you can see the Road has been newly Black-topped all the way almost to the Cliffhanger section which isnt far from here.
Exiting from Sohal after Lunch and heading towards the Cliffhanger.
Landslides and Road widening are a constant feature on this Road. Crossing a section just before we hit the Cliffhanger Section.
And this is the legendary Cliffhanger section of the Killar Kishtwar Road. Blasted out of a sheer Rock face this Road runs thousands of feet above the Chandrabhaga / Chenab River which flows at the bottom of the Gorge.
Another view of the Road through the rocky Cliff. There is no protection at all on the sides and this is actually a wide section of the Killar Kishtwar Road
A Close up of the most Rocky and Dangerous section of the Cliffhanger section of the Killar Kishtwar Road.
And finally after crossing the most Dangerous section we turn back and take a Photograph of the Cliffhanger section of the Killar Kishtwar Road.
Another view of the Chenab and the Cliffhanger section of the Killar Kishtwar Road.
A beautiful Waterfall that signals the end of the Cliffhanger section of the Killar Kishtwar Road if you are coming from the Gulabgarh side.
Moving further we get done with the Cliffhanger section of the Killar Kishtwar Road.
There are places on the Road where two Vehicles can pass each other on the Cliffhanger section of the Killar Kishtwar Road.
The Cliffhanger Section of the Killar Kishtwar Road as seen from a distance. an alternate Road is being built over the Rock face and the Cliffhanger section will be closed once that is done.
A Diagram over the Road explaining the technicality of the Cliffhanger section of the Killar Kishtwar Road
The diversion for the new Road to bypass the Cliffhanger section.
A Google Sky view of the Cliffhanger Section of the Killar Kishtwar Road
Another Google view of the most dangerous Cliffhanger section of the Killar Kishtwar Road
And here are a few Videos from this Road