Tucked deep inside the lush green virgin pine forests with the majestic sun kissing the Himalayas at the backdrop and a light blue river flowing at the base, this off beat destination is probably what the tourists ask for.
Located 40 kilometers from Anantnag – just one-hour drive away via Achabal-Shangus-Chatergul, this quaint village has an uncanny resemblance with famous tourist destination Pahalgam.
“My local friend from Anantnag took me to this place recently and I found it way more beautiful than what I had imagined,” says Vinay Jain, a tourist from Delhi, who has been frequently spending vacations in Kashmir. “A wooden- cottage, a gushing stream next to it and air so clean and fresh, it felt almost – unnatural,” Jain said.
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He said, next time he would love to bring his family along and spend at least two nights here. What Chatapal has in abundance is an untouched natural beauty, where you drink water straight from the streams and breathe the pine-scented air.
Getting lost in nature or within oneself is the major attraction of Chatapal. The mountain trails link this village to the rest of Kashmir – Choidraman, Warwan and Marwah valleys among them and are a delight for trekkers. There are villages Thimran, Chaklipora and Daradpora nearby located on a hill slope with apple and walnut orchards in abundance.
Beyond these villages are the majestic mountains where the Gujjar community lives in mud houses and graze its livestock. Aaripat- one of the major tributaries of river Jhelum originates from here. To woo the tourists it was once touted as mini-Pahalgam.
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The tourist destination was brought under Kokernag Development Authority (KDA) during early 2000, and a few odd huts were constructed by KDA, tourism and forest departments but later it was ignored. The lack of infrastructure and promotion has kept tourists at bay. “If provided with ample infrastructure and promotion this scenic spot can attract a lot of tourists,” an official said.
He said the place was devoid of even food-joints and restaurants making it difficult for local visitors to plan even a day picnic. “There is no proper electric supply to the cottages here and tourists who intend to spend the night here have to rely on candle light,” an official said.
Chief Executive Officer KDA Roman Sheikh said they were trying to maintain whatever little infrastructure they had in place at Chatapal. Local visitors also rue the lack of infrastructure at this scenic spot.
“We like this place for its breathtaking beauty and every time we visit here, we want to spend at least a night here. But with no proper accommodation and eateries here, we arrive in the morning and return home in the evening,” said a family from Srinagar city. The villagers are for developing eco-friendly infrastructure at the spot.
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“We don’t want the government to ruin the fragile ecosystem of this spot and turn it into a concrete jungle. However, the construction of small huts and few good restaurants will bring this on tourist map and help locals in accruing economic benefits,” said Muhammad Shaban.
