Tulail Valley, Gurez
Tulail is the quiet eastern end of Gurez: log-house villages along the Kishanganga past Dawar, reached only while Razdan Pass is open.
Tulail is the quiet eastern end of Gurez: log-house villages along the Kishanganga past Dawar, reached only while Razdan Pass is open.
Direct answer: Tulail is the sub-valley of Gurez that carries on east of Dawar along the Kishanganga river, in Bandipora district. It is its own tehsil (the District Bandipora helpline page lists a Tehsildar Tulail next to SDM and Tehsildar Gurez). Badugam, roughly 40 km past Dawar, is the main village; Chakwali, near the Line of Control, is as far as visitors go. You can only drive there while Razdan Pass is open, which in a normal year means roughly late May or June to October. This winter it is out of reach: on 9 November 2026 the SDM Gurez asked tourists to leave the valley by 10 November ahead of heavy snow forecast from 11 November, KNS reported. Plan Tulail for summer 2027.
Past Dawar the road follows the Kishanganga through a string of small villages of wooden log houses and fields: Burnai (often written Barnoi) at the start, then Badoab, Purana Tulail, Niru, Sheikhpora and Badugam, with Wazirthal on the Tulail side and Chakwali, an open meadow by the river, at the far end. The people are Dards who speak Shina, as the District Bandipora Gurez page describes for the whole valley.
Our most-watched Gurez reel goes past Dawar to Tulail and Chakwali; the places it shows are on our Gurez permit and route guide. The district page also notes trekking routes from Gurez and Tulail towards Gangabal and Sonamarg, and rougher river water on the Tulail side. Those are for experienced, organised trekkers; this page covers the road trip.
The only road in is Srinagar to Bandipora, then the 85 km Bandipora–Gurez road over Tragbal and Razdan Pass (about 3,558 m) down to Dawar: roughly 125–135 km and most of a day. From Dawar to Badugam is about another 40 km on a narrower, rougher road, so treat Tulail as a full day out and back from a Dawar base, or a night in the valley. With two nights in Gurez you see the Dawar side; with three, Tulail gets its own day.
Razdan decides everything. This year it shut for snow on 13 October 2026 and two days later reopened only one way, Bandipora towards Gurez; once winter snow settles the road stays closed for months. Mobile signal beyond Dawar is patchy, and the J&K Bank ATM we know of is in Dawar, so carry cash (see cash, ATMs and network in Kashmir). On the morning of any Gurez drive we check the road with the traffic police and our drivers; if Razdan is shut we swap the day rather than send you up. More winter road notes are on our Kashmir winter road guide.
Most guests sleep in Dawar, which has the valley's guesthouses and the main market, and do Tulail as a day trip. Tulail itself has only a handful of simple family homestays and guesthouses in villages such as Sheikhpora and Badoab: home-cooked food, basic rooms, and hosts who know the road. Rooms are few, so ask us before you plan a night there; we confirm what is open for your dates instead of naming a place we have not checked that season.
If you want the tent version by the river, see camping in Gurez valley. For the full Gurez plan with a room for the night, see our Gurez valley trip.
Indian guests need no paid permit: carry original photo ID (Aadhaar, passport or voter ID), which is checked and registered at the checkposts on the Bandipora–Razdan–Dawar road. Going on past Dawar to Tulail or Chakwali, the Dawar registration may not cover those forward areas and a separate local check can apply; we confirm it in Dawar the evening before. Foreign passport holders need written permission from the Deputy Commissioner, Bandipora, arranged before travel, and rules for the forward villages are stricter; the District Control Room (01957-225322) answers questions about foreigners' travel. We do not apply for foreign nationals' permissions.
Drones are held at the checkpost in the Gurez border zone, so leave yours at home, and follow the army's instructions on photography near Chakwali. The full permit picture for Gurez, Keran, Machil and Dachigam is on our Kashmir permits guide.
For summer: a private car with a driver who knows the checkposts, Srinagar to Dawar on day one, Tulail on its own day, and a spare morning in case Razdan closes behind you. We do not publish a fixed Gurez or Tulail fare, because it depends on the car, the number of nights and how far past Dawar you go; WhatsApp us for rates for your dates. We take a 20% advance and the balance after you arrive. Travel Etios Kashmir is JK Tourism registered, at Pantha Chowk, Srinagar.
For winter 2026-27: Gurez and Tulail are not on our winter plans. Snow days that work are Gulmarg, Sonamarg through the tunnel on most days, and Pahalgam; ideas are in our offbeat places in Kashmir in winter post and our Kashmir winter tour.
In Gurez, Bandipora district, north Kashmir. It is the eastern part of the valley along the Kishanganga beyond Dawar, with Badugam as its main village and Chakwali, near the Line of Control, as the last village visitors reach.
Badugam is roughly 40 km past Dawar on a narrower, rougher road, and Dawar is roughly 125-135 km from Srinagar over Razdan Pass. Plan Tulail as a full day from a Dawar base, not as a stop on the drive in.
No. The only road crosses Razdan Pass, which shuts after snow and stays closed through the winter. On 9 November 2026 the SDM Gurez asked tourists to leave Gurez by 10 November ahead of heavy snow. The usual season is roughly late May or June to October.
No paid permit. Carry original photo ID, which is registered at the checkposts on the way to Dawar. Beyond Dawar a separate local check can apply for Tulail and Chakwali, which we confirm in Dawar the evening before. Foreign nationals need written permission from the Deputy Commissioner, Bandipora.
A few simple family homestays and guesthouses, in villages such as Sheikhpora and Badoab. Rooms are limited, so most guests sleep in Dawar and visit Tulail for the day. Ask us before you plan a night there and we confirm what is open for your dates.
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