Climb Himalayas in Indian Kashmir

USA Today reports that foreigners are now allowed to climb the Himalayas from the India side of Kashmir because violence from insurgents has declined.

Before the start of the insurgency by separatists in 1989, hundreds of thousands of tourists flocked to the region — known as the Switzerland of the east — to enjoy the glacier-fed streams flowing through the forests and grasslands or lounge on houseboats floating on Srinagar's Dal Lake.

The government in the Indian state of Jammu-Kashmir declared 2010 a "visit Kashmir year" following an improvement in the security situation, said [Farooq Ahmed Shah, a state tourism official].

"The decision has been taken at the highest level and nearly 100 peaks in Ladakh region are open for trekking and mountaineering," he said.

These peaks are situated at an altitude ranging from 9,840 feet (3,000 meters) to nearly 26,246 feet (8,000 meters).

Read the full story: India opens Himalayan peaks to foreigners

Photo from environmentandpeople.org