After decades of instability, Kashmir – the undisputed jewel of the hippie trail – is back online and ready to welcome visitors with open arms. Whether you want to follow in the footsteps of Great Game heroes in Gilgit and Hunza, take a pilgrimage to the thriving Buddhist centre of Leh, scale K2, Nanga Parbat and Rakaposhi, or simply laze with a book on a house boat in Srinagar, few places on earth have such a concentration of remarkable sites and experiences.
The region's improving security and infrastructure are covered by the guide in detail, along with practical advice on travel, accommodation and food, safety and bureaucracy. Description of Kashmir's history, culture and politics is vivid and informative, and the accompanying images leave the reader, like the Mughal Emperors before them, sure that Kashmir is indeed 'Paradise on Earth'.
Sophie and Max Lovell-Hoare have lived and worked in Central Asia since 2008.