The infamous Kishtwar-Killar road, which is also known as The Cliffhanger, is regarded as one of the most dangerous roads around the world. Basically, this road isn’t actually a road but mostly a narrow mountain trail at a frighteningly high altitude. The Kishwar-Killar road is in the Kishtwar district of J&K. Most of the 114 km-long road is really narrow and totally devoid of tarmac. Here is a video that shows a Mahindra Scorpio being driven on this dangerous stretch.
The well-shot video shows a group of friends who drive a Mahindra Scorpio in the really challenging conditions of the Kishtwar-Killar highway. The broken surfaces and the narrowness of the trail can be clearly seen in the video. What’s really horrifying is the several thousand feet drop on one side and the rather intimidating mountain on the other. Some parts of this video give a glimpse of the great gorge, which can easily give the chills to even the Bravehearts. The road surface is mostly sand and gravel. There are also some water-filled patches, that make things even more dangerous.
The single-lane stretch is so narrow that it’s almost impossible for two cars to pass each other. As seen in the video, an occupant communicates his fear of an oncoming vehicle to the driver. As luck would have it, there’s an oncoming Mahindra Bolero at the very next corner. The driver of the Scorpio then reverses the car for several meters, before there’s enough space for the Bolero to drive past.
You can reach The Cliffhanger by taking the Rohtang Pass from Manali to Chenab Valley and then driving towards the Darlang Valley. Please remember that there’s a lack of enough oxygen at these heights. Also, the last 50 kilometres section of this road is the most dangerous. Hence, it’s known as the ‘Almost killer road’. The Killar-Kishtwar stretch begins at Lahaul Spiti and connects the HP district to Kishtwar in Jammu. It’s best to avoid this stretch during the rainy season as the road gets too dangerous for even for the most accomplished drivers and their SUVs. Fortunately, the uploader of this video successfully covers the entire stretch and can be seen happy about his achievement towards the end of this video. Phew! The video manages to give me goosebumps every time I watch it.
Video courtesy – Roaming Hawks on Youtube
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