Places of Interest

Suru Valley

Sankoo

At a distance of 40kms from Kargil town  Suru Valley is a beautiful destination with green land scape and dense plantation and is also the base for four days trek to Shargole via Rusilla and Sapi and three days pleasure trek to Drass via Umballa. Famous for nearby  Bamiyan Type Rock statue.

Purtikchey

At a distance of 60kms from Kargil is an ancient village and a view point for famous NUN peak (7135m).

Damsna:

A beautiful picnic spot and a well established Fishery Unit is situated at a distance of 65 kms from Kargil. It is also the take off point for river rafting.

Tai Suru/Panikhar:-

At a distance of 70kms from Kargil on Padum Zanskar road is the base for adventure activities like mountaineering, rock climbing, river rafting and trekking.

Tangole:-

77kms from the Kargil town is the base camp for Mountaineering Expedition to Nun-Kun Massif.

Parkachik:

Parkachik is famous for Parkachik Glacier, Picnic Spot and adventure activities like rock climbing, Trekking and Mountaineering.

Rangdum:

At a distance of 130kms from Kargil on Padum road  is an ideal camping place in the Himalayan wilderness and perfect isolation.The main attraction here is an imposing 18^th century monastery perched picturesquely on a top of a hillock like an ancient fort. Rangdum is also serves  a base for different Trekking routes.

Drass Valley

Drass has become an important halting place for travellers going to Leh and Kargil. There is a Tourist compex with Tourist Office and Accommodation blocks. There are a number of Hotels and tea stalls are in Drass. One can have superb views of War Time Hill features like Tiger Hill and Tololing from here.

Goashan:-

A beautiful picnic spot which is also famous for the horse polo ground.

Drass valley posses many splendors of nature, some of its features got fame and were much  focused in the Electronic Media during the

Kargil Conflict of 1999

.The war time topographies of

Tololing

Tiger

Hill and Mushko

valley

are places of attraction.

RELIGIOUS SITES:

(I) Hindu Mythological Sites:

Drupati Kund:-

Legendary “Drupati Kund” a sacred pond for Hindus (75 kms from Kargil) on Kargil – Srinager National Highway ia a great attraction for domestic tourists and pilgrims.

Bhembat:

5 kms ahead of Drass there is famous place related to Hindu mythology where a rock sculpture is believed to be the solidified body of Bhim.

Budhist Sites & Monuments:

Stagsboo Drass

2 kms before Drass proper there are images of carving on stone blocks representing Maitreya and Avalokiteshvare prominently.

Shargole Shakar Chiktan

Mulbek Monestry

The monastery or gonpa perched atop a rocky hill that dominates the valley and in the past it served as an outpost to guard the carvan route between Kashmir and Ladakh.

Cave Monastery of Shargol

There is an impressive Cave monastery    in a cliff at Shargole which is a important tourist attraction.

Fokar-Urgiyan Rzong

:- In a side valley of Fokar about 8kms further up stream from Shargol is the cave Hermitage of Urgiyan Rzong, the famous meditation retreat of Guru Padma Sambhava. The hermitage is tucked  away behind an amazing natural mountain fortness. Handprints of this great saint  and some other natural figures can be seen here. Devotees gather here on the 10^th day of 5^th month of the Tibetan Calendar to mark the birth day of the Guru.

Shargole Monastery

Shargole is another 10 Kms ahead of Mulbekh, or 35 km, before Kargil, it’s small but old Ge-Lugs Pa Buddhist monastery has fellow but interesting frescoes. Inside the Gompa is an icon of an Avalokiteswar. There in the Gompa is also three images of Tara, caved in wood by Tibetan artists. It just out of a brown, granite cliff and appears as if it is suspended in the middle of the mountain. This architectural quirk makes it an object of curiosity among local people, too. The panoramic view from the verandah of the “cantilever monastery” is stunning and helps the worshipper concentrate better. There is a tiny Buddhist nunnery below

Phoker

Phokar, (also Fokar) is 4 Km ahead of the Shargole Monastery. A tall hill rises from the Phokar plain. Youwill have to climb it to get to the Phokar Rizong / Urgyang Dzong. Apparently, at the Rizong one can meditate with greater concentration because that spot has some special qualities. The Phokar Rizong is one such place. It consists of a flat, circular plain, surrounded by hills and caves, there is a tiny temple in the middle, eminent Buddhist saints, including the great Padma Sambhava, are said to have meditated in these caves. There are two routes from the plain to the Rizong. The cave route, at around 1 Km, is much shorter. However, in June and July, when the snow melts, it is not possible to use this route and you will have to take the longer (3-4 Km) route instead.

Zanskar Valley

Sani Gonpa

7kms before reaching Padum this castle like monastery which unlike other monasteries of Ladakh, is built on level ground. According to a legend its origin is associated with Kanishka ( Kushan ruler of 2^nd century AD), on account of the Kanishka Stupa, which stands in the backyard of the walled complex.

Karsha Gompa

9 kms from Padum this is the largest monastic establishment in Zanskar. The complex of white washed structures are imposing and can be seen from Padum. This complex houses 150 monks, eight temples, two assembly halls, valuable icons, artifacts, scrolls and thankas. The monastery was founded during th 14^th century.

Stongde Monastery:-

18 kms from Padum the monestry is perched atop a hillock overlooking the village. This monastery is associated with the famous Tibetan Yogi Marpa who is said to have founded it and is also known as Marpa Ling.

Burdan Monastery

12kms from Padum in the Lungnak valley is an isolated monastery perched atop a rock rising vertically from the river, The monastery holds prominent position among the Drogpa order monasteries of Zanskar. It was founded by Deba Gyatso during early 17^th century. But it is famous as the seat of Lama Barapa.

Phugtal Gompa

This is one of the superb cave monastry of Zanskar and is picturesquely situated in Lungnak valley. It was founded by Phagspa Sherab Zangpo by 2^nd half of the 11^th century.

Zangkul Gompa

The meditation retreat of famous Indian yogi Naropa  (10^th century AD) Zankul is situated in a side valley near Ating village and falls inroute  Padum  – Kishtiwar trek.

Muslim Khankas/Shrines

Baroo Khanqah:-

5 kms from the heart of the Kargil town this Khanqah is very famous and popular in the whole Ladakh and people throng round the year to Baroo Khanqah. The Khanqah was built during the era of Hazrat Syed Muhammad Nur Bakhshi or Hazrat Mir Shams-ud-din Iraqi.

Karpokhar Shrine

About 5 kms from Sankoo the very popular pilgrim place of Karpokhar shrine of a muslim scholar Saint Syed Mir Hashim is situated