Kargil & Zanskar
Tourist places in Kargil
Lush valleys, ancient cliffside monasteries, glaciers and India's most poignant war memorial — Kargil and Zanskar are the side of Ladakh many travellers miss.
Explore destinations in Kargil
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Suru Valley
A lush, green valley along the Suru river flanked by the towering Nun-Kun massif, providing a stunning contrast to the rest of Ladakh's barren highlands.
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Drass War Memorial
The Kargil War Memorial at Drass honours the Indian soldiers of the 1999 Kargil War, set against the backdrop of the Tololing and Tiger Hill ranges where the fighting took place.
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Mulbekh Monastery
Home to a striking 9-metre rock-cut statue of Maitreya Buddha believed to date from the 7th–8th century, this ancient gompa marks the western edge of Buddhist Ladakh.
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Rangdum Monastery
A remote 18th-century Gelugpa monastery perched on a hillock at 4,031 m in the Suru Valley, ringed by glaciers and stark mountains in every direction.
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Pensi La
Sitting at 4,400 m, Pensi La connects Suru Valley to Zanskar and offers a jaw-dropping panorama of the Drang-Drung glacier — one of the largest in Ladakh.
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Kargil Town
A vibrant mountain town on the banks of the Suru river — the second-largest in Ladakh and the traditional halt on the Srinagar–Leh route, with a strong Balti culture.
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Sankoo Valley
A bowl-shaped green oasis at the confluence of the Suru and Kartse rivers — apricot orchards, willow groves, and a glimpse of the 7th-century Kartse Khar Buddha nearby.
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Sani Monastery
Believed to be the oldest religious site in Ladakh and Zanskar, Sani is a rare flat-ground monastery built around the sacred Kanika Stupa attributed to Emperor Kanishka.
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Shargole Monastery
A small whitewashed monastery built into a cliff face above a green valley, with three-storey shrines and a vivid statue of Avalokiteshvara hidden inside the rock.
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Phuktal Monastery
A spectacular cave monastery built into a massive cliff face in remote Zanskar, accessible only on foot — one of the most photographed monasteries in the Himalayas.
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Zanskar Valley
A remote Himalayan valley cut off from the world for half the year, with turquoise rivers, cliff-hugging monasteries and some of the wildest landscapes in India.
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Parkachik Glacier
A massive glacier tongue from the Nun-Kun massif that tumbles down almost to the road, offering one of Ladakh's most accessible close-up glacier views.
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Nun Kun Peaks
Twin Himalayan giants — Nun (7,135 m) and Kun (7,077 m) — dominating the Suru Valley skyline and ranking among the highest peaks entirely inside India.
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Drang Drung Glacier
At ~23 km long, Drang Drung is the second-largest glacier in Ladakh — a sweeping river of ice visible right from the road as you cross into Zanskar.
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Uleytokpo
A quiet riverside oasis between Alchi and Lamayuru, popular as a peaceful overnight stop with eco-camps along the Indus and dramatic coloured-rock canyons nearby.
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