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The
 Dras
Valley is an enchanting valley formed by the Dras River
which rises in the Machoi glacier near the famous Zozila
Pass. The river is joined in its course by many other rivers
and streams flowing in from snowfields in the nearby
mountains.
Drass
(3230 m), 60 km west of Kargil on the road to Srinagar, is a
small township lying in the centre of the valley of the same
name. It has become famous as the second coldest inhabited
place in the world by virtue of the intense cold that
descends upon the valley along with repeated snowfalls
during winters. Winter temperature is sometimes known to
plummet to less than minus 40 degrees.
The Drass valley starts from the base of the Zojila pass,
the Himalayan gateway to Ladakh. For centuries its
inhabitants are known to have negotiated this formidable
pass even during the most risky period in the late autumn or
early spring, when the whole sector remains snow-bound and
is subject to frequent snow storms, to transport trader's
merchandise across and to help stranded travellers to
traverse it. By virtue of their mastery over the pass they
had established a monopoly over the carrying trade during
the heydays of the Pan-Asian trade. A hardly people enduring
with fortitude and harshness of the valley's winter, the
inhabitants of drass can well be described as the guardian's
of Ladakh's gateway
The
river Shigar flowing in from the north drains an adjoining
part of the Dras Valley. In summer, as the snow in the
upland smelts, the volume of this river rises considerably.
It meets the Suru River near Kharul a short distance away
from Kargil.The terrain is characterized by rock and stone
with the occasional greenish patch formed by willow and
groves.
There is a short summer season in the Dras Valley. It begins
inMay, when the snows begin to melt. Crop sowing activities
startlate, while harvesting is done early so that the crops
arebrought in before the beginning of snowfall.
Barley and other coarse cereals are the main crops grown
inthis valley. Agricultural production is hampered due to
thepoor and unproductive soil and the short growing season.
Moreover, there is a lack of irrigation facilities in many
parts of the Dras Valley.
As a result, agricultural yields are not enough to meet
theneeds of the people living in this valley. Food grains
have tobe imported from the Kashmir Valley. Fuel too is a
scarce commodity and has to be brought in from across the
Zozila Pass.Brokpas are the people living in the Dras
Valley. They probably migrated to this tract from Gilgit
several centuries ago.
Drass
is a convenient base for a 3-day long trek to Suru valley
across the sub-range separating the two valleys. This trek
passes through some of the most beautiful upland villages
and flower sprinkled meadows on both sides of the 4500 mts
high Umbala pass, which falls enroute. The trek to the holy
cave of Amarnath in neighboring Kashmir, which stars from
Minamarg below Zojila, takes 3 days and involves crossing of
5200 mts high pass. Drass also offers numerous shorter treks
and hikes to the upland villages.
PRIME
ATTRACTIONS
Zoji
La
The Drass valley starts from the base of the Zoji La pass,
the Himalayan gateway to Ladakh . For centuries its
inhabitants are known to have negotiated this formidable
pass even during the most risky period in the late autumn or
early spring, when the whole sector remains snow-bound and
is subject to frequent snow storms, to transport trader's
merchandise across and to help stranded travellers to
traverse it.
By virtue of their mastery over the pass they had
established a monopoly over the carrying trade during the
heydays of the Pan-Asian trade. A hardly people enduring
with fortitude and harshness of the valley's winter, the
inhabitants of Drass can well be described as the
"Guardian's of Ladakh's Gateway".
Puga Valley 
The Puga Valley is famous for its hot water springs. Every
year hundreds of visitors come to this valley for a bath in
these springs as this is known to help people suffering from
rheumatism and skin diseases.
Trekking
Drass is a convenient base for a 3-day long trek to Suru
valley across the sub-range separating the two valleys. This
trek passes through some of the most beautiful upland
villages and flower sprinkled meadows on both sides of the
4,500m high Umbala pass, which falls enroute.
The trek to the holy cave of Amarnath in neighbouring
Kashmir, which stars from Minamarg below Zoji La, takes 3
days and involves crossing of 5,200m high pass. Drass also
offers numerous shorter treks and hikes to the upland
villages
NUBRA
VALLEY
The
name Nubra is applied to the region comprising the valley of
the river Nubra and that of the Shayok, both above and below
their confluence, where they meander in many shifting
channels over a broad sandy plain, before flowing off to the
north-west to join the Indus in Baltistan.
The Shayok and Nubra rive rs
drain the east and west sides of the Saser sub-range of
Karakoram. The route from Leh crosses over the Khardung-la,
the highest motorable road in the world. The line of the
road is different from that of the old pony-trail, longer
and actually higher (18,300 ft 5,578 m). The view from the
top is amazing. One can see all the way south over the Indus
valley to the seemingly endless peaks and ridges of the
Zanskar range, and north to the giants of the Saser massif.
For several kilometers, on each side of the pass, the road,
covered by deep snow in winter, is rough. For the rest of
the way the road is good. At the confluence of the two
rivers there is no dearth of water, but the sandy soil is
not suitable for agriculture, which is confined to the
alluvial fans where side streams drain into the main valley.
The valley floor itself is covered with dense thickets of a
thorny shrub, which the villagers use for fuel and for
fencing, though there is now less need for this than there
was in the days of the caravan trade with Central Asia when
up to 10,000 horses a year are said to traverse the
district. The villages are large and prosperous, and have
thick plantations of willow and poplar. The altitude is a
little less than that of Leh, varying between 10,000 ft
(3,231 m) at Hundar, and 10,600 ft (3231 m) at Panamik.
Summer temperatures vary between 15oC and 28oC.
The main village is Deskit, which has a bazaar comprising of
single line of shops, and a gompa situated on a rocky spur
above the village with a commanding view. From Deskit, the
route follows the course of the Shayok to Hundar, past an
area of rolling sand dunes, with their contours liable to
shift with every gale. There is a small population of the
shaggy double-humped Bactrian camels, which in the old days
were used as pack animals on the Central Asian trade route.
During the past 50 years, they have been bred for transport
purposes in Nubra. Today visitors to Nubra can use these
animals for going on camel safaris.
The other circuit proceeds up the Nubra River, taking in the
pretty villages of Tirit, Lukung, Tegar and Sumur. Nubra's
other major monastery. Samsta-ling is situated on the
mountainside just above Sumur. This was the route taken by
the trade caravans. Panamik, the last village on this
circuit, was at that time a busy center, being the last
major settlement before the caravans entered into the
mountains of Karakoram and the Kun-Lu. Here they halted for
a few days to make final preparations for the journey across
the mountains, or to recuperate on the way back. The
Government maintained a granary to sell food grains for the
men and even for the horses. But this arrangement was
insufficient for the amount of the traffic, and the
villagers made huge profits, selling grain and fodder and
letting out their fodder-fields for the horses to graze in.
Today, Panamik is a sleepy village, its inhabitants quietly
going about their work in the fields. On the mountainside
above the village, hot water bubbles out of the earth in
thermal springs, reputed to have therapeutic qualities.
Across the river, clinging to the mountains, are a few trees
rooted among the rocks surrounding the tiny Ensa gompa
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