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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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