Places To See In Ladakh
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Drass
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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.
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 neighbouring 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.
How
to reach:
Buses plying between Srinagar and Kargil/Leh touch Drass.
Local buses leave Kargil in the morning and afternoon
for drass. srinagar is connected with rest of the country
via Air and Road through National Highway NHIA.
Where
To Stay:
The Tourist Complex here provides furnished rooms and
suites. Some private hotels also provide rooms equipped
with basic necessities.
