Srinagar-Kargil-Leh-Pangong

May June is the time when temperature in the mountain region comes down to normal and this is the best time to explore these regions. This summer, trip expert Shaan journeyed through the rugged region to explore its beautiful landscapes. Following is the transcript.

Day 1 – Srinagar

Explored beautiful botanical garden and roamed around in the shikhara in the Dal lake.

Shahjee Handicraft is a good choice to buy souvenirs.

Day 2 Gulmarg

Gulmarg is approx 50 km from Srinagar and is known for its beautiful landscapes.

Day 3 We started our road trip towards Leh. And in the first leg of the journey, we were to reach Kargil by EOD. En route we went through Sonmarg.

Sonmarg

Next, we looped through Zozilla Pass where Indian troops fought hard in 1948 to get control back from Pakistan.

Zojila Pass
P.C Shaan Nair

Zojila pass is not the highest but is considered the most treacherous pass. It is closed for 5 months due to heavy snowfall. Now, BRO ( Border Road Organization ) is making a tunnel through the mountain to make the road open throughout the year.

Further down the road, there is a beautiful valley. perfect for a picnic or pitching your tents.

Then comes Drass war memorial. It houses the remains of the fallen troops since 1948 in this sector.

P.C Shaan Nair
P.C Shaan Nair

Finally at 5:00 PM we reached Kargil town

Checked into a hotel and had an amazing dinner and started preparing for the next day’s ride.

The River Suru is one of the tributeries of Indus River.

Day 4 – Ride to leh

After breakfast, we left Kargil and rode towards leh. Got a beautiful monastery on the way.

Kargil to Leh roads are very good.

P.C Shaan Nair

By around 3:00 PM we reached Leh and called it off for the day to acclimatize ourselves. Leh is situated at sea level 3500 Mtrs. And 1000 Mtr rise in a day causes little nausea and may require little rest on reaching Leh.

At higher altitudes, the percentage of oxygen in the air drops down drastically and that puts quite a bit of pressure on the lungs as it has to adjust to a lower level of oxygen.

Day 5 – Leh to Nubra Valley

After breakfast at our camp, we moved to Nubray Valley and on the way passed through the highest motorable road at Khardungla Pass. It is situated at 5359 Mtrs from sea level. It is not recommended to stay at this place for more than 10 minutes.. Just pass through as quickly as possible.