Kargil, Ladakh's second-largest town, sits in a valley along the Suru river close to the Line of Control with Pakistan, its predominantly Muslim Shia population giving it a markedly different cultural character from the Buddhist-majority Leh district further east. Historically an important Silk Road trading stop connecting Kashmir, Baltistan and Tibet, the town today functions primarily as a practical waypoint on the Leh-Srinagar highway.
The Kargil War Memorial nearby commemorates the 1999 conflict that brought the town to national and international attention, and while Kargil itself offers modest conventional tourist attractions, its position as gateway to Zanskar and Suru Valley makes it a significant stop for travellers heading further into these more remote regions.
Kargil's strategic location made it a site of intense fighting during the 1999 Kargil War between India and Pakistan, a conflict that brought the previously little-known town into sharp national focus and remains commemorated at the nearby war memorial.
May to September.
About 205km from Leh, roughly 6-7 hours by road; also reachable from Srinagar.
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