Drass Valley

Drass is a small town that is located on Srinagar-Kargil National Highway. The Altitude of Drass is 3300 meters above sea level. The Drass valley is formed by the Drass River. The river is joined in its course by other river and small streams following in from snow fields nearby mountains. The Drass valley starts from the base of the Zojila pass, the Himalayan Gateway to Ladakh.

Drass has become famous as the 2nd coldest inhibited place in the world after Siberia, this region witnesses extremely cold weather and very heavy snowfalls, hence explaining the local name for the town, “Hembabs” (snow land). The temperature in Drass drops to minus 45°C and the wind chill factor is even greater during winters. Often the small huts are covered by snow and communication with the outside world is cut off.

Drass is pleasant till September end. One of the most popular activities which travellers can enjoy is trekking. Drass offers soft and moderate treks; the famous trekking is Suru Valley trek. With the demographic consist of Buddhists and Muslims, major residents of Drass can trace their roots back to Central Asia. The language of Drass is Shina which is an Indo – Aryan Language. People enjoy doing Camping and hiking in Drass. It has other tourist attractions like Dropati Kund (a sacred pond for Hindus), Bhimbath or the Bhim’s Stone, Rock Carving at Stiaqbo. There are some war sites also. The renowned Tiger Hill is also visible from Drass.