Kargil Kargil is the most important town of the Suru Valley. It is the headquarters of Kargil District and has the most modern amenities, although not of the level of those found in the plains of India. There are a number of other settlements of significant size in the Suru Valley. Kargil is a fairly busy town, servicing the villages of the surrounding region. The important Srinagar-Leh road passes through Kargil.

Dancers from Kargil Credit: KOA

Kargil has a severe climate, with arctic to sub-arctic conditions prevailing. There is heavy snowfall in winter and the entire town is covered under a thick blanket of snow from November to April after which the snow begins to melt gradually.

The temperature in winter drops to 30 C below freezing point. Summer days are warm and dry with showers occurring rarely. Cold winds lash Kargil almost throughout the year.

Chushul
Chushul is an important and strategically vital place near the border of Ladakh and Tibet. It is about 10 km to the east of Mordo and virtually on the border. Chushul can be approached by a number of routes from Leh. One route goes over the Chang La pass and skirts the Pangkong Lake, while another one crosses the Chang La pass and takes a more easterly direction.

Chushul has been developed by the Indian military as a vital settlement.