The road south from Kargil town

There are two roads that lead away from Kargil as one enters this sleepy town from Srinagar via Drass. The one south-east leads to Leh and is a very popular one, with many people these days driving or riding from Leh to Srinagar or vice versa. There is another road that goes south and then turns east and south again. That road leads to Padum, an important town in Ladakh region.

Please see the region's google map here
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For most part of the drive south, the road is along the banks of Kargil River. The River Suru is a tributary of River Indus and dominates much of Kargil District's landscape. The road is not as winding as roads generally are in the mountains untill it turns east into the Upper parts of the Suru Valley. The soil is loose and it might have helped the authorities in building the roads easily. All along the river bank are a string of small hamlets, that extend till it gets very cold up in the mountains. The lower valleys are cultivated while the peaks are permanently capped with snow.

Please see images below of the drive from Kargil village till Khar Pokhar hamlet.