Things To Do In Dras

Located between Zoji La Pass and Kargil on National Highway 1 is an enchanting and quaint little town of Dras. Nestled in the remote corner of India in the northern state of Jammu & Kashmir, Dras holds the distinction of being the coldest region in the country. Tourism in Dras has little something for all visitors. It has some stunning picturesque locales and quaint villages. Let us take a look at some of the activities and things which tourists can engage in during their stay in Dras.

Located at a high altitude of 10,800 feet, Dras has some amazing trekking trails. The Mushko Valley Trek is a 3 day trek that starts from Mushku Valley to Tilail in Gurez. Dras to Saliskot trek is a two day trek which covers the Laser La region. Trek to the famous Amarnath also begins from this region. The 3-day trek is flagged off from Minmarg which is about 30 km from Dras.

Located in the north eastern Himalayan Range, few kilometres from Sonamarg, between Amarnath Cave and Zojila is the Machoi Glacier. It is a 9 km long glacier at an altitude of 4800 metres. The highest peak here is the Machoi Peak which is named after the glacier and stands at an elevation of 5458 metres. Dras and Sind Rivers both originate in the Machoi Glacier. It makes an interesting trip from Dras.

The Dras War Memorial was set up following the Kargil War of 1999 by the Indian Army. It is a major tourist attraction and is frequented by people visiting the area. It contains some major relics of the war, details of battles that were fought and details of soldiers who were martyred in the course of the war. The memorial houses a memento shop from where travellers can pick up a mug or t-shirt as souvenir. From here people can also get a glimpse of the peaks which the Indian Army captured from Pakistan.

Nestled amidst the Himalayan Ranges in the remote corner of the country, Dras is a picturesque little town. It boasts of amazing landscape, valleys, majestic towering peaks and quaint little villages. The place looks straight out of picture postcards and is stunningly beautiful. It is a photographer’s paradise and offers a lucrative opportunity for photographers to go shooting and capturing and beauty of the place.

Similar to some of the neighbouring places like Kargil, there is a strong Tibetan influence in the food that is consumed in Dras. A hot bowl of Thukpa or noodle soup with chunks of veggies and meat, steaming hot momos and mouth-watering helping of Maggi is enough to warm the soul on a cold wintry night in one of the coldest areas of the country.