Nubra Valley in Leh, Jammu & Kashmir

North of Leh across the Khardung La (pass) at 5,578 metres along the highest motorable road in the world is the Nubra Valley. Fed by the Nubra and Shyok Rivers, the valley was once thought to be under a huge glacier. What remains left today are stretches of sand dunes and stark boulder-strewn plains that look almost extra-terrestrial. Bound by the Karakoram Range in the north and east, this land was once traversed by traders from China with camel caravans. The Nubra valley opened to tourists only in 1994 and is still virgin territory for travellers.

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Zojila Mountain Pass in Jammu & Kashmir

Zogila is one of the highest mountain passes of the world. The strategic Srinagar-Ladakh highway passes through the 11,578- foot high Zojila Pass which lies on the bit lower depression of the Himalayan ranges, i.e. about 100 km from Srinagar. The pass attracts the heaviest snowfall during winter and as such it remains closed to traffic for nearly six months in a year. The 434-km long highway is Ladakh’s lifeline and after Kargil skirmishes in 1999 with Pakistan, the government has stepped up the pace of road construction because of the strategic importance of the area.

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