The Kargil War Memorial stands at Drass on the Srinagar-Leh highway and commemorates the Indian soldiers killed in the 1999 Kargil conflict. A sandstone wall carries the names of the fallen, with the ridges they fought over rising directly behind. Nearly every vehicle driving between Srinagar and Leh stops here.
Duke Kashmir Travels runs the Srinagar to Leh road as a two-day drive with a night at Kargil. The agency has held Department of Tourism registration JKTA00003978 since 2011; Kashmir and Ladakh packages start near ₹6,350 per person, twin sharing.
By Duke Kashmir Travels Team · Reviewed by Rayies Ahmad Zargar, Founder · Published · Updated
Key takeaways
- At Drass, in Kargil district, beside the Srinagar-Leh highway.
- Also called the Drass War Memorial.
- Commemorates the soldiers killed in the 1999 conflict, with their names carved on the wall.
- The peaks fought over, including Tiger Hill, are visible from the site.
- A museum and gallery beside the memorial hold photographs and recovered equipment.
- The standard stop on day one of the Srinagar to Leh drive.
What is at the memorial?
A memorial wall bearing the names of the fallen, a flame, a museum of photographs and recovered equipment, and the ridge line of the 1999 fighting behind it.
Army personnel are usually on hand to explain what happened on which peak, which turns the stop from a photograph into something closer to a briefing. Give it forty-five minutes if you want to see the gallery properly.
When do people visit?
Between May and October, when the Srinagar-Leh highway is open. Kargil Vijay Diwas on 26 July brings ceremonies and crowds.
Drass is cold at any time of year, and one of the coldest inhabited places in the country in winter, when the highway closes anyway. Carry a jacket even in July.
Where does it fit in a Ladakh trip?
On day one of the Srinagar to Leh road, after the Zoji La pass and before the night halt at Kargil.
The drive from Srinagar to Kargil takes most of a day with the pass and this stop. See Kashmir tour ideas for the itineraries that include the Ladakh road, and the Srinagar page for the valley end of the trip.
Booking this with us
Duke Kashmir Travels has held Department of Tourism registration JKTA00003978 since March 2011 and has been an IATO allied member since 2016. The full list of registrations sits on our About Us page.
Send your dates and traveller count and we will build the itinerary around it. Call +91 9018 44 0000, email info@dukekashmirtravels.com or use the contact page.
About the founder
Rayies Ahmad Zargar founded Duke Kashmir Travels in Srinagar in 2011 and still runs it. He co-founded the JK Tourism Council and reviews the guides published here, including this one. Profile on LinkedIn.