द्रास
Ladakh · Kargil District · 3,280m
पृथ्वी पर दूसरा सबसे ठंडा बसा हुआ स्थान, एक युद्ध स्मारक जो रुला देगा, और -45°C सर्दियाँ।
Why Special
द्रास में -45°C का सत्यापित रिकॉर्ड है। कारगिल युद्ध स्मारक पर 527 सैनिकों के नाम। टाइगर हिल स्मारक से दिखती है। अत्यधिक ठंड और अत्यधिक भावनाओं का स्थान।
Who Should Think Twice
Infrastructure concerns
BSNL only — limited signal, no 4G data
Moderate altitude (3,280m) — acclimatization needed
Infrastructure Reality
Network Coverage
Medical & Emergency
Hospital: Kargil District Hospital 60km (1 km)
Ambulance: Army medical evacuation
Police: Drass Army/Police Post
Getting There
Fuel & Stay
Fuel: Drass or Kargil 60km
Stay: Extremely limited — most visitors do day trip from Kargil
Very basic guesthouses, army guest house (if permitted)+ options ()
Helpline: DC Kargil 01985-232228
The stay decisions worth flagging in Drass.
Drass has four or five properties with any verifiable online presence. No hotel chain operates here. Most travel writers recommend using Kargil (60 km west) as a base and doing Drass as a day trip. If you choose to overnight in Drass, book well in advance—room counts are small and biker traffic in May–September can fill the town. April is shoulder season: the road from Srinagar via Zoji La may still be closed or restricted by snow; confirm NH1 status before departure.
There is no meaningful rupee-delta comparison to make here. Hotel D'Meadows at ₹7,500–8,000/night is the only property with a confirmed price, and it is already the top-end option in Drass. If you need certainty and central heating in April (when overnight lows can still fall below -10°C), D'Meadows is the only property that verifiably delivers both. If you are comfortable with an unknown price and a single guest review backing the property, Eternal Peaks Homestay 1 km from the war memorial is the alternative—but confirm availability and rate directly with host Mudassir Ahmad before committing.
Hotel D'Meadows Ladakh
We pick D'Meadows because it is the only 45-key, fully centrally heated property in Drass with a consistent review record across Tripadvisor (4/5, 17 reviews), Goibibo (4.1/5), and the property's own confirmed infrastructure. In April, when temperatures can drop sharply overnight, central heating is not a comfort upgrade—it is a practical requirement. The 180° valley views toward Tiger Hill also mean you are oriented toward the Kargil War landscape from your room, not a back alley.
Eternal Peaks Homestay, Drass
Host Mudassir Ahmad works in the travel industry and knows the Kargil War terrain, Ladakhi cultural context, and local logistics. The property sits 1 km from the Kargil War Memorial, has 4 rooms with attached bathrooms in Ladakhi-style architecture, and includes farmland and mountain views from the dining room. That combination—location, host knowledge, and pick-drop service—is the practical value here, not a room-rate figure we can confirm. One verified guest review from October 2025 on Homesta
Tololing Eco Resort
The Kargil War Memorial is a 2-minute walk from the front door. If the memorial and Tololing mountain are the reason you are in Drass—and for most visitors, they are—this is the only property that puts you at that doorstep. Travelmyth rates it 9.0, the highest score of any property currently listed in Drass. Reviews consistently flag the owner's hospitality and reasonable pricing.
No x-factor pick here that's worth the flag. See alternatives below.
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Neighborhood guide
Where to base yourself, by vibe.
Daily Budget Reality
Budget
₹1,900Mid-range
₹5,200Luxury
₹9,800💡 War memorial town; Drass is coldest inhabited place; basic hotels; fuel expensive; open Jun-Oct
Crowd Intelligence
Best days: Any
Accessible Jun-Oct via Zoji La. Kargil Vijay Diwas (26 Jul) brings patriotic tourists. Drass is coldest inhabited place — harsh winters.
Food & Dining
Cuisine: Ladakhi, Balti, Kashmiri
Try Balti cuisine — unique to this region. Apricot products everywhere.
कैसे पहुँचें
🌍 अंतर्राष्ट्रीय यात्रियों के लिए
सांस्कृतिक संदर्भ
Drass is the second-coldest inhabited place on Earth (-60°C recorded). It sits on the Srinagar-Leh highway and is the gateway to Ladakh from Kashmir. The Kargil War Memorial here honors Indian soldiers from the 1999 conflict. Predominantly Muslim Dard population.
क्या पहनें
Warm layers essential — even in summer, nights are cold. Modest dress in this conservative Muslim area. Cover arms and legs.
खाद्य सुरक्षा
Very limited dining — a few highway dhabas serving basic rice, dal, and chai. Carry food and water if transiting. No restaurants of note.
सामान्य धोखाधड़ी से सावधान
- Virtually none — transit point with very few tourists stopping.
कार्ड और नकद
Cash only. No ATMs. Carry cash from Srinagar or Kargil.
अंग्रेज़ी बोली जाती है
Very low. Hindi, Urdu, and Shina spoken. Army personnel at the war memorial speak English.
फ़ोन और SIM
BSNL postpaid may work intermittently. No Jio/Airtel. No prepaid SIMs. Essentially no reliable mobile connectivity.
निकटतम दूतावास
Delhi — over 900 km. Nearest medical: Kargil district hospital (60 km) or army medical post.
Standard Indian e-Visa. No Inner Line Permit required for Drass. Highway may close October-May due to snow on Zoji La pass.
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