Kargil which is 204 km from Srinagar in the west and 234 km from Leh in the east is the second largest urban centre of Ladakh and headquarters for the district of same name. Kargil is one of the outlying areas of the Ladakh region. The western parts of Ladakh comprising the river valleys, which are drained and formed by the Himalayan tributaries of the high Indus, constitute Kargil district.Tourists who travel to Kargil realize that this area is very sparsely populated, as this region is extremely cold.

A quite town now, Kargil once served as important trade and transit centre in the Pan-Asian trade network. Numerous caravans carrying exotic merchandise comprising silk, brocade, carpets, felts, tea, poppy, ivory etc. transited in the town on their way to and from China , Tibet , Yarkand and Kashmir .

Being located at a great height in the center of the Himalayan region makes it the perfect venue for trekking, mountain climbing and other mountain related adventure sports. Kargil serves as an important base for adventure tours in the heart of Himalayas and one travelling to this place should not miss out on the opportunity to enjoy such adventurous activities. There are several popular trekking trails; some of these are the Padum-Phuktal trek, the Nun-Kun trek, the Hemis-Zangla-Padum trek and the Lamayuru-Leh trek. It is also the take off station for visitors to the erotic Zanskar Valley . Tourists travelling between Srinagar and Leh have to make a night halt here before starting the second leg of their journey.

There are numerous monastries in and around kargil and a visit to them is a must. Trespone and Sankhoo are two imambaras in Kargil that attract tourists with their Turkish style of architecture and are home to the Muslim 'Aghas'. The other place of worship for Muslims is Jama Masjid.

Some of the other important tourist destinations in Kargil are the Shargole monastery, the Pangong Lake and the holy site of Sani. Since a scenic drive through the mountain passes is the only way to get to this hilly district, therefore tours to Kargil usually include car rental and other travel-by-road options. There is no other way of reaching this mountainous region.

Dry apricots and apricot jam of the region are delicious and Pashmina shawls, local carpets and woolen handicrafts are some good options to buy from here. The woolens available here are of fine quality that owes itself to the long fleeced mountain goats in the area.