The Kargil War Memorial at Drass was built by the Indian Army to honour the soldiers who died in the 1999 conflict. A pink sandstone wall bears their names, an eternal flame burns before it, and a large national flag flies with Tololing ridge and Tiger Hill visible behind. A small museum displays photographs and captured weapons. Drass is among the coldest inhabited places in India.

Rangdum Monastery stands on a small hill in the middle of a wide, flat valley at about 4,000 metres, on the rough road between Kargil and Zanskar. Founded in the 18th century, it belongs to the Gelug school. Glaciers and jagged peaks surround the lonely site, and the twin summits of Nun and Kun are seen on the way.

Karsha is the largest monastery in Zanskar, a mass of whitewashed buildings stacked up a steep hillside across the river from Padum. It belongs to the Gelug school and houses about a hundred monks. Its temples contain old murals and the relics of a revered teacher. The Gustor festival with masked dances is held in summer.

Phugtal Monastery is built into the mouth of a huge cave on a cliff above the Tsarap River in a remote corner of Zanskar. Founded in the 15th century, it looks like a honeycomb of white cells spilling down the rock. It can be reached only on foot, by a trek of a day or more from the nearest road. About seventy monks live here.