Sonamarg or Dras or Kargil – Where to Stay?

Where should you break the journey for the night while traveling between Srinagar and Leh, Sonamarg or Dras or Kargil? Which of these places is best in terms of hotels, safety, and travel convenience? In this article, I will try to provide a comparison between these 3 places and hopefully answer these questions.

The 415 km long Srinagar Leh highway is a beauty in itself. In some ways, I must say that it is an even better option to travel to Leh than the Manali Leh route. The gradual change from the lush green hills of Kashmir valley to the beautiful desert of Ladakh is truly a sight to behold.

As compared to the Manali Leh highway, this road also presents better opportunities in terms of accommodation, phone connectivity, fuel, and dealing with acute mountain sickness. The difference in distance between the roads is not that huge (Manali Leh highway being about 480 km) but you can reach Leh from Srinagar easily in two days.

To complete the same journey with the same amount of leisure on the Manali Leh highway would 3 three days. Though you can reach Leh from Manali in two days as well, the journey would feel a little rushed which is not the case if you travel from the Srinagar side.

Sonamarg or Dras or Kargil

Once you leave Srinagar for Leh, where will you be breaking the journey that night depends on factors like time, budget, and your choice of scenery and comfort. There are primarily three major towns on the way where you can choose to stay, Sonamarg, Drass, and Kargil. Another town where you may choose to stay in is Lamayuru.

Sonamarg

Sonamarg I must admit here is probably the most scenic town on this route. But that is completely my opinion, others may feel differently. Surrounded by greenery all around and snow-capped peaks, this place will be enough to tempt anyone to stay here for a while.

It is located at a distance of about 80 km from Srinagar so it will not take you more than 3-4 hours to get here even if you drove leisurely with ample amount of breaks.

Another thing I like the best about this town is the food here. If you are a non-vegetarian, you must try the Kashmiri dishes at Sonamarg. There are several hotels here but finding one that fits your budget can be a problem. Almost all of the hotels here are a little on the expensive side.

The reason behind this is that Sonamarg gets tourists both that are visiting Kashmir and going to Ladakh. So there is really no scarcity of tourists here and hotels charge quite a bit for one night’s stay. I do not believe you will get a room here for any less than Rs. 2000 per day.

If budget is not a problem, then this is the best place to stay to enjoy the natural beauty and amazing scenery. For more details, take a look at Places to visit in Sonamarg & Things to Do.

Dras

Drass is my second favorite town on this route. It is equally scenic and has several hotels but not as many as Sonamarg. It is not really a big town so all the hotels and restaurants are located right on the highway.

If your choice is to stay in a luxury hotel then you may have a little trouble. But if you are looking for a budget hotel, you will not have to look for long.

There is a J&K Government-run guest house at Drass which is quite nice and low price. If you are looking for decent accommodation within budget, you should try staying at this guest house. The contact number there is 01985-274014 in case you would like to call in and book in advance.

If not the J&K guest house, then just take a stroll around the town and you will find several budget accommodations spread along the highway. For budget travelers, I believe this is the best place to break the journey.

Kargil

Next comes the famous town of Kargil where most of the people stay. I won’t really say that it is a bad choice but in my opinion, it is not really that scenic and the hotels here are expensive as compared to Sonamarg and Drass.

When I say scenic, I am not implying that there is no natural beauty to see here. Kargil too presents some stunning landscapes but there is nothing here that you will not be seeing further in your stay at Leh or the nearby areas.

The biggest advantage that Kargil has is that it is almost the midpoint of the Srinagar Leh route. Staying here means that you will divide both days of your journey equally and will not have to travel for long on any of the days.

Next town after Kargil is Lamayuru. It too has a few hotels and is a much cleaner and quieter place to stay. The distance from here to Leh is about 110 km and the road is mostly good so it won’t take more than a few hours to get to Leh from here.

Where to Stay

Now the big question is where to stay, Sonamarg or Dras or Kargil? As I mentioned above, you can easily reach Leh from Srinagar in two days. Some people however take even three to four days to complete the journey.

2 Days Trip

Let us assume that you are planning to complete it in two days. My advice then is that you rule out Sonamarg and Lamayuru and stay at either Drass or Kargil. The reason behind this is that if you stay at Sonamarg, then your travel time of the second day would be too much and you will reach Leh after dark.

The same is the case with Lamayuru. If you decide to stay here for the first night, even if you started from Srinagar by the first light of the day, you will not get here before it gets dark.

Choosing between Drass or Kargil is entirely a personal choice. If you are looking for a quieter place and a budget hotel then stay at Drass. But then you will have to travel a bit longer on the second day as Drass is only about 150 km from Srinagar and Leh is another 276 km from here.

In terms of time, Drass to Leh is easily a 10 hrs journey. So if you do not want to travel so much on the second day, you should be staying at Kargil. This will divide your travel time equally into 2 days.

Also Read: How to Plan a Trip to Leh Ladakh – A Complete Travel Guide

3 or 4 Days Trip

If you have time and can dedicate three days to the road, then I think you should rule out Kargil. Stay for the first night at either Sonamarg or Drass and break your second day at Lamayuru. This will divide your travel time almost equally into three days, the second being the longest.

If you are planning to do it in four days though, then stay for the first night at Sonamarg. You can stop for the second day at Kargil, and the third at Lamayuru.

In terms of scenery, Sonamarg tops the list and Kargil will be at the bottom (just a comparison between the four places). In terms of comfort, Sonamarg and Kargil will top the list but are most expensive as well.

Sonamarg or Dras or Kargil – Conclusion

I hope the information above on finding accommodation in Sonamarg or Dras or Kargil was of help. If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask in the comments section below or at our Community Forum, and I will be glad to answer.