A picturesque expanse surrounded by colorful rocky mountains, Sankoo is an upcoming township with a small bazaar and numerous villages around. Dense plantations of poplers, willows, myricarea and wild-roses fill the bowl shaped valley, giving it the ambience of a man-made forest tucked within the mountain ramparts. Two sides of the valley, drained by large tributary streams of the Suru river -- the Kartse flowing from the east and the Nakpochu descending from the west, open up on either side of the expanse. The Karste Valley runs deep into the eastern mountain-mass with a large number of isolated villages tucked within it's course. The 4 day trek between Sankoo and Mulbek follows this valley; the route passes through some very beautiful alpine areas. The high altitude settlement of Safi and it's mixed Buddhist-Muslim population is struck between the Rusi-la and the Shafi-la over which the final leg of the trek passes before entering the Mulbek valley. A south-ward diversion from the foot of the Rusi-la leads to Rangdum, across the glaciated Rangdum pass, where the Karste river rises. The 3 day trek to Drass, across the Umbala (3350 mt), follows the western valley.

Locally it is also popular as a place of pilgrimage to the ancient shrines of Muslin scholar-saint, Sayed Mir Hashim, who was specially invited from Kashmir for imparting religious teachings to this region's Buddhist ruler, Thi-Namgyal of the Suru principality, following his conversion to Islam during the 16th century. The shrine is situated in the village of Karpo-Khar on the outskirts of Sankoo where the chief had his summer palace. Sankoo is very popular among local picnic lovers who throng the area from Kargil town and other places.