One of the most beautiful regions of Ladakh, the Suru Valley, forms the mainstay of the Kargil district. Lying nestled along the north-eastern foot-hills of the great Himalayan wall, it extends from the Kargil town, first south-wards for a length of about 75 km upto the expanse around Panikhar, then east-wards for another stretch of nearly 65 km upto the foot of the Penzila watershed where the Suru Valley rises. It's composite population of about 30000, mainly of Tibeti-Darad descent, are Muslims who had converted to Buddhist faith around the middle of the 16th century.  

The upper valley reaches of the valley, particularly around the Sankoo bowl, the Panikhar expense and the higher stretch beyond, present a spectacle of breathtaking features-majestic mountain ramparts crowned by snow capped peaks, undulating alpine slopes draining into wild mountain streams of foaming cascades of pristine water, awesome glaciers descending along the Himalayan slopes to the river bed in riverine formation.

Quaint villages of adobe houses straggling dry hillocks surrounded by large tracts of lush crops downward the patches of alpine pastures uphill. The beauty of this region is further enhanced by the sheer contrast provided by the towering peaks of Kun (7035 mt) and Nun (7135 mt) which loom over the skyline in their crystalline majesty.