Shyok Valley | Nubra region | Leh & Ladakh

The Shyok River is in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent in the Kashmir area. The Himalayas’ major tributary, the Indus River, originates in the Karakoram Range in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. Numerous glaciers on the Shyok’s trip through the range provide meltwater to the river, which flows mainly northwestward—flooding in the adjacent areas by the Chong Kumdan Glacier, known to block the river from time to time.

The river enters the region governed by Pakistan, and it meets the Indus River at Kapalua. It measures around 340 miles (550 km) long, and its most significant right-bank tributary is the Nubra.

The ancient passageway of death

Shyok Valley is a valley in northern Kashmir, and it is where the Shyok River flows, which is said to be the river of death. The most likely explanation is that the traders from the Central Asian region were named after this perilous route for generations, all of whom perished on it. In the whole territory of the Karakoram, the residents have given their locations names that speak of death. The trail from Yarkand to Ladakh was a part of an old trade route since many perished while only the strongest survived. The journey towards the Karakoram Pass is dotted with the remains of those who died along the way.