Shergol Monastery
Another picturesque village of the Wakha River valley, Shergol is situated across the river, right of the Kargil-Leh road. The main attraction is a small cave monastery which is visible from a far as a white speck against the vertically rising ochre hill from which it appears to hang out. This old Buddhist monastery has elegant frescoes. It juts out of a brown, granite cliff and appears as if suspended in the middle of the mountain. This architectural quirk makes it an object of curiosity among local people too. Below this small monastery is a larger Buddhist nunnery with about a dozen incumbents. The village is accessible by the motorable road that branches off from the Kargil-Leh road, about 5 km short of Mulbek. Shergol is a convenient base for an exciting 4-day trek across the mountain range into the Suru valley. It is also the approach base for visiting Urgyan-Dzong, a meditation retreat lying deep inside the mountains surrounding the Wakha River valley.
