Land of High Passes also as Little Tibet is one of the oldest tourist destinations.  

Jammu, the winter capital of the state, is known as the "city of temples".

The shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi nestles in a cave of Himalayan Mountains in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Despite being an extremely difficult trek, millions of devotees come to pay homage to Shiva in one of his Himalayan abodes.

Ladakh

Ladakh also know as the "land of high passes" is a region of India in the state of Jammu and Kashmir and lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent. It is one of the most sparsely populated regions in Jammu and Kashmir.

Contemporary Ladakh borders Tibet to the east, the Lahaul and Spiti to the south, the Vale of Kashmir, Jammu and Baltiyul regions to the west, and the trans–Kunlun territory of Xinjiang to the far north. Ladakh is renowned for its remote mountain beauty and culture. It is sometimes called "Little Tibet" as it has been strongly influenced by Tibetan culture.

 

Places Of Interest:

• Leh
  
  Leh is situated on the banks of the river Indus, at a height of 11,000 feet. The land of majestic mountains, Leh is a complete beauty in itself. Leh has quite a few amazing places to offer its tourists. The most striking sight of Leh is the group of women, traditionally attired, selling fruits, vegetables and household articles, spinning and knitting, and exchanging gentle banter between themselves and with passers-by. Leh airport is Ladakh's only link with the outside world for the seven months of the year. Leh is one most frequented destinations for the trekkers in India. Rumbak and Markha offer exciting treks, while Stok Kangri is the best for a climb. One can also go for boating and river running on the Indus.
   

• Drass
  
  The town of Drass, 60 km west of Kargil on the road to Srinagar, is located at an altitude of 3,300 m in a relatively flat and open space in the centre of a valley. It has extensive willow groves along the river. In winter it is covered with a thick blanket of snow. Drass experiences the lowest temperatures in the Ladakh valley and is said to be the second coldest inhabited place in Asia. The mercury may drop to as low as 40 degrees Celsius below freezing point, and communication with the outside world is often completely cut off. During the spring and summer, however, the valley around the township becomes very picturesque as the gently undulating hillsides turn into lush green pastures splashed with a variety of fragrant wild flowers.
   

• Kargil
  
  The average tourist to Ladakh usually begins by taking a tour of Leh, the capital and prime town of Ladakh. It invariably ends the sightseeing the monasteries, justly famous, of Shey, Sankar, Phyang, Spituk and Hemis. Some might include Alchi, Likir and Lamayuru. Few if ever trek to interior villages, venture north to Narbu valley or visit the Zanaskar region. Yet, the last few years have seen an increase in tourists to the western flank of Ladakh, which comprises several valleys. Chief among these are Drass, Suru, Mulbekh and Zanskar. Lying immediately east of the Greater Himalayan wall and drained and formed by the west most tributaries of the Indus river, these constitute present-day Kargil district.
  
  This region once formed part of the erstwhile kingdom of Ladakh. In fact, it was the first to be inhabited by the early colonists of Ladakh - the Indo-Aryan Mons, the Dards of Central Asia and itinerant Tibetans. Also, its valleys, by virtue of their proximity to Kashmir, Kishtwar, Kulu and Gilgit-Baltistan served as the initial receptacle of the cultural waves and ethnic movements that emanated from across the Greater Himalayan wall. As the area receives abundant water from rivers originating in the Greater Himalaya, the undergrowth here is more luxuriant than in eastern Ladakh. The upper Suru valley, in particular, is famous for its grassland, which attracts a large number of Bakarwal herdsmen from the Jammu hills.
   

• Zanskar
  
  Zanskar, Ladakh Holiday VacationsAbout 20 kms south-east of Rangdum stands the Panzila axis, across which lies Zanskar, the most isolated of all the trans-Himalayan valleys. The Penzila pass (4,401m) is a picturesque tableland surrounded by snow-covered peaks.
  
  As the Zanskar road winds down the steep slopes of Penzi-la to the head of the Stod valley, the majestic " Drang-Drung" glacier looms into full view. A long and winding river of ice and snow, "Drang-Drung" is perhaps the largest glacier in Ladakh, outside the Siachen formation. It is from the cliff-like snout of this extensive glacier that the Stod or Doda tributary of the Zanskar River rises.
  
  Zanskar is a tri-armed valley system situated between the Great Himalayan Range and the Zanskar mountains, the three arms radiating star-like towards the west, north and south from a wide central expanse. Here the Zanskar River comes into being by the confluence of its two Himalayan tributaries, the Stod/Doda and the Lingti-Tsarap rivers. It is mainly along the course of this valley system that the region’s approximately 14,000 strong, mainly Buddhist population, live.
   

• Nubra Valley
  
  Nubra is located in the north of Leh. Nubra is a tributary to the Shyok, which flows parallel to the Indus. On the other side of the Ladakh range the Nubra Valley used to be on the caravan route leading from Leh to Kashgar through the two passes of Saser and Karakoram. The main attractions of this area are the Bactarian Camels (Double Humped Camels), Khardung-La Pass (world's highest motorable road at 18,380 feet) and the monasteries like Samstaling.
  
  The Safari leads to Nubra Valley through Khardung-La, which is about 39 kms from Leh. Camel Safari can be organized from Deskit to Hyundar Village for 2 hours.This tour can be extended for 2 nights / 3 Days.
  
  Permit is needed to this area, which is issued by the Deputy Commissioner at Leh itself NUBRA means the garden of green valley. It is 150 kms from Leh and one has to cross over to KHARDUNGLA pass, which is not kept open throughout the year. It is said to be the highest motorable road in the world.Nubra Valley, Ladakh Travels & Tours Many people for the sake of adventure have crossed it over by scooters, cars and cycles.
  
  NUBRA lives up to its name as encompassed by the numerous orchards of apples and appricots. The chief crop is wheat, barley, peas, millet, buckwheat and onion. There are two main rivers thru the valley named Shyok and the NUBRA river and has much better climate than Leh. 90% of the population is Buddhist and the rest are muslims.
   

• Chang Thang
  The land of Nomads
  Changthang means Eastern Flat land, is located in the east of Leh on the Chinese border. The average altitude of the area is around 14600m above sea level. This area is also known as Rupsho valley. The main attraction of this area is Changpa nomads, wild animals, Lakes and rare birds.