Zanskar

Prayer flag above the monastery of Tanze (the wind is believed to propagate the prayers printed on tissue)

Zanskar, also spelt Zangskar, is a vast region in Ladakh, India.

Cities

• 1 Padum – The main town of Zanskar region is Padum which is about 240 km from Kargil
• 2 Rangdum – Approximately midway towards Padum
• 3 Zangla – 35 km from Padum and ruled by a titular king till a few years ago. For the visit of austere life style of small community of nuns, you can find many old nunneries.

Understand

Zanskar is famous for its stunning scenery and Tibetan-style Buddhist monasteries. It is more remote and less densely populated, with less infrastructure than other places in Ladakh.

Get in

Zanskar Valley is approachable by road from Kargil, which lies on the Srinagar–Leh highway. There is a road under construction which will connect Darcha to Padum and onwards to Leh via Nimoo.

See

Padum Valley

Zanskar Valley

• Padum Valley. Padum sits at an altitude of 3505 m from the sea level. It is the capital of the ancient Zanskar, and is administrative headquarters of the Zanskar region. Padum has population of 1,500–1,600. Padum is a very scarcely inhabited valley in the Zanskar. Padum is one of the famous trekking destinations in Ladakh. (updated Oct 2023)
• 1 Rangdum Monastery. (updated Oct 2023)
• 2 Stongdey Monastery (on the road towards Zabgla, 18 km north from Padum). There is a community of about 60 Gelukpa monks who are the resident of the Stongdey. Stongdey is the second largest monastic establishment in the Zanskar region and this monastic is inhabited by the community of monks. Tourists can approach this place on foot by the road in about 4 hours. Monastery climb is rather strenuous, but it is worthwhile after seeing the breathtaking natural beauty of the valley. (updated Oct 2023)
• 3 Dzongkhul Monastery, Zongkhul. Spectacular cave monasteries famous in Zanskar. (updated Oct 2023)

Do

• Rafting – The Zanskar River is one of the adventure activities. This rafting route takes tourists to one of the most amazing and challenging gorges of the world. Water in the Zanskar is very cold and it is advised to take a wetsuit. These rafting trips can last up to 12 days, with accommodation being camping near the river bank.

Trekking

Zanskar attracts thousands of adventure sports lovers every year, to experience the adventure and thrill of some challenging treks available there. Some of the highest mountain passes of the country are in the Zanskar. Trekking through these high mountain is enthralling, but requires good trekking experience and trekkers should be able to take physical strain.

• Dzongkhul is located on the trekking trail of Padum to Kishtwar which is just before the starting point of ascent of Omasi La (pass) Trek.
• 1 The Chadar Trek. The Zanskar Trek is a winter trail located at a very high altitude and one of the best trekking destinations around the world. In Winter, Zanskar river freezes up, and get converted into an amazing adventures trek called Chadar-The Frozen River Trek. The traditional name for the Zanskar Trek is Chadar Trek as the river becomes a snow sheet during winters due to heavy snowfall. It boasts of some of the lowest temperatures making it a challenging trek for the adventurers. The most isolated and inaccessible for nearly 8 months during the year due to heavy snowfall. Zanskar has the distinction of being the least interfered with microcosms of Ladakh, and thus one of the last few surviving cultural satellites of Tibet. This geographical isolation together with the esoteric nature of Buddhism practiced here has enabled its ten thousand inhabitants to preserve and perpetuate their cultural identity. Also see Wikipedia article for more information. (updated Sep 2023)

Go next

• Kargil