WHEN CAN I TRAVEL TO ZANKSAR
BEST TIME TO TRAVEL TO ZANSKAR
Zanskar Valley remains cut off from KARGIL for about 6-7 months starting from Mid October to Mid April. NH-1 connecting Srinagar with Kargil opens between the end of April and middle of May. From the Manali side, ROHTANG LA & BARALACHA LA are under snow till Mid May. Hence the inflow of tourist in ZANSKAR coming either from the Srinagar side OR from the Manali side begins by the end of May. That leaves a very limited time window of 4-5 months of travel to Zanskar between June to Sept end on the only single route from Kargil to Padum. Let’s quickly go through the weather conditions during various seasons in Zanskar to get an idea of the best time to travel here.
May to June
With the onset of May, ZANSKAR valley is thrown open to tourists after being cut off from the rest of the world for over six months. As summer sets in, the temperatures during daytime ranges between 20°C to 30°C and dips down to below 10°C during night time. The temperature remains moderate & pleasant during these months. This is a perfect time to enjoy the whiteness of the snowcapped mountains surrounding the vast valley. Adventure sports like white water rafting and monastery festivals are held during these months. The terrain remains connected facilitating vehicle movement.
July to August
Since Zanskar falls in the rain shadow region, it experiences Nil to very scanty rainfall during the monsoon months. Usually, it drizzles & the lush green SURU valley blooms exhibiting its exquisite flora. The snow from the towering mountains melts and rushes down in the form of water streams everywhere. Road conditions may deteriorate due to the flowing water streams from the melting glaciers. Roads may be blocked due to landslides, muddy slush and river water entering the roads (a little beyond the Parkachik Glacier area). But overall, these months are the best months to travel and is a peak season everywhere.
September to Mid October
This is one good time to visit when the atmosphere is quite pleasant and water streams are relatively tame. If you are someone who would love the yellow and burning rustic colors of the valley, this is the right time. Being a receding season, there are less tourists & the place is relatively quiet. Mid October marks the end of the season & an end of all tourist activities.
November to March
In ZANSKAR, winters are extremely harsh with temperatures dipping to sub zero levels between – 2 deg. to -20 deg.C. Heavy snowfall clogs the high altitude passes & the ZANSKAR valley again goes into slumber for the next 5-6 months. Road transportation between Kargil & Padum comes to a grinding halt leaving CHADAR TREK as the only route of access to ZANSKAR.
The ZANSKAR river flowing northwards through a narrow gorge connects with the INDUS river at NIMMU. During this period, the river freezes completely to form an icy sheet on the riverbed. The 105 kms trek from Chiling to PADUM remains the only accessible route for the Zanskar folks. During the months of January & February, many adventure seekers flock at Nimmu to experience the CHADAR trek.
TO SUMMARIZE
In this article, I have tried to elaborate on the weather conditions during various months of the year & its impact on the travel conditions. In case you find this article useful, please share it with your friends, relatives interested in travel to ZANSKAR.
Should you like to have any further information, you can leave a message in the section below & I would be glad to respond to you.