BEST MODE OF TRAVEL TO ZANSKAR

SELF OWNED VEHICLES (4 Wheelers / 2 Wheelers)

 A self owned vehicle is allowed to travel anywhere in the ZANSKAR or the LADAKH region without any regulations whatsoever.

If you own the vehicle OR the vehicle is owned by one of the occupants of the vehicle OR is in the name of his / her near family (father, mother, own brother / sister OR wife), it would be allowed the same privileges.  Ideally, a declaration (from such a non travelling owner relative) confirming that there is no commercial transaction involved & the owner has granted permission to the occupant to use the vehicle should be preserved.

Needless to say, the self owned vehicles always remain the best option to explore the ZANSKAR & the LADAKH regions. The pleasure of experiencing this wondrous journey from KARGIL to Padum would remain etched in your memories forever. See my detailed article on SELF DRIVEN VEHICLE

While both the main highways from Srinagar to Leh & Manali to Leh are more or less fairly  maintained & are completely tarred, the road from Kargil to Zanskar is a mix of tarred road, rocky surfaces, loose gravel. The first 40 kms till SANKOO are tarred roads, beyond which the condition of the tarred road deteriorates till PARAKCHIK. Roads after  PARAKCHIK are all loose gravel, rocky surfaces, water crossings for the next 150 kms, till about 14 kms before PADUM.  Your average speed on a 2 wheeler would not be more than 18 kmph & maximum speed may not exceed 21 kmph (on the offroad stretches). It would nearly take about 10-12 hours from KARGIL to PADUM considering lunch, photography & leisure halts.  A 4-wheeler may do a little better & would cover up within 9-11 hours.

TAXIS / SHARE TAXI

ZANSKAR can be reached from SRINAGAR, LEH & MANALI via the following routes..

• SRINAGAR –215 kms—KARGIL- 127 kms – RANGDUM – 113 kms – PADUM. TOTAL:- 455kms
• LEH –230 kms—KARGIL- 127 kms – RANGDUM – 113 kms – PADUM. TOTAL:- 470 kms
• MANALI – 473 kms – LEH –217 kms—KARGIL- 127 kms – RANGDUM – 104 kms – PADUM. TOTAL :- 921 kms.

 Travelling to ZANSKAR by ROAD is the most complicated & an expensive affair amongst all the travels in the Ladakh region. Hence a complete knowhow of the regional rules would help you to ensure that your journey becomes seamless and with a minimal inconvenience 

• Taxi Service which takes you from Srinagar can drop you only upto Kargil OR Leh. But it can’t take you to ZANSKAR or do local sight seeing in the ZANSKAR / SURU Valley OR in the Ladakh Region.
• Taxi Service which takes you from LEH can drop you only upto Kargil OR Srinagar. But it can’t take you to ZANSKAR or do local sight seeing in the ZANSKAR / SURU Valley OR in Srinagar.
• Taxi service which takes you from KARGIL can drop you to ZANSKAR OR LEH OR SRINAGAR. However, it would not be allowed to do sightseeing in ZANSKAR.
• Local Sight Seeing within the ZANSKAR region has to be done only by Taxis from PADUM.
• Local sight seeing within the LADAKH region has to be done only by Taxis from Leh / Ladakh region.

If we look at it from the perspective of a Ladakhi local, you will understand the reason why such rules exist. Unlike other destinations, tourist season in the LADAKH / ZANSKAR region are limited to 4 months during the year. The remaining 8 months are mostly winter, wherein to & fro movements are restricted & there are no tourists. Whatever is earned in the tourist season has to be saved to sustain during these lean months. Apart from tourism, farming is one of the activity done in Ladakh for survival. Secondly, the terrain itself is so rough, that vehicles are subjected to premature maintenance thereby increasing the maintenance cost of the vehicle. The ruggedness of the terrain also results in high consumption of fuel. Under such conditions, if business during peak season is deprived from the locals by tour operators from other regions, their survival itself would be difficult. Hence, such unwritten rules of territory demarcation prevails. Taxi fare rates are comparatively higher, since the terrain is not smooth unlike other destinations. Offroads, water crossings, loose gravel, stony paths, muddy slush, black ice etc.. causes frequent maintenance to the vehicle due to premature wear out of tires, suspension, body work, services etc.

As a tourist, we may find these rules burning our pockets, but the above facts can’t be ignored & we will have to live with it.

ZANSKAR is connected by Road from SRINAGAR, LEH & MANALI via KARGIL

KARGIL- 127 kms – RANGDUM – 113 kms. Total :- 240 kms.

TAXI FARES

DESTINATION	No. OF DAYS	INNOVA / XUV 500	XYLO, SCORPIO, TAVERA &  QUALIS	SUMO / BOLERO	SHARED TAXI PER /SEAT
KARGIL to PADUM	1	14,765:00	14,026:00	13,710:00	1,600:00

 This route is accessible by Taxis hired through the KARGIL’s TAXI ASSOCIATION. It operates on a token system & it would be a good idea to make a pre-booking. You can either hire the complete taxi OR you may travel on a sharing basis too. Hiring the entire taxi entitles you to the freedom of taking breaks for photography OR enjoying a scenic spot, but would be quite expensive. Alternately, if you are travelling in smaller groups, you can simply hop into a share Taxi. They load about 8-10 passengers depending on the vehicle size & would leave only when the taxi is full. Except for a couple of breaks for lunch and tea, these vehicles do not stop anywhere.

BUS SERVICES from KARGIL operate till Sankoo, Panikhar & Parakchik. However, there is no direct BUS service from KARGIL to PADUM. There is a weekly Bus service from LEH to PADUM, which takes a night halt at KARGIL & proceeds to PADUM the next day.

SELF DRIVEN HIRED VEHICLES (like ZOOMCAR etc)

Again here, the same rule applies

Irrespective of whether you travel from Srinagar / Leh, your hired self Driven vehicle can be taken only till KARGIL. At Kargil, you would have to engage the local Taxi Service to drop you at PADUM. This Taxi service is only for drop till Padum. The KARGIL taxi cannot be used to do the local sight seeing in Padum. Hence engaging a Taxi from Kargil for the entire tour also would not help. At Padum, you would have to engage a local taxi service to visit places within the ZANSKAR valley.

BUS SERVICE

There is no direct bus service to ZANSKAR from KARGIL, but a weekly bus leaves LEH for PADUM. This bus takes a night halt at KARGIL & reaches PADUM the next day. However, its very unlikely that you would find a seat, since there is no reservation facility.