HOW DO I REACH ZANSKAR

AIR

The nearest airport is LEH, which is at a distance of 445 kms from PADUM & Srinagar Airport which is 455 kms from PADUM. Most importantly acclimatization wise,  travelling from Srinagar side would be a better choice since the ascend is gradual. Secondly, distance wise although they are almost the same, Srinagar Airport is better connected to major cities in India. In either cases, you would also have to take the road option to reach PADUM.

RAIL

The nearest railhead is Jammu at a distance of 699 kms. Jammu is connected to Padum via Srinagar & Kargil.

ROAD

ZANSKAR is connected by road to major cities via KARGIL.  The distance between KARGIL to PADUM is 241 kms out of which the first 70 kms from KARGIL to PANIKHAR & a little further are tarred roads. The remaining 171 kms is a mix of offroad, rocky terrains & loose gravel.

  • KARGIL- 127 kms – RANGDUM – 114 kms – PADUM. Total :- 241 kms.
  • SRINAGAR –215 kms—KARGIL- 127 kms – RANGDUM – 114 kms – PADUM. TOTAL:- 456 kms
  • LEH –230 kms—KARGIL- 127 kms – RANGDUM – 114 kms – PADUM. TOTAL:- 471 kms
  • MANALI – 473 kms – LEH –217 kms—KARGIL- 127 kms – RANGDUM – 114 kms – PADUM. TOTAL :- 931 kms.

TREKKING ROUTES

Zanskar is the remotest destination of India & has a very limited time window for its connectivity with the mainland. While the KARGIL – PADUM road serves as the fastest route to connect other cities in India, the route remains open onl33y for 4-5 months starting from Mid May to Mid October. Beyond October till May, the PENZILA pass & the entire stretch submerges beneath heavy snow & ZANSKAR remains inaccessible by roads.

Alternately, ZANSKAR is connected by the following Trekking routes from Leh & Lahaul Valley via the below trekking routes.

CHADAR TREK

LEH – 60 kms – CHILLING –BAKULA – 2 hrs — GYALPO – 9 kms /5-6 hrs – TIBB’s CAVE – 9-10 kms / 8-9 hrs— NYERAK – 9-10 kms / 7-8 hrs – LINGSHED – 6-7 hrs – WARSANGDO – 5-6 hrs – PISHU – 5-6 hrs –KARSHA – 10 kms – PADUM

Duration :- LEH to PADUM (9 days). Drive till Chilling (60 kms) & trek for the next 9 days.

DARCHA ROUTE

Offlate, every tourist has been inquiring about the DARCHA route via SHINKU LA pass.  The road between DARCHA in LAHAUL valley of Himachal and PADUM in the Zanskar across the 16,600ft high Shinkula (Shingo-la) has been under construction for quite some time. The relentless efforts of the BRO under adverse working conditions, difficult terrains, ongoing hampering of snowfall, rains etc. have yielded results in laying the road till Shinku La, beyond which the remaining road has to be covered on foot. This road has still not become motorable for general traffic movement. There had been news of three persons having successfully reached Padum via this route. But they had a Fortuner 4 x 4 SUV. Once this road is thrown open, it would be a boon for the Zanskar locals, as it would cut down the Zanskar – Manali road to just about 280 kms and would make the Mainland more accessible to locals for trade routes & commerce . The present route from Manali to Zanaskar goes via Leh – Kargil – Rangdum which is about 921 kms and takes about 4 days to reach. This route would cut it down to just 280 kms. This means that this route would help in skipping about 641 kms.

BEST ROUTE TO TRAVEL TO ZANSKAR

The best route out of the above is to travel via Srinagar for the below reasons

  • SRINAGAR is nearer compared to Manali.
  • LEH is almost at a similar distance, but if you come via LEH by Air, you may have to wait for a day OR two to acclimatize yourself to avoid getting hit by AMS.
  • Air fare to Srinagar would be lower compared to LEH.
  • Travelling from the Srinagar side would help you acclimatize your body properly, since the ascend is gradual unlike LEH & MANALI side. Hence you are better prepared for LADAKH when you travel via SRINAGAR.
  • It gives you the opportunity to complete the whole circuit starting from the Srinagar side & finishing from the Manali side linking all destinations enroute in the ascending order of their respective altitudes.