Zanskar Valley Travel Guide: Padum, Monasteries and the Chadar

The Kargil district, which administers Zanskar, measures the valley's sights from Padum, and most of them are monasteries. The road in passes two other places worth knowing: the Suru valley and Rangdum. Zanskar is a long extension of a Ladakh trip, not a day out; read our Ladakh travel guide first for permits, acclimatisation and the main routes.

Rangdum and the Suru valley

The road to Zanskar climbs the Suru valley from Kargil. The Kargil district names Purtikchey, 60 km from Kargil, as a viewpoint for the Nun peak, 7,135 metres, and Rangdum, 130 km from Kargil, as an ideal camping place with an imposing 18th-century monastery on a hillock like an ancient fort. Ladakh Tourism calls the Suru valley the gateway to Zanskar, dominated by Nun and Kun, the highest mountains in Ladakh. Rangdum is also a base for several treks.

Penzi La and the Drang-Drung glacier

The Penzi La is the highest point on the Kargil–Zanskar road, at 4,401 to 4,450 metres and 160 km from Kargil. The district describes a table land with two small turquoise lakes, camping sites and views of permafrost mountains, and names the Drang-Drung glacier among the things to see. Unlike the Zojila, it has plenty of flat ground. The pass is the reason Zanskar is closed to road traffic for much of the year.

Padum

Padum is the starting point for most of what follows: the Kargil district measures the monasteries below from it. IMD includes Padum among the stations of its daily Ladakh report, so it is the place to look for the valley's overnight temperature and recent snowfall. Plan your monastery visits from here.

Karsha Gompa

Nine km from Padum, Karsha is the largest monastic establishment in Zanskar. The Kargil district describes a complex of whitewashed buildings that can be seen from Padum, with 150 monks, eight temples and two assembly halls, founded in the 14th century. It holds valuable icons, artefacts, scrolls and thangkas, and its position makes it an easy first visit from Padum.

Sani and Stongde

Sani Gonpa, 7 km before Padum, is a castle-like monastery that, unlike most Ladakhi monasteries, stands on level ground. A legend ties its origin to the Kushan ruler Kanishka, and the Kanishka Stupa stands in its walled complex. Stongde, 18 km from Padum, is perched on a hillock above its village and is associated with the Tibetan yogi Marpa.

Phugtal, Burdan and Zangkul

Phugtal is a cave monastery in the Lungnak valley, founded in the second half of the 11th century by Phagspa Sherab Zangpo, which the Kargil district calls one of Zanskar's superb cave monasteries. In the same valley, 12 km from Padum, Burdan Monastery perches on a rock rising vertically from the river; it was founded in the early 17th century and is known as the seat of Lama Barapa. Zangkul Gompa, in a side valley near Ating village, is the meditation retreat of the Indian yogi Naropa, of the 10th century, and lies on the Padum–Kishtwar trek.

Walk the monastery circuit from Padum, camp at Rangdum, or trek. The Kargil district lists Rangdum–Hinaskote (6 days), Padum–Raru–Manali (9 days), Padum–Lamayuru via Zangla (7 days) and Padum–Zangkul–Omasila–Kishtwar (8 days), and the Leh district lists Lamayuru–Padum in 9 to 11 days. The Leh district notes that a well-experienced guide and good camping gear are essential. Rafting is for expeditions: the Leh district says the Zanskar between Padum and Nimu suits only well-organised white-water trips prepared for several days of camping, while guided runs on the lower river go from Chilling to the Sangam near Nimu. More ideas for the region are on our Ladakh tours and experiences page, and our trekking experiences cover the wider mountains.

The Chadar is a walk on the frozen Zanskar river. The UT Ladakh administration describes it as an important winter activity spanning about a month and a half in January and February, and Ladakh Tourism gives a temperature range of minus 25°C to minus 15°C, a starting point at Chilling and a maximum altitude of 3,400 metres. It lists 9 to 10 days, while the Leh district lists Nimu to Padum in 6 to 7 days. Whether it goes ahead is decided each winter. The Leh district issues standard operating procedures for it, and its Deputy Commissioner has said he would prohibit the trek if the ice is unstable. The Border Roads Organisation's Nimu–Padum–Darcha road along the river has also shortened the route. Check the Leh district's notices in the weeks before you plan, and do not go without an experienced operator.

Zanskar lies in Kargil district and is reached by road from Kargil, 250 km, with no air service, by the Kargil district. Leh to Padum is around 460 km by road through Kargil. Count the stages, not the total: Leh to Kargil, Kargil to Rangdum (130 km), Rangdum over the Penzi La (160 km from Kargil) to Padum, and the same back. If you start from Srinagar, the highway passes Sonmarg and Drass; see our Sonmarg travel guide. The Leh district's how-to-reach page also lists a road from Manali by Darcha, Zanskar and Nimu to Leh. The UT administration has described the Border Roads Organisation's Nimu–Padum–Darcha road along the river as under construction, so ask about its status before planning around it.