A remote valley of barley fields, glacier rivers and cliff-hung monasteries, reachable by road for only a few months each year.
Zanskar lies south-west of Leh, walled in by the Great Himalayan range and the Zanskar range. Its main town, Padum, sits at about 3,600 m in a wide, bright valley where the Stod and Lungnak rivers meet to form the Zanskar river.
Heavy snow on Pensi La and the other passes cuts the valley off by road for much of the year. Life is organised around monasteries like Karsha, Stongde and Phuktal, and villages farm barley and peas through the short summer.
In summer you can reach Zanskar by road from Kargil over Pensi La, or from Manali over the newer Shinku La road. In winter, the frozen Zanskar river becomes the route of the Chadar trek.
Private and small-group routes, each planned around the season and the altitude.
Leh · Shingra Koma · Tibb · Nerak
Twin-share tents · Permits included · GST extra
View rideLeh · Lamayuru · Kargil · Rangdum · Padum · Phuktal
Twin sharing · Leh to Leh · GST extra
View rideA few of the places we return to again and again.
Zanskar's largest monastery, its whitewashed buildings climbing a steep hillside.
A monastery built into a great cave above the Tsarap river, reached on foot.
A long river of ice curling down from the peaks, seen from the top of the pass.
A lonely monastery on a hillock in a wide, high valley between Kargil and Zanskar.
A ridge-top monastery with wide views across the valley to the snow peaks.
Barley fields, old palaces and nunneries along the Zanskar river.
Conditions vary from year to year — we check roads and weather before every departure.
Fully supported treks with local guides and crews.
From Leh via Kargil and Pensi La (two days), or from Manali via Shinku La. Both are long road journeys best done with an experienced driver.
At least ten days from Leh, so you have time in the valley itself and aren't spending every day in the car.
It's rough and unpaved in places but well travelled in summer. We use 4×4s with drivers who know it well.
Yes — Zanskar fits naturally into a longer Ladakh journey, entering via Kargil and leaving via Leh or Manali.
Tell us your dates and interests and we'll suggest a route that suits the season and your pace.
