Zanskar

Continued from  https://tripories.in/zanskar/

How to reach Zanskar:

Road condition for a road trip

Now, this is the interesting part of this trip ….pahuchna Kaise hai..Zanskar is a remote area so flight and trains…forget it…roadways is the only option.

In order to reach Zanskar we took the below route

Delhi-Kullu-Manali-JIspa-Sisu-Darcha-Shinkula-Purne-Padum-Rangdum-Kargil-Srinagar-Patnitop-Delhi

We had divided our itinerary day-wise as mentioned below:

1. Day 1:Gurgaon To Manali
2. Day 2:Manali to Purne
3. Day 3: Purne to Padum
4. Day 4:Explore Padum
5. Day 5:Padum to Kargil
6. Day 6:Kargil to Patnitop
7. Day 7:Patnitop to Gurgaon

It’s a very difficult thing to say as to what is the best time to visit Zanskar. Honestly, it depends on how much strength you have and how much guts you have to face the same.

You can visit this place between May I would say June if you are on the bike from Delhi and entering from the Manali side. This place receives less rainfall but till Manali, you may get heavy rainfall after June.

If you have taken a flight to Srinagar and doing a road trip from there you can visit this place between May to Sep I would say. Temp is very nice in these months.

Road conditions:

Don’t expect anything as far roads are concerned. You will have very good roads till Manali and almost till Shinkola pass but after that, there are no roads. There are bad roads, very bad roads, and very very bad roads.

In and around Padum city you will see Tar road but beyond that nothing like it. We visited in May 2022 and there is n number of patches where BRO is working on a very large scale but it will take time.So b eprapared for that..

Delhi to Shinukala via Manali: Good roads

Shinku-La to Purne: Bad Roads and very bad roads

Purne to Padum: Bad roads

Padum to Kargil: Very bad roads

Kargil to Delhi via Srinagar: Good roads

If you are traveling by car it’s better to depend on Thar/Gorkha or a proper SUV with 4-wheel drive only.

There is continuous road work being done in this area as an attempt is made to connect this to other parts of India also but it will take time and once done this place is more beautiful than the Leh part.

• Distance chart

Where to Stay in Zanskar Valley:

I will share numbers where you can stay in Zanskar valley but mostly it’s homestay only. In Padum city you can find small hotels.

• We started from Gurgaon and our first night stop was Zostel in between Kuuu and Manali.
• Our second stop was a homestay in Purne at Dolma Aunty house.
• Our third Stop was at Padum at Hotel Rigyal. Hotel Rigyal – Phone: 094692 24500
• After that, we stayed at Kargil. (There are n number of options there
• After Kargil it was a roadside hotel at Patnitop and then we headed straight to Gurgaon only.

Zanskar as a belt will start just after Manali and will end at Rangadum. Between both these points, you will find homestay options only so don’t go there with high hopes that you will find luxury hotels there.

What to eat: When in Rome do what do…whether you are in Leh or Padum you should always try to eat the below dishes   

1. Momos
2. Thukpa
3. Skyu
4. Chhutagi
5. Tingmo
6. Chhurpe (dried yak cheese)
7. Butter tea
8. Chhang
9. Khambir
10. Apricot Jam

What to buy:

Its a very small place and so is the market is also. You can get a few shops for Tibetan handicrafts here. Also if you are lucky you can get a Yak wool shawl. It’s very warm.

You have to be very smart while bargaining as options are limited so you have to think and act accordingly.

Activities:

This is the most important thing in this overall trip . As things to don’t start when you reach Padum but it actually starts when you take a left turn from Manali-Leh Highway towards Zanskar.

It’s an experience of a lifetime. I would say below are the main things you should see when in Zanskar Valley:

1. Shinku La
2. Purne Village Life
3. Padum City and Market
4. Phuktal Monastery or Phugtal Gompa.
5. Zongkhul Monastery.
6. Sani Monastery & Sani Lake.
7. Karsha Monastery.
8. Stongdey Monastery.
9. Zangla Palace.
10. Bardan Gompa.
11. Sheela Village Waterfall.

Atm and petrol pumps:

After Manali, the next petrol pump is in Padum only . After that netx destination is in Kargil only.

Atm is Manali and than Kargil only.In between both the places you will not find anything.Its just roads and no roads and bad roads.`

Overall it’s a memorable trip which you will always remember.

Ye vo safar hai jo aako hamesha yaad rahega.humne bahut kuch dekha aur bahut kuch nahi dekh paaye lekin phir bhi vo zindagi ka 1 yaadgar chapter hai.