Best Zanskar Itinerary – How to Visit Zanskar Valley in 8 days

Last Updated on: Jun 5, 2024

About this blog: Zanskar Valley is fast becoming one of the most sought-after destinations for adventure seekers. Nestled in one of the remote corners of the Himalayas, Zanskar valley is one of the most difficult places to reach. After our trip to Zanskar Valley, we have been asked to create a Zanskar Itinerary by our readers. So here I am, sharing the most common Zanskar Valley Itinerary with you.

Zanskar Valley was a fairly difficult place to reach even a few years back. There was only one way to reach the valley and that was from Kargil. So either you had to start from Leh or Srinagar, drive to Kargil and then carry forward to Padum, the main town of Zanskar. The total distance of the journey was almost 450 km and it would take at least two days to reach Padum from Kargil.

Furthermore, the roads were pretty bad and remained open only during the summer season, that is, practically only for 5-6 months. The difficulty of reaching Zanskar and the lack of knowledge about the area made Zanskar quite untouched by Indian tourists.

The roads are still in bad condition. In 2020, a couple of new roads were constructed – one from Leh to Zanskar and the other from Manali to Zanskar. These newly constructed roads made reaching Zanskar a tad bit easier. However, these roads are not yet fully constructed and you are going to have quite an adrenaline rushing off-roading experience on these routes.

Table of Contents

Most Common Zanskar Itinerary

As mentioned before, new roads to Zanskar Valley have been constructed and now you can reach Zanskar from both Leh and Manali. So here, I will share a few Zanskar itineraries, considering the starting point of your journey. You can choose one depending on the number of days you have in hand and what you want to experience. You can also always change the number of days you spend in Padum or any particular place as per your convenience.

Please note that these Zanskar Valley Itineraries are tentative and you can always tweak them as per your choice.

Zanskar Itinerary 1: Zanskar from Leh

Zanskar offroading trip-Leh to Zanskar Valley

In this Zanskar Valley Itinerary, you start from Leh and end at Kargil. From Kargil, you can head either towards Leh or Srinagar as per your convenience. This trip will take you at least 6 days from Leh to Kargil.

Leh to Zanskar Itinerary (Short)

Day 0 | Arriving at Leh
Day 1 | Leh – Lamayuru or Khaltse
Day 2 | Lamayuru – Padum via Lingshed
Day 3 | Padum Sightseeing
Day 4 | Padum – Purne/ Cha
Day 5 | Purne/Cha – Phugtal Monastery Trek – Purne/Cha – Padum
Day 6 | Padum – Rangdum
Day 7 | Rangdum – Kargil
Day 8 | Kargil – Leh/ Srinagar

Detailed Itinerary

Day 0 | Arriving at Leh

You will most probably be flying into Leh. Spend the day for acclimatization. There will be a lot of travelling the next few days so give yourself ample rest.

You might visit Leh Palace, Leh Market or Shanti Stupa after you are well rested. However, we suggest not to overexert yourself.

Night Stay: Leh

Day 1 | Leh – Lamayuru or Khaltse

114 km, 3 hrs

Start from Leh and drive to Lamayuru.
Gurudwara Patthar Sahib, Magnetic Hill and Sangam Point will fall on the way. You can stop there.
You can explore Lamayuru Monastery once you are at Lamayuru.

Night Stay: Lamayuru

Day 2 | Lamayuru – Padum via Lingshed

201 km, 9 – 10 hrs

This is going to be a long day of driving, so you have to start quite early from Lamayuru or Khaltse. It is better if you start by 6 AM. Then you will reach Padum on time and will also be able to stop at the various points on the route for photography breaks.
The road from Lamayuru to Wanla is pretty good. But a few kilometers beyond Wanla, the real journey starts. Be ready for rough driving and horrible road conditions.
It will take about 2 hours to reach Sir Sir La, the second highest pass on this route.
From Sir Sir La, drive to Photoksar and then to Singe La, the highest Pass on this route.
After Singe La, comes Lingshed. If you want to visit the Lingshed Monastery, you have to take a diversion uphill. Visit the monastery only if you have adequate time in hand, Because, the journey from Lingshed to Padum will take another 4 hours, minimum.
After Lingshed, comes a number of loops. These bends are pretty steep, but thankfully, you have to drive downhill. If you are taking the opposite route, that is, from Padum to Leh, then driving in these bends is quite difficult. Your 4-wheeler is going to suffer.
So, a pro-tip: if you are taking this route via Lingshed, travel from Leh to Zanskar and not the other way round.
After the loops, you will come across the Lingshed stream, which you have to cross over.
After another 3 -4 hours of drive, depending on the number of breaks you take, you will reach Padum.
You can also visit Zangla Palace if you have time.
Stay the night at Padum. You can also stay at a homestay at any of the villages near Padum.

Night Stay: Padum

Day 3 | Padum Sightseeing

Padum is basically a small town and is the current administrative headquarters of Zanskar Valley. Most of the attractions in Zanskar Valley are located in and around Padum, mostly within a distance of 40-45 km. Being a Buddhist region, Zanskar Valley has its fair share of Monasteries.
Visit Sani Gompa, Dzongkhul Gompa and Karsha Gompa. Karsha Monastery is the largest monastery in the Zanskar region.
Visit Padum local market in the afternoon.

Night Stay: Padum

Day 4 | Padum – Purne/ Cha

56 km, 2.5 – 3 hrs

Start early and explore some monasteries near Padum.
You can visit Stongdey Gompa, Stakrimo and Pibiting Monastery.
After that drive towards Purne or Cha village. The drive from Padum to both Purne and Cha village takes about 2.5 hours. The roads are pretty rough. So definitely start by noon.

Night Stay: Purne/ Cha

Day 5 | Purne/Cha – Phugtal Monastery Trek – Purne/Cha – Padum

Trek – 5 km approx, 2-3 hrs, Drive – 56 km, 2.5 – 3 hrs

Purne and Cha are two villages located on either side of the Tsarap River. There is a trek route to Phugtal Gompa from both the villages. The route from Cha village is a bit easier.
Trek to Phugtal Monastery. The trek will take about 2-3 hours depending on your fitness and the number of breaks you take.
Explore Phugtal Monastery. It is one of the remotest monasteries in Zanskar Valley. Also known as the cave monastery, visiting Phugtal monastery is an experience in itself.
Trek back to Purne/Cha and then drive back to Padum.

Night Stay: Padum

Day 6 | Padum – Rangdum

105 km, 5 hrs

It is time to bid farewell to Zanskar Valley. Start from Padum in the morning and drive towards Rangdum.
On the way, stop to admire the beauty of Drang Drung Glacier, Pensi La Pass and the twin Lakes. The landscape is stunning and you will feel like taking many photography breaks.
Also visit Rangdum Monastery, just a few kilometers ahead of the village.
Stay the night at Rangdum. There is one guest house and a couple of homestays in the village.

Night Stay: Rangdum

Day 7 | Rangdum – Kargil

Start in the morning and drive through the beautiful Suru Valley.
On the way, you will come across Parkachik Glacier. You have to take a detour if you want to visit Parkachik village.
Panikhar is another beautiful village on the way.
You will also get the views of the massive Nun and Kun peaks.
Finally driving through Sankoo, reach Kargil for a night stay.

Night Stay: Kargil

On the way towards Rangdum _ Zanskar Itinerary

That is the end of your Zanskar Valley trip. You can head towards either Leh or Srinagar from Kargil for further travel.

Things to Consider:

If you have a day extra, then you can stay another day in Padum and explore Shela village and Shela waterfall.
For an extra day, you can also stay the night at Lingshed village.
You can also decrease a day in Padum and use it elsewhere. And if you have less time, then simply stay at Padum for 2 nights.
On day 6, you can stay at Parkachik or Panikhar instead of Rangdum.
You can skip Phuktal Monastery trek, if you are not up for trekking. But I highly recommend you do it.
You can do the trip in reverse as well, that is, start from Kargil and end in Leh. But I would not recommend this route.

Zanskar Valley Itinerary 2: Manali to Zanskar Valley

Zanskar off-roading trip-Manali to Padum

In this Zanskar Valley itinerary, you will start from Manali and will end at Kargil. From there, you can either head towards Leh or Srinagar, as per your convenience.

Manali to Zanskar Itinerary (Short)

Day 0 | Arrive at Manali
Day 1 | Manali – Darcha
Day 2 | Darcha – Shinku La – Gombo Ranjan – Kurgiakh – Purne
Day 3 | Purne – Phugtal Monastery Trek – Purne – Padum
Day 4 | Padum Sightseeing
Day 5 | Padum sightseeing
Day 6 | Padum – Rangdum
Day 7 | Rangdum – Kargil
Day 8 | Kargil – Leh/ Srinagar

Day 0 | Arrive at Manali

You will probably arrive at Manali on this day. Spend the day exploring Manali, but do not overexert yourself.

Day 1 | Manali – Darcha

102 km, 4 hrs

Start from Manali and drive through the Atal Tunnel to enter the Lahaul Valley.
You will cross Sissu and Tandi on the way. Please note that Tandi is the last place where you will get a petrol pump before reaching Padum.

Night Stay: Darcha

Day 2 | Darcha – Shinku La – Gombo Ranjan – Kurgiakh – Purne

112 km, 6 – 7 hrs

Gombo Ranjan - sacred mountain of Zanskar Valley