Zanskar - the name itself eludes awe and mystic whenever you hear of it. And when we started for this magical land from Leh, it was a mixed sense of of excitement, adventure and curiosity as to what lay ahead of us in this journey. It is going to be an approx. 350km drive all along Zanskar river driving across Wanla, Photaskar, Sirsir la to Padum - the main town of Zanskar. It was an 8 to 9 hours non-stop drive before we reached Zangla village-the erstwhile old capital of Zanskar valley, at a distance of 35 kms from Padum - the main town of Zanskar.
The Zanskar Range separates the Zanskar valley from Indus valley at Leh.
Geologically, the Zanskar Range is part of the Tethys Himalaya, an approximately 100-km-wide synclinorium formed by strongly folded and imbricated, weakly metamorphosed sedimentary series.
Till a few years back, Zanskar region has been overlooked by Indian tourists and travellers owing to firstly the vastly commercialised and developed tourist regions comprising of Kashmir on one side and Pangong, Nubra valley along with Karzok and Hanle on the other side. Also, road connectivity to Zanskar was also a reason why tourists and travellers alike gave this region a miss. This lack of quick access has prevented, some say protected, Zanskar from becoming a real adventure tourism destination Very few actually till recently had heard of this region in Ladakh that vow to have the same beauty and mysticism if not more like its better half of Ladakh.
Coming back to connectivity of Zanskar, we need to mention the Chadar Trek or Frozen River Trek in this regards for which Zanskar is more often known to tourists. In winters the Penzi La, which is located at an elevation of 14000 feet gets closed due to Snow. Penzi La is the only road which connects Zanskar with the out side world. The Road starts from Kargil and follows the Suru valley across the Penzi La till Padum - the Headquarter of Zanskar. The Zanskar range is high and steep, so there is no route for the people to connect with the other places of Ladakh. So when the River Zanskar freezes during winters, it forms a layer of Ice of it, which is hard enough for letting people walk on it. The Zanskari people in winters walk on it to reach Chilling, which has an all weather road connected with Leh. This has been a traditional route for these people for centuries. It was part of the Silk Route, and people waited for it to freeze, so they could head back to their homes. Even today this route is used by the Zanskari people to move in and out of the Zanskar Valley to Leh, though due to global warming, the river stays frozen only a couple of months now during peak winters when the famous Chadar Trek takes place.
From tourists’ point of view, Zanskar’s pristine water bodies, snow-capped mountains surrounding the region, and scenic landscape work as a major draw for tourists. Also, centuries-old monasteries dot this place, making it one of the favoured places for monastery lovers and a revered region for Buddhism. During winters, temperature can go down to -30 degree celsius; thus, travellers need to plan their visit to Zanskar during June to September, as after which the valley remains heavily covered in snow.
Reaching Zanskar takes time and is a rough journey as of now. There are 3 ways driving along which one can reach Zanskar. Incidentally, all these ways are under construction and will take some more time to get finished upon which it can be claimed each route is going to be a scenic ones to drive on and not as adrenaline-rushing as now. The first route that comes to mind is the scenic drive eith from Srinagar or Leh which takes a detour on the left from Kargil and thereafter driving across Suru valley via Panikhar, Rangdum, Drung Drung glacier, takes you to Pensi la pass which separates Suru from Zanskar valley finally ending at Padum - Zanskar valley’s main town and head quarters.
The 2nd road connects Zanskar with Himachal Pradesh’s Manali via Shinkula pass, which comes when you take the detour from Darchha on Leh Manali highway. Enroute, you will be crossing Kargiak village with the holy Gonba Rangjon standing guard and and Purne which is the base camp for Phugtal Monastery Trek. An all weather underpass is on the way in place of Shinkhula for an year-round connectivity to Zanskar along this route. The third route, which we have taken while enytering Zanskar and whose glimpses you can see over here connects Leh via Lamayuru driving along Zanskar river all along and covering places like Wanla, Photoskar, Sirsir la pass, Singe la enroute. A magical albeit dangerous route opens up before your eyes as you trudge along the muddy trail along Zanskar river. Once completed, each of these roads will hold precedence in making one of the most picturesque Himalayan drives of the country.
Негізгі бет Zanskar Road Trip | Leh to Padum | Episode 1
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