Zanskar

where my best friends live...

The land where I met the most wonderful people and made friends with them for life. Zanskar or Zangskar in the more common local dialect, is nestled in a remote corner of Ladakh. It is separated from the mainland Ladakh by the Zanskar ranges. Zanskar and Ladakh in ancient times were part of the western Tibetan kingdom called Guje. It is the land of high mountains, pristine glaciers,gushing streams and amazing strong charactered people, which will certainly make you fall in love with them. A river with the same name flows through the region, and most of the formation and character of the valley is due to this river. The Zanskar River has it’s origin at two places namely river Doda which originates near Penzila at 4400 mtrs, and Kargyak which has it’s origin near Shingo La at 5100 mtrs.

Travel in Zanskar is slowly catching up, but still it is one of the most less visited places in the Himalayas. The credit for this goes to it’s remoteness and the road which connects it with Kargil, across the Penzi La. Padum the capital of Zanskar, which is a tiny village in itself serves as a transit point for all activities in Zanskar. The land is popular for its amazing monasteries mainly at Padum, Karsha, Pibcha, Stongde and Phugtal