# The Zanskar road trip: Leh to Padum by both doors

> For the first time in history, Zanskar can be driven as a loop: the old Penzi La door from Kargil and the new Shinku La door toward Manali. Here is the whole circuit, fuelled, timed and acclimatised.

Call it the Zanskar Grand Loop: Leh west to Kargil, south up the Suru, over Penzi La to Padum, valley days among the gompas, then out southeast past Gonbo Rangjon and Shinku La to the Manali-Leh highway. Seven to nine days, two 4,400-metre passes, one tank-sized question of fuel. Acclimatise in Leh for two nights first; the loop never drops low again.

## Leg 1: Leh to Kargil, the warm-up

A paved day down the Indus with mandatory pauses: the confluence viewpoint, Lamayuru's moonland and gompa, the Mulbekh rock-cut Buddha. Sleep in **Kargil**, tank to the brim, draw cash: the next ATM that reliably works is days away.

## Leg 2: the Suru valley and Penzi La

The old door earns its legend. The road climbs the **Suru** under the double 7,000-metre wall of **Nun and Kun**, past Panikhar's meadows, onto gravel that worsens as the scenery improves. At **Penzi La (4,400 m)** the **Drang-Drung glacier** uncoils below the pass like a river someone paused: the loop's first great photograph. Descend the Stod to **Padum** by evening: a long, glorious ten-to-twelve-hour day, or split it at Rangdum's lonely monastery camp.

> **FUEL ARITHMETIC** Padum has the valley's only pump and its supply has moods. The loop's safe rule: full tank at Kargil, top up whatever Padum offers, and carry a jerrican if your machine drinks. Next certain fuel: Keylong side, after Shinku La. Carry cash for all of it.

## Legs 3-4: the valley days

Base in Padum and spend two days the way the valley wants. Morning puja at **Karsha**, the white staircase across the plain; the gentle drive to **Zangla's** castle ruin and nunnery; **Stongdey's** terrace for the whole kingdom in one view. Then the non-negotiable: up the Tsarap to the roadhead by **Purne**, and the gorge walk to **Phugtal**, the monastery that grows out of a cave. Overnight in a Purne homestay to catch the monks' dawn horns; day-tripping it is possible but feels like leaving the opera at intermission.

## Leg 5: out by the new door

The southern road follows the Tsarap past the turnoffs trekkers once owned, swings beneath **Gonbo Rangjon** (stop; everyone stops; the god-rock insists), and climbs to **Shinku La (~5,090 m)** where prayer flags mark the Lahaul border. Descend to **Darcha** and the Manali-Leh highway: civilisation, tarmac, tea stalls. From here, Manali is a day south, Leh a long day north over more famous passes: your loop, your pick.

> **Padum beds anchor the whole loop.** Guesthouses are simple and few: book the valley nights before you cross the first pass. [Find a Padum stay ](https://www.stay22.com/allez/roam?aid=geoguides&lang=en¤cy=USD&lat=33.4664&lng=76.8862&campaign=zanskarvalley_article_roadtrip)

## Machine, driver, manners

Any healthy SUV or Royal Enfield does the loop in season; clearance matters more than power, and water crossings peak with afternoon snowmelt, so cross passes before noon. Local drivers from Leh know every culvert's biography and cost less than a bent rim. On the road: give monks and yaks the right of way, take none of the mani stones, and accept every offered butter tea; refusing twice is rude, and the third cup is where the stories start.

## The loop, assembled

**D1-2** Leh, acclimatise · **D3** Leh-Kargil · **D4** Kargil-Padum via Penzi La (or split at Rangdum) · **D5** Karsha + Zangla · **D6** Purne, walk to Phugtal, homestay · **D7** Purne-Shinku La-Darcha · **D8** on to Manali or back to Leh. Season: mid-June to mid-October. Pack: cash, jerrican, sun layers, a headlamp for the generator hours, and patience in pass-sized quantities.

> **READ NEXT** [Delhi to Zanskar: Every Route, Flight and Road Option](https://zanskarvalley.com/delhi-to-zanskar-every-route-flight-and-road-opt.html) [Kargil to Padum: the Road That Changed Zanskar](https://zanskarvalley.com/kargil-to-padum-the-road-that-changed-zanskar.html) [Phugtal Monastery Trek: The Cave Monastery and the Walk In](https://zanskarvalley.com/phugtal-the-monastery-in-the-cave-and-the-walk-i.html) [Where to Stay in Zanskar: Padum, Homestays and Monasteries](https://zanskarvalley.com/where-to-stay-in-zanskar-padum-homestays-and-mon.html)

---

Source: https://zanskarvalley.com/zanskar-road-trip.html
Published 2026-10-22 · Zanskar Valley: independent guide (zanskarvalley.com)