Through Drass, Suru
and Zanskar
This is not the usual Srinagar-Leh highway. This route goes deep — through the cold desert of Drass, the green Suru Valley with views of Nun and Kun peaks, and all the way into Zanskar before crossing into Himachal Pradesh and ending in Manali. A point-to-point journey through some of the least-visited landscapes in the Indian Himalayas.
Leave Srinagar and cross Zoji La (11,575 ft) — the gateway from Kashmir into Ladakh. Descend into Drass, the second coldest inhabited place on earth. Visit the Drass War Memorial, built in memory of the 1999 Kargil War. Overnight Drass.
Pass through Kargil — the second largest town in Ladakh — and turn south into the Suru Valley. The valley is greener than most of Ladakh, with terraced fields and the twin peaks of Nun (7,135m) and Kun (7,077m) dominating the skyline. Overnight Suru Valley.
Cross Pensi La (14,436 ft) with views of the Drang Drung Glacier — one of the largest glaciers in Ladakh. Visit Rangdum Monastery perched on a hill above the valley floor. Descend into Zanskar and arrive in Padum, the capital of Zanskar Valley. Overnight Padum.
A full day in Zanskar. Visit Karsha Monastery — the largest monastery in Zanskar, perched dramatically above the valley. Walk to Stongdey or Zangla. In the evening, walk through Padum village and meet local people. Overnight Padum.
Drive south along the Tsarap River towards Phugtal Monastery — one of the most remarkable buildings in Asia, built into a cliffside cave above the river. Walk down to visit the monastery (around 30 minutes on foot). Continue to Purne for overnight.
Cross from Zanskar into Himachal Pradesh via Gumbok Rangan and descend to the Bhaga River valley. Arrive in Jispa — a small roadside settlement on the Manali-Leh highway at 3,200m. Overnight Jispa.
Drive through Keylong and through the Atal Tunnel into the Kullu Valley. Arrive Manali. Trip ends. Onward connections to Delhi by bus or to Chandigarh by road.