Padum and the Zanskar Valley

Where is Padum, and how high is it?

Padum, also written Padam, is a town and the administrative headquarters of Zanskar district in Ladakh. The Ladakh administration notified Zanskar district on 27 April 2026, naming Padum its headquarters and carving it out of Kargil district. Wikipedia says the town takes its name from the guru Padmasambhava and was once a capital of the Zanskar Kingdom, which had Zangla as its second. It records 1,550 residents in the 2011 census and gives the height as 3,669 m.

Zanskar is a high-altitude semi-desert of 6,688 sq km and 13,793 people, according to Wikipedia's provisional district figures. Our Ladakh guide places it among the region's far stops.

How do you get to Padum from Kargil?

The main approach is NH301, built in 1980 from Kargil up the Suru valley and over Pensi La. Wikipedia's two articles disagree on its length, 235 km in one and 240 km in the other, and they disagree about Rangdum too: the village article puts Rangdum about 100 km from Kargil, the monastery article 196 km. Rangdum monastery lies 103 km northwest of Padum on that article's count, so the halfway night is real, though the kilometres are not settled. The road runs through Kargil and past Rangdum.

Before NH301 existed, Pensi La was open for only three months a year, says Wikipedia. It now stays open for 6 to 7 months and still shuts in winter snow, which keeps alive a demand for an all-weather Pensi La tunnel.

Which monasteries can you visit near Padum?

Wikipedia adds that Padum has a newly built Dalai Lama Photang, a post office, internet cafes, telephone booths, and several hotels, homestays and restaurants. Dress modestly in the monasteries and ask before photographing monks or paintings.

When can you reach Padum, and what happens in winter?

The sources quoted here give no opening date for the road in any year, so ask about Pensi La for your own date. The Ladakh Police page also warns of rough patches, high passes and landslide or snow risks on Ladakh's highways, especially in June and July.

Does a phone work in Padum?

Wikipedia says Jio began 4G service in Padum in 2020 and Airtel mobile service in 2023, yet the Ladakh Police page says only postpaid connections work in Ladakh and that prepaid SIMs from other states are unreliable. It also says ATMs are sparse outside Leh. Carry cash and a postpaid SIM, and download offline maps before leaving Kargil.

How does altitude affect a Zanskar trip?

Ladakh Tourism requires at least 48 hours of complete rest in Leh before going higher, and the Ladakh Police page advises 24 to 48 hours. Padum is about 170 m above Leh and the road crosses Pensi La at 4,400 m, so Zanskar belongs late in a route. The Tourism advisory says Zanskar has minimal medical infrastructure and asks visitors to carry a first-aid kit and prescribed medicines. Anyone with a heart or lung condition should see a doctor first.

Do you need a permit for Zanskar?

Wikipedia's 2018 list of protected areas in Ladakh names parts of Khalatse, Nubra and Pangong and the Chiktan and Batalik areas of Kargil district, and it does not name Zanskar. A Free Press Journal report of 7 August 2021 said Indian nationals no longer need an inner line permit. Foreign-visitor rules differ and the Ladakh administration reviewed them on 24 August 2026, so ask us how permits are handled for the route you choose.

Which Soun Kashmir trip includes Padum?

None of the four listed trips goes to Zanskar. The ten-day Kashmir Ladakh Tour at ₹21,550 stops at Kargil but turns east for Leh. A Padum route is not listed, so ask our tour planners for a quote: see the Ladakh tour packages page, or the Srinagar to Ladakh taxi page for the road to Kargil.

Where do the facts on this page come from?

On 6 November 2026 we read the Wikipedia articles on Padum, Zanskar district, Pensi La, Rangdum, Rangdum Monastery, Karsha, Bardan and Stongdey monasteries and the list of protected areas of India, the Ladakh administration's release of 27 April 2026 and its release of 24 August 2026, the Outlook India report of 14 January 2026, the Free Press Journal report of 7 August 2021, the Ladakh Tourism advisory and the Ladakh Police tourist safety page. The article on Padum carries a notice asking for more citations, and its road figures conflict with other Wikipedia articles, so treat every distance as approximate. Road and permit rules change, so confirm them before you travel.