Zanskar Valley

Zanskar is one of the last genuinely difficult journeys left in India, and that is the whole appeal. The valley is cut off by snow for around seven months of the year. In summer a single road comes in over the Pensi La from Kargil, and it is long, rough and worth every hour of it. Padum is the only real settlement. Phuktal monastery is built into a cliff cave above a river and takes a walk of several hours to reach — there is no road to it, which is why it feels the way it does. In deep winter, when the road closes, the frozen Zanskar river itself becomes the route: the Chadar trek, walked on the ice in temperatures well below freezing. It is a serious undertaking, not a holiday, and it needs a proper operator and real cold-weather experience. It has also become less reliable as winters warm, and trips are cancelled. If you are coming in summer, budget more days than the distance suggests. Landslides close the road, and there is no alternative route. July to early September for the road. Late January and February for the ice.