Zanskar, the "land of white copper" is one of the remotest and least explored regions of India. Spreading out like a fan with three arms between the Zanskar and Great Himalayan Ranges, the glacier is cut across by the Stod that joins the Tsarap (or Lingit) to form the Zanskar.Closed to the outside world till very recently, the Zanskar region is now a very popular trek route, with unspoilt valleys, stark mountain ranges, and traditional hamlets.
Habitat for a population of about 10, 000 tenacious Zanskaris, very little grows here except a crop of hardy barley. Because of their isolation, the people of this valley have preserved an ancient form of Buddhism, which follows a strict set of rules to utilise limited resources in the best possible manner. Till the 80s the only way to get into and out of the valley was through snow-covered 5, 000 metre high passes or along the chadar (sheet of ice) of the frozen Zanskar River in winter. Now a motorable track has been cut through across the Pensi La, though often bad weather and snow can block traffic. Nevertheless, a journey from Padum (main town) to Kargil that once took about seven days can be accomplished in fourteen hours or so.Zanskar is the land to come to for a tryst with the past, for a journey into the unknown -a trip that will almost certainly throw up surprises by the score.
So travel to Zanskar and explore the rugged charm of Zanskar yourself.The famous Hungarian explorer Coso de Koros spent nearly a year, in 1826-27, at the monastery of Phugthal translating Buddhist texts from Ladakhi into English. He was one of the first European travelers to visit the region. An inscription of his name can be still found in the monastery. A few years later, the Dogra general Zorawar Singh led his army over the Umasi La during the conquest of Ladakh and the Zanskar. In 1834 he reduced the powers of the royal families in both Padum and Zangla to a nominal status and established the fort at the village of Pipiting just north of Padum. He is also said to have paid a small fortune to hire a local guide to lead his army directly across the passes of the Zanskar Range to the Indus Valley in Order to mount a surprise attack on the king of Ladakh. The Dogra conquest was recorded by Thomas Thomson, a member of the East India Company’s Boundary Commission crossing the Umasi La in June 1848 en route through the Zanskar and Indus Valleys to the Korakoram Pass.Generally April to August are good months but the weather can be tricky in the early summer, so it may be best to plan your trip in July or August. The summer days are pleasant but nights can turn a bit chilly. Winters are too cold to travel to Zanskar.