Zanskar

Zanskar was an independent Buddhist kingdom for most of the last thousand years, ruled from Padum and Zangla, and its isolation is still the first fact of any visit. The valley lies between the Great Himalaya and the Zanskar range at 3,500 to 4,000 m; the road in from Kargil takes eight hours over Pensi La, past the Drang Drung glacier, and it still shuts with snow for roughly half the year, as do the newer roads from Nimmu and over Shinku La from Darcha. In those months the only way out on foot is the Chadar, a walk along the frozen Zanskar river through a gorge to Chilling, and the trek that villagers made for salt and school has become India's most famous winter expedition.

Summer is different: barley fields glow green around Padum, and the Stod and Tsarap rivers join to form the Zanskar. Karsha, the largest monastery, terraces up a hillside opposite the town and holds the Gustor festival in July. Sani, a few kilometres away, claims a stupa from the time of Kanishka.

Phugtal, the one everyone comes for, is built into a cave mouth in a cliff above the Tsarap and reached only on foot, a walk of several hours from the roadhead at Cha. Stongde, Bardan and Zangla's ruined palace fill the other days. Rafting from Padum down the Zanskar gorge to Nimmu is a four- or five-day expedition with grade three and four water.

Zanskar rewards those who give it a week and forgive it the roads.