River Rafting in Ladakh Zanskar

Written by Zara Jones

Adventurous Expedition in the Lapel of Nature

Zanskar River, a remote Himalayan tributary of the Indus is one of the most amazing ravines in the world.  Renowned as the Grand Canyon of the Himalaya, an expedition down the Zanskar features an excursion through a geologic heaven, submersion into a culture virtually unknown throughout the contemporary world.

Photo courtesy of  Erica_St

The Zanskar valley is a tranquil and isolated part of the Trans-Himalayan region of Ladakh. This valley allures many adventure tourists who visit this place to experience river-rafting in Zanskar River, in the month of July and August. Besides enjoying the gushing rapids, they take delight of exploring the scenic panorama of the villages, monasteries and exalted peaks that appear like touching the heavens.

The rafting in Zanskar consists of four-day air time, a bone-jarring multi-day jeep ride through the stunning Himalayan woods, and a minimum of five days of rafting, not including layovers.  This tourist place is famous for a number of attractions counting Leh Palace, Leh Mosque, Leh Monasteries, Stok Palace Museum, Tsemo Gompa, etc. Other than the water escapade, tourists may visit the place for a relaxing holiday as well.

The expedition begins from Leh, where the tourists experience the beautiful vista. After Leh, they can make a trip to Kargil.  Tourists can also visit one of the oldest Gompas in Ladakh -- "Lamayuru Monastery". Adventure enthusiasts may camp in the snow-capped foothills, apart from staying in the hotels.  

The journey then continues towards, Pensi La, Randum and the other elevated areas. The river rafting expedition begins at Ramela.  During the water journey from Ramela to Padum, rafters get the chance to visit the Karsha Gompa, the largest monastery in Zanskar that boasts of a number of religious shrines.  

The water expedition does not end exploring peaks around Karsha.  Rafters can continue their journey to Lamaguru and Nyerak.  The best part of the Zanskar river expedition is that rafters find themselves surrounded by high snow-capped peaks, some of which are 6000 metres high.

The tourists planning the adventurous rafting trip in Zanskar Valley should avail the tour assistance from recognized travel operators.  These tour operators have the detailed idea of the best places and best timings for rafting in Zanskar.  Not only they will offer the excellent tour itineraries, but they will also provide customized rafting tour packages that will suit your needs and pocket as well.

The white water rafting in Ladakh is like nowhere else in the world.  July to August is the suitable season for enjoying the water sports in the Zanskar Valley.  During these months, snow from the high mountain peaks begins to melt.  It results in increasing the intensity of water and therefore making the river perfectly enjoyable for the adventurous tourists.

The adventure tour to Ladakh involves sights and sounds of monasteries, fluttering prayer flags and some of the best water-sport experiences that unfold the beauty of the Mother Nature and are far beyond tourists' expectations!

Author Bio:

Zara is an active travelogue and a professional writer.  She loves sharing her experiences and rendering information about adventure travel and tourism related topic about India. You will be reading more of her articles whose main purpose is to motivate the people to travel.