The Pashmina Road | Manali to Zanskar to Kargil to Kashmir | 3 States, 1 Route | 8D7N Scheduled Departure

kanupriya raniwala
2 days ago
8 min read

If you've read The Pashmina Road — the story of the old wool trade that once stitched Manali, Zanskar, Kargil and Kashmir together — this is that road, made bookable. Same route the palace traders and caravan merchants once travelled, just with better stays.

8D7N | Ex-Manali | Ends Srinagar | Experiential & Guided

Dates: Scheduled & custom departures — reach out for the next batch

Itinerary Overview

Gombo Ranjon & Shinku-La → Purne & Phuktal Monastery → Padum → Zangla Palace → Drang Drung Glacier, Pensi-La & Rangdum Monastery → Kargil (Hundarman Village, Drass War Memorial, Munshi Aziz Bhat Museum) → Sonamarg & Zoji La → Srinagar → Doodhpatri / Gulmarg

Why the Pashmina Road?

Trade shaped this country more than most wars did — and this route is proof you can still walk it. Did you know: the pulao on your plate, and a good part of what eventually became biryani, has Persian and Central Asian roots, carried into Mughal kitchens along caravan routes just like this one, and reworked over centuries into something entirely Indian. This road carried the same kind of wealth — wool moved through here under actual royal treaty, entire economies were built around it, and we think the best way to understand any of that is to stand on it, not read about it. So — let us take you through it, firsthand.

For the entire story behind this route, click here →

Day-by-Day

Day 1 — Arrive Manali & Acclimatize

Arrive at your stay in Manali — the gateway to the Trans-Himalayas, and the literal starting gate of this old trade corridor.
Did you know: there was once an actual customs post at the base of Rohtang, where an officer of the Kullu rajas weighed every sack of salt and grain before letting caravans through. Long before it was a scenic drive, this was a toll road.
Settle in, meet your trip leader and fellow travellers.
Rest through the day — no rushing on Day 1, you'll need it for what's ahead.
Evening: a Gala Welcome Dinner to kick the trip off properly.

O/N: Manali

Day 2 — Manali to Purne

via Solang, Atal Tunnel, Keylong, Shinku-La & Gombo Ranjon

Approx. 330 km | 9–10 hrs (estimate — road-dependent) | Road-trip · Glaciers · Pass · Lahaul to Zanskar

Post breakfast, depart Manali and begin the climb toward Zanskar's high altitudes.
Drive past Solang and through the Atal Tunnel, leaving the Kullu valley behind.
Stop for breakfast/tea around Keylong or Jispa, tracing a landscape once crossed on foot and by pack animal, not by road.
Climb the Shinku-La Pass (5,091 m) — the border between Himachal and Zanskar/Ladakh, glaciers visible most of the way up.
Descend into the Lunalak Valley and meet Gombo Ranjon, Zanskar's guardian peak and the valley's own "King of Mountains."
Continue past Padum to Purne, the base village for tomorrow's Phuktal hike.
Did you know: this stretch — Manali to Zanskar — carried wool, salt and grain traders for centuries before it carried a single tyre. The road itself is barely a generation old.

O/N: Purne — Breakfast & Dinner at stay

Day 3 — Phuktal Monastery Hike & Drive to Padum

Hike: Purne to Phuktal, approx. 1–2 hrs each way

After breakfast, set out on foot from Purne toward Phuktal Monastery, built directly into a cliffside cave above the Lungnak river.
Phuk means cave, Tal means liberation — together, "the Cave of Liberation."
Explore the monastery's caves, murals and the sheer improbability of its location before hiking back down to Purne.
Drive on to Padum, Zanskar's main town.
Evening: an easy walk through Padum's bazaar — mud homes, monasteries and mosques standing side by side, a small living reminder of just how many cultures once traded through here.

O/N: Padum — Breakfast & Dinner at stay

Day 4 — Zangla Palace → Drive to Kargil

via Drang Drung Glacier, Pensi-La & Rangdum Monastery

Approx. 260 km | 8–9 hrs (estimate — road-dependent; early start recommended)

Start with a short drive to Zangla Palace — once the seat of Zanskar's own independent kings, before the region was absorbed into the Kingdom of Ladakh in the 17th century. Sweeping valley views from up here, along with a few good stories about Himalayan wars long past.
Leave Zanskar via the Drang Drung Glacier — roughly 23 km long, one of the region's largest, and the lifeline that feeds the Stod River and, with it, the whole valley's irrigation.
Cross Pensi-La (4,400 m) — the historic gateway between Zanskar and the Suru Valley, and once a working stretch of the trade route toward Kashmir.
Stop at Rangdum Monastery, perched like a fortress on a hilltop in the middle of a barren alpine plain. It's geographically part of the Suru Valley, but culturally still tied to Zanskar — a border marker for old-time travellers as much as a monastery.
Continue through the Suru Valley, one of the most scenic drives on this whole route, and arrive in Kargil by evening.
Evening: an easy walk through Kargil's bazaar before dinner.

O/N: Kargil — Breakfast & Dinner at stay

Day 5 — Kargil Sightseeing

Road-trip · History · Museums

Hundarman Village — a once-abandoned settlement of potters near the border, its homes built in a distinctive mud-and-stone style. Now preserved as a "Museum of Memories," holding both old trade-era artefacts and more recent history side by side.
Drass War Memorial — a solemn, moving tribute to the soldiers who fought and gave their lives in the Kargil War of 1999. A quiet, reflective stop.
Munshi Aziz Bhat Museum — housed in the actual Ek Sarai caravanserai, built in 1920 by a Kargil merchant of the same name. In its day, it could shelter 400–500 caravans at once — horses and camels stabled below, goods on the ground floor, traders sleeping above. Today it holds close to a thousand original trade artefacts, from Central Asian carpets to European soap tins. Easily one of the most underrated stops on this whole trip, and the clearest physical link to everything this itinerary is named after.

O/N: Kargil — Breakfast & Dinner at stay

Day 6 — Kargil to Srinagar

via Sonamarg & Zoji La

Approx. 200–210 km | 6–7 hrs (estimate — road-dependent, seasonal pass closures possible) | Road-trip · Passes · Valley

After breakfast, leave Kargil and begin the descent out of the mountains and into the valley.
Cross Zoji La — historically the seasonal chokepoint of this entire trade corridor. Closed by snow for months every year, it's the reason caravans once planned their whole trading calendar around a single crossing.
Stop at Sonamarg ("Meadow of Gold") for a break amid alpine meadows and glacial streams — a good, easy midpoint before the final stretch into the city.
Did you know: this is also where our road's whole story ends. The raw pashm that a Ladakhi trader once bought in Tibet, carried through Zanskar, and housed overnight in Kargil's Ek Sarai, finished its journey here — reworked into a shawl in the workshops around Zaina Kadal and Maharaj Gunj, Srinagar's old trading quarters. It's fitting that the city's own name — Srinagar, from the Sanskrit for "city of wealth" — was exactly what the wool was worth by the time it got here.
Arrive Srinagar by evening and check into your stay on Dal Lake.
Evening at leisure — a shikara ride at dusk is a gentle way to end a long drive.

O/N: Srinagar — Breakfast & Dinner at stay

Day 7 — Day Trip: Doodhpatri / Gulmarg

Leisure · Meadows · Mountains

A full day out from Srinagar, to one of two very different meadows — your trip leader will make the call on the day, based on season and road conditions.
Doodhpatri ("Valley of Milk") — a quieter, less-visited alpine meadow ringed by pine forest, with a stream running through it. Fewer crowds, more silence.
Gulmarg ("Meadow of Flowers") — the better-known of the two, home to the Gondola cable car and, depending on season, some of the best panoramic mountain views in the valley.
Either way, expect a relaxed, scenic day after five days of driving and altitude — this one's built for slowing down.
Return to Srinagar by evening for an easy last dinner together.

O/N: Srinagar — Breakfast & Dinner at stay

Day 8 — Drop to Srinagar Airport

After breakfast, transfer to Srinagar Airport for your onward journey.
Eight days, four regions, one very old road — trip ends here, but we suspect it'll stay with you a while longer.

Trip Ends

Details

Cost Per Person

Package	Price Per Person
DBL Occ	TBD +5% GST
Single Occ	TBD +5% GST
Self Drive (DBL Occ)	TBD +5% GST
Self Drive (Single Occ)	TBD +5% GST

Includes

3*/homestay accommodation (Zanskar, Kargil, Srinagar incl. one Dal Lake stay) on double/triple sharing
Breakfast & dinner, Day 1 dinner to Day 8 breakfast
4x4 SUV transport throughout
Inner Line Permit for the Zanskar/Ladakh stretch
Local guides & trip leader

Excludes

Airfare
Other meals
Sightseeing/adventure activity and personal expenses (laundry, calls, alcohol, camera fees, medical, gratuities)
Insurance
Force Majeure delays
Anything not listed above

Please note — all stays are subject to availability. If unavailable, a similar accommodation will be provided.

Booking & Payment

50% of the trip cost + 5% GST as advance to confirm your seat, to the account below — Kanupriya Raniwala · S.B.I. Bank · Current A/c 32844391790 · Chavni Branch, Kota · IFSC SBIN0001534 · UPI travel.a.i.p@oksbi · Gpay 8172047843
Balance payment of 50% + 5% GST due 7 days before departure.
In case of Covid-state isolation only, your payment is retained as a credit note, usable within 1 year of the original trip date.
Cancellations: 50% refund 30+ days out · 25% refund 20–29 days out · 15% refund 7–19 days out · no refund within 7 days. Date changes must be requested at least 15 days out (not valid for scheduled departures).
Scheduled departures accept a substitute participant proposed by an already-confirmed guest, in lieu of a cancellation.
Booking is confirmed only on receipt of payment. No property is blocked until the advance is received, subject to availability at that time. Itinerary and cost may shift accordingly. Any rerouting due to weather is charged extra, in consent with the driver. Misconduct toward any team member, staff, or driver may end the tour immediately, without refund.

Do & Don'ts

Rest for 24 hours on arrival — you're at high altitude and need time to acclimatize.
Drink plenty of water or other liquids (except alcohol).
Ask a Lama's permission before any photo or video inside a Gompa.
Dress modestly when visiting Gompas.
For females: no open hair, short skirts, or short dresses at Gompas.
For males: no shorts or sleeveless clothing at Gompas.
Please follow Gompa rules while visiting.
Follow your trip leader's instructions for a smooth trip.
Carry a valid Government-approved ID card, to be submitted on arrival.
Inner Line Permits for the Zanskar/Ladakh stretch will be arranged by our team — please share ID proof in advance as requested.

Note: Please consult your family doctor before travelling to high-altitude regions, for any necessary medicines.

Recommended Medicines

Avomine – vomiting
D Cold – illness / Combiflam – body pain
Vicks Balm
Diamox (250mg) – for high altitude/high pressure
Saridon – headache
Personal medicines, if any
GlucoD / Electral powder & Camphor
Bandage, cotton, Dettol, Betadine, Burnol, Volini spray, crepe bandages, scissors
Dependal-M
Strepsils
Vicks inhaler

Essentials

T-shirts (preferably dry-fit)
Track lowers
Thermal inners (upper & lower)
Rain suit (upper & lower)
Sweatshirt
Shorts
Riding or rubber boots (avoid brand new!)
Sun cap & balaclava
Toiletries
Towel
Flashlight (preferably head torch)
Extra batteries
Sunscreen, minimum SPF 50
Sunglasses or riding glasses
Down jacket
Personal medication, if any
Backpack — large or saddle bags, plus a day pack
Pen knife
Socks (min. 5 pairs) — cotton & woollen
Riding gloves & gear

Regards, Team Travel AIP (Instagram @travel.a.i.p)