Budget Trip to Zanskar Valley – How to Plan a Trip in 2024

A budget trip to Zanskar Valley is not really that difficult. With a bit of careful planning, you can cut down the cost of your travel effectively and have a fun trip without it burning a hole in your pocket. Mentioned below in this article are a few tips on how you can do so.

Ladakh has recently seen a great boost in tourism in the last few years. What once was an almost unknown destination has now become a hot favorite spot for tourism. As a direct result, the cost of visiting Ladakh has also significantly increased. Zanskar Valley on the other hand still maintains its offbeat tag.

Only a very small portion of people visiting Ladakh travel towards Zanskar valley. As a result, things here are still not that expensive. Keeping a few things in mind, which I will talk about in the article below, you can easily make a trip here without the total cost going off the roof.

For more detailed information on visiting Zanskar Valley including how to reach, the best time to visit, where to stay, and what to see, please take a look at How to Plan a Trip to Zanskar Valley.

How to Plan a Budget Trip to Zanskar Valley

I think the biggest confusion when it comes to traveling to Zanskar is due to its close proximity to Ladakh. People tend to get confused about whether to visit just Zanskar or incorporate it with their trip to Ladakh.

For a brief introduction, Zanskar Valley is the area around the small town of Padum. To get here, you will have to take the road from Kargil to Rangdum.

First, you will travel through Suru valley, reach Rangdum, cross Pensi La Pass and drive through Zanskar Valley to arrive at Padum. Once you are done visiting here, you will then have to drive back to Kargil the same way that you came.

A new road right now is under construction between Zanskar and Lahaul Valleys. Once this road is completed, it will connect the towns of Jispa and Padum. Known as the Shingo La road, it will cross the high altitude pass of Shinku La, also known as Shingu La or Shingo La.

It will however still be a couple of years at least before the work on this road is finished. So for now, the only way to visit Zanskar is to drive here via Srinagar and Kargil and go back the same way.

Travel by Public Transport

The biggest expense of your trip if you go by personal vehicle will be the fuel. It doesn’t matter if it was a car or a motorcycle, the money you will end up paying for gas will be almost half of your total expenditure. If you were on a strict or shoestring budget, the best way to save this money is to travel to Zanskar by either bus or shared cabs.

Your first destination will of course be Srinagar and getting there by Bus or Train is not that difficult. After Srinagar, there is a regular bus connecting it to Kargil that you will then avail.

From Kargil, you can travel to Padum by Bus but its frequency is not really that great. These are all ordinary JKSRTC buses that locals use to travel with and the ticket price is very nominal. Almost half of your money will be saved.

Local Shared Taxis

After the local bus service, this is the most cost-effective mode of travel available in Ladakh and Zanskar. Shared cabs run on a daily basis to all major towns and places on the way. Fare is almost the same as a bus will cost you and you can easily find these taxis from Bus stands.

The majority of the locals use these to travel around and do not really rely on buses. The only catch is that you may not get a shared cab from Kargil to Padum all the way, and may have to break the journey in parts. For example, you can first board a cab for Sankoo or Panikhar. From there, find a cab for Rangdum, and then finally for Padum.

I have covered the topic of traveling to Zanskar by Public transport more in detail at How to Travel to Zanskar Valley by Bus and Shared Taxis that you can take a look at.

Hitchhike

I have done it myself and so can you. Fortunately, there is still not too much of a tourist rush in Zanskar and if you waived for a ride to passing by truck, they will let you hop on.

I traveled from Kargil to Rangdum in a shared cab, then jumped on a local truck carrying vegetables and groceries. A friend of mine did the journey from Sankoo to Padum on an Indian Oil truck. This will of course be totally free unless you decide to give the truck driver something that they accept.

Also Read: Zanskar Valley Itinerary – A Sample Travel Plan

Travel at the Beginning or the End of Tourist Season

This means traveling in the months of May, October, or early November. These months would be best in terms of accommodation.

Most of the hotels and guest houses shut down during peak winters. It is only late April that they open up for business. At that time, there will not be many tourists around. So your chances of getting a good deal on accommodation will be great. Hotels will be more prone to lower their prices and allow more than 2 people in the same room.

Traveling to Zanskar before April and After November is not really an option right now. From Srinagar, you will not be able to get across even Sonamarg due to heavy snowfall. If you flew into Leh City, you will only be able to travel as far as Suru Valley via Kargil but no further.

If you went in November, you are risking being there in extremely cold weather. There will also be a high chance of getting stuck if the weather closed in. So the month of May marks the beginning of tourist season here and October pretty much ends it.

If you went in either of these two months, there is a high chance that you may get a good deal on accommodation because there will not be many tourists around. Hotel and guest house owners at this time tend to agree to a lesser than quoted price.

Also Read: Zanskar Valley Taxi Union Rates: Leh, Kargil & Local

Do not Book Your Stay in Advance

With the increase in tourism, more hotels and guest houses continue to come up in both Ladakh and Zanskar each year. Finding a place to stay is not difficult at all, no matter the month of your travel.

If however, you booked your stay in advance, chances are that you will just end up paying more. A better way would be to reach your destination first, find a hotel per your liking and negotiate an on-the-spot deal.

Zanskar has an ample amount of budget hotels and you will easily be able to find a hotel for Rs. 500 – Rs. 700 a night. Another great place to stay at would be the J&K Tourism Bungalows which never cost that high.

Another point to consider could be that a trip to Zanskar definitely has an air of uncertainty to it. There could be a roadblock or maintenance work due to which you may not be able to reach your desired destination either in time or at all on a day.

Or else it could just be the weather that may close in and force you to delay your travels for the day. In this case, any money you spent on booking a hotel ahead will then be wasted at worst. At best, it will see you rushing through bad roads because you have a hotel booked in the next town which is still far away.

Be On-Time

If you are looking for an on-the-spot deal for accommodation, then try to reach your destination well before dark. This will give you sufficient time for hotel hunting. If a certain hotel did not lower its price, you can try the next one because there is still some sunlight left.

The hotel owners too will realize this. If you reached a hotel after dark, then chances are that they will quote a higher than the regular price. They will not lower it because they know you are out of time and choices.

Even the hotel owner will then know that you will agree to a higher price because you are already tired and in an unknown town after dark.

Also Read: Local Sightseeing and Accommodation in Padum

Food Cost in Zanskar Valley

Once you cross Kargil and then until Padum, there are really no fancy restaurants in-between anywhere. For most of the journey, you will be traveling through a remote Zanskar; villages, or small towns where food costs will not be that great.

At almost all of the places in between, you will continue to come across small eateries where you won’t have to pay much for a meal. On an overall basis, you should easily be able to wrap up your total meal cost for the day between Rs. 200 to Rs. 300.

Avoid Traveling Solo

No, I am not saying that you find a huge bike group of 25 members to ride with. But it always saves money if you have some other people accompanying you on the trip.

For example, if you are on a motorcycle and have a pillion, then the fuel and accommodation costs will get divided into two. The same goes for traveling by Car. The greatest expenditure will be on fuel and if you are in a group of 4-5 people, this cost will get divided.

Accommodation charges also will get shared if you are traveling in a group of 3-5 people.

Be Flexible

When traveling to a place like Zanskar and that too on a budget, you really will have to be flexible at several places; and I mean it in terms of accommodation and meals. You cannot be too choosy or specific about things because sometimes that may cost you more than you can afford.

At several places and several times, you will be required to work with what you got for reasonable rates. You got to remember that you anyways just need a place to stay for the night. You will be gone the next morning so be ready to adjust a little.

Also Read: Self-Camping Tips for Ladakh & Zanskar Valley

Pitch Your Own Tent

Bringing your own camping gear is a great choice if you already own one. If not, then even buying a new one is not really going to cost you that much if you compare it to the total fare you will pay for accommodation at hotels.

If a friend of yours owns good camping gear then you can also request them to lend you theirs. Zanskar is a vast landscape where you can pitch your tent pretty much anywhere for free. This will save you the money that you will otherwise spend for a night at the hotel.

You can also choose to pay a couple of hundred bucks to any of the Dhabas on the way, and request them to give you a spot to camp. In return, you can also use their washrooms and even eat at that particular dhaba.

Budget Trip to Zanskar Valley – Conclusion

That pretty much is it. Following the tips above, I am sure you will be able to reduce your total cost of the trip significantly and make a budget trip to Zanskar valley. I hope the information was of help. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments section below or at our Community Forum, and I will be happy to answer.