 Padum lies 240km to the south of the Kargil, after a memorable trek or a bus ride it appears as an anticlimax. After visiting the snow-clad and picturesque Zanskari village you will come across the aimless collection of mud and materialistic cubes, oily truck parts and tin-roofed government buildings. The mere attraction here is Padum's location in the southern most tip of a broad fertile river basin. Padum resides over a flat patchwork of farm land surrounded on three sides by massive walls of rock debris and snow-clad mountains. Padum is a place that is an important centre of trekking and the only place in Zanskar where tourism has made a fair impression. During the summer season, you will find weary westerners, wandering alongside the sandy beach shores as locals-the mixture of local Buddhists and the Sunni Muslims. Here the only noticeable sight is the Tagrimo Gompa located nearly at the distance of fifteen minutes to the west. Although it is an important place of tourist attraction, very basic facilities are offered like temporary tea-stalls, few guesthouses, and a small tourist office. The only sight that would be unavoidable is the beautifully designed Kashmiri handicraft stalls.
Visiting information The bus service in Padum halts at the dusty square at the south end of the village, where nearby located are the old quarter and a handful of cheap Guesthouses. The J&K tourist centre is sited at the north of the square in Mane Ringmo, on the side of the main road, further two minutes walk From the other main concentration of the guesthouses; it is good for general advice but they do not rent out trekking gear. Here there is other Facilities like post offices are located next to the tourist centre and STD telephone facilities are available at the Zanskar Telecom Service. Basic Trekking stuffs are sold at the hole-in-the-wall stores over the bus stand. Prices are at a hike so it would be better to bring your trekking stuffs from Kargil. Accommodation Accommodation in Padum is limited to a couple of nasty and awful guesthouses and rooms in private family houses, in both the cases lavatory are shared. Other exception is the J&K tourist centre which provides adequate facilities of lavish rooms, en suite double beds and flowing cold water. Otherwise, camping pitches are also available near the tourist centre which cost Rs.50 per night. Food in Padum is imported so after mid-October food stocks is practically low except barely floor and yak butter, so finding food in Padum would be a problem towards the end of the trekking season. In the earlier years, the temporary tea stalls and cafes ensure a great deal of adequate and economical meals, one of them is the Lhasa. For Chinese and Tibetan food at reasonable rates, try the Changthang near the tourist bungalow or either the Gakyi cafe near the post office. How to reach By Airways: There are flights available from Delhi, Chandigarh, Jammu and Srinagar to Leh. By Bus: The bus details here apply during the tourist season between July 1 and September 15 only, after this period the Manali-Leh highway is formally closed. The other roads including the highway from Leh to Srinagar via Kargil, remain open until the end of October. Despite of heavy blizzard, the road from Leh to Nubra valley over the extremely high Khardung La is kept open throughout the year. |
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