4 km from Kargil.
Kargil to Padum
Basic page · 37 facts
NH 301
231KM
Kargil to Padum
Ladakh, from Kargil up the Suru valley and over Pensi La to Padum in Zanskar
- Usual days
- 1 long day of 8 to 12 hours
- Highest point
- 14,440 ft
- Usually open
- Jun to Oct
- No fuel for
- 190 km
This is a basic page
No rider has reported on this route yet. What is here comes from official and published sources. How far to trust it
Before you leave
On this page
Fuel
4 pumpsKargil0 kmPadum231 km190 km · no pumpSankoo40 km
From the open map, not yet checked
All 4 pumps were read from OpenStreetMap on 28 September 2026. No rider has confirmed any of them yet.
8 km from Kargil.
Sankoo Petrol Station, near Sankoo
Last fuel for 190 km40 km from Kargil.
Petrol pump, near Padum
First fuel after the gap229 km from Kargil.
Rules for motorcycles
2 factsZanskar: no permit for Indian citizens
Not yet checkedA blogger reports no permit or fee for Zanskar itself, though another page of his lists the Ladakh fee for the Kargil road. No official page found.
No government order found · from discoverwithdheeraj.com · dated 18 August 2026 · read 28 September 2026 · no rider has confirmed it
Kargil police close roads by colour-coded alert
Not yet checkedWhen snow or slides make the road unsafe, District Police Kargil issue a dated advisory with a red alert that stops all vehicles on the Kargil to Zanskar road.
From voiceofladakh.in · dated 20 April 2025 · read 28 September 2026 · no rider has confirmed it
Trouble on the road
9 warningsFrom published guides, not from riders
Each warning names the months it applies to. None has been seen by a rider this season unless it says so.
No fuel between Kargil and Padum
Not yet checkedThere is no pump on the road; fill up in Kargil. Supply in Padum is limited.
From discoverwithdheeraj.com · dated 18 August 2026 · read 28 September 2026 · no rider has confirmed it
Rough dirt track from Parkachik to Padum
Not yet checkedDescribed as very bumpy, with underbody damage likely for low vehicles; the climb from Rangdum to Pensi La is the hardest part.
From discoverwithdheeraj.com · dated 18 August 2026 · read 28 September 2026 · no rider has confirmed it
Snow shuts Pensi La in spring
Not yet checkedHeavy snowfall stopped all movement over the pass on 20 April 2025.
From voiceofladakh.in · dated 20 April 2025 · read 28 September 2026 · no rider has confirmed it
Unstable road just after snow clearance
Not yet checkedThe surface is described as unstable in the first weeks after opening.
From discoverwithdheeraj.com · dated 18 August 2026 · read 28 September 2026 · no rider has confirmed it
Early snow from October
Not yet checkedClosures begin with the first snow in October and November.
From discoverwithdheeraj.com · dated 18 August 2026 · read 28 September 2026 · no rider has confirmed it
Hairpin bends below Pensi La
Not yet checkedThe descent into the Stod valley has many hairpin turns.
From en.wikipedia.org · read 28 September 2026 · no rider has confirmed it
Road widening and blasting stops
Not yet checkedWidening between Rangdum and Parkachik keeps the surface rough and brings frequent halts for blasting.
From discoverwithdheeraj.com · dated 31 August 2026 · read 28 September 2026 · no rider has confirmed it
Prepaid mobile connections from other states do not work
Not yet checkedA blogger reports that only postpaid connections from outside work in Jammu and Kashmir and in Ladakh; no official source was found.
From discoverwithdheeraj.com · dated 14 August 2026 · read 28 September 2026 · no rider has confirmed it
No reliable signal between Rangdum and Padum
Not yet checkedOne postpaid network works now and then; there is nothing dependable past Rangdum.
From discoverwithdheeraj.com · dated 31 August 2026 · read 28 September 2026 · no rider has confirmed it
Videos
2 rider videosWatch the date, not the view
Each video shows the road as it was that month. They play on YouTube, under the maker’s own channel.
Padum to Kargil
231 km
Padum over Pensi La to Rangdum
Not here yet
Mechanics and puncture repair
Mobile network
Real riding hours
Stays
These come from riders, not from us
They appear when riders who have done this route send a trip report. It takes about three minutes.
What a trip report asks
Route, month and bikeNeeded
Riding hours, fuel stops, mechanics, gear, cost, a videoOptional. Fill in what you remember.
Bikes, gear and costs show after 10 trip reportsWith fewer, this would be a handful of opinions, not a pattern.
0 of 10 reports
0 trip reports for Kargil to Padum so far
Also
0 trip reports for Kargil to Padum so far
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