Pensi La

Pensi La marks the boundary between the Suru Valley and Zanskar Valley on the Kargil-Padum road, sitting at around 4,400 metres. It is the highest point on this route and offers the first close view of Drang-Drung Glacier along with two small lakes, Statso and Langtso. The pass typically opens by mid-June and closes by late October. For most visitors driving into Zanskar, crossing Pensi La is the moment the landscape shifts from Suru's greener valley to Zanskar's stark high desert terrain.