Pensi La

Pensi La, known as the gateway to Zanskar, is a 4,400-metre pass linking the Suru Valley with the Zanskar Valley. It lies on the 240 km NH301 from Kargil to Padum, about 25 km beyond Rangdum Monastery. Two big peaks of around 7,000 and 6,900 metres stand over this end of the Suru Valley. Before the modern road the pass was open for only three months a year; it now stays open for six or seven, still closing under winter snow.

The pass is also a watershed. To the west the Suru River flows north to join the Indus at Kargil. On the eastern side, the Drang-Drung Glacier feeds the Stod or Doda River, which runs south into the Padum Valley and meets the Tsarap Chu to form the Zanskar River.