Getting to Darcha
While the trek page lists the start point as Padum, Darcha is the easier of the two to get to. Getting to Padum and starting a trek would be more like getting to the Moon and then trekking between 2 craters. Darcha lies on the National Highway 21 between Leh and Manali, about 30 km from Keylong towards Leh.
If you are flying, the closest airport is at Bhuntar near Kullu, served by Air India Regional, Jagson Airlines and Kingfisher Airlines. By road, Kullu/Manali can be reached by a plethora of buses, both ordinary and luxury from Delhi and Chandigarh. NH 21 leads straight from Chandigarh to Manali. After reaching Manali, road is the only option. Either hire a cab to Darcha or get into a bus from Kullu to Darcha. Keylong is the closest major town served by many buses from Manali. So, staying at Keylong and then reaching Darcha for the trek could be a good idea. With the road getting to Palamo and almost to Zanskar Sumdo, a lot of people prefer to take a cab from Keylong right upto the start point. From Darcha, about a km on the Leh road, a road diverges to Chikka and Rarik, served by a solo bus upto these villages. The road beyond is almost unmetalled and in places even unpaved. Cabs however do ply regularly to pick up trekkers completing the Trans Zanskar trek at Zanskar Sumdo.
If you really do want to start from Padum, its better to reach Padum by the Trans Zanskar II trek from Lamayuru (60 km from Leh) and then trek to Darcha. Padum has a road connection from Kargil, which itself can be reached in a day's journey from both Srinagar and Leh. For seeing Darcha on a map, click here. For Padum, here.
Share This
