Zoji La — the high pass on the road from Kashmir to Ladakh
What it is
Zoji La is the mountain pass on National Highway 1, the Srinagar–Leh road, that connects the Kashmir Valley with the Dras and Suru valleys and the Indus valley beyond. Wikipedia puts it about 100 km from Srinagar and about 15 km from Sonamarg, and calls it a vital link between Ladakh and Kashmir. Its name is said by some sources to mean the pass of blizzards.
Photos: Anwaraj (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Kondephy (CC BY-SA 3.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
The road
By road it is about 41 minutes and 24 km from the meadow on our routing, though Wikipedia says 15 km. The pass is often closed in winter, and Wikipedia says that when it is kept open, drivers pass between high walls of ice. We do not quote the pass's height: Wikipedia's article gives a figure that is not consistent with its other statements about the highway.
A battle
During the First Kashmir War, Gilgit rebels seized Zoji La in 1948, and Indian forces retook it on 1 November in Operation Bison, using tanks at an altitude that Wikipedia says was then the highest at which tanks had fought.
The tunnels
A 14 km tunnel under the pass was approved in January 2018, and Wikipedia says it will cut the crossing from over three hours to about 15 minutes. Another tunnel at Sonamarg, the Z-Morh, is meant to keep the road open through the year. Ask locally what is open before you plan around either.
Combine it with
The one-day plan takes the road after the glacier. Read how to reach Sonamarg, when to visit and things to do in Sonamarg.
Plans that include this
All 1 plans that stop here →
Nearby places
All of Sonamarg →
Nearby destinations
All destinations →
Questions people ask
What is Zoji La?
A high pass in the Himalayas on National Highway 1 between Srinagar and Leh, linking the Kashmir Valley with the Dras and Suru valleys and Ladakh. Wikipedia puts it about 100 km from Srinagar and 15 km from Sonamarg. It is often closed in winter, and when open the road can run between high ice walls.
How far is it from Sonamarg by road?
Wikipedia says about 15 km; our router measured about 24 km and 41 minutes by road from the meadow, so the sources disagree. Allow more time than the distance suggests, since the road is steep and narrow and can be slow with traffic, rock fall or snow. Check that the pass is open before you go.
What is the Zoji La tunnel?
A 14 km road tunnel under the pass that Wikipedia says will cut the crossing from over three hours to about 15 minutes; the project was approved in January 2018. Wikipedia's Sonamarg article adds that the Z-Morh Tunnel at Sonamarg is meant to keep the road open all year. Ask locally what is open now.