Stay in a traditional Ladakhi house!
Stay in a traditional Ladakhi house!
Live Ladakh’s history at Zangla Eco Homestay – surrounded by valley beauty and footsteps from the iconic fort!
Zangla, about 30 km from Padum in Zanskar, is a historic village known for its stunning landscapes and rich heritage. Overlooking the valley is the ancient Zangla Fort, once home to the local kings and later a residence for Alexander Csoma de Kőrös, the Hungarian scholar who compiled the first Tibetan–English dictionary. The fort offers sweeping views of the Zanskar River and surrounding fields.
The village is dotted with traditional houses, fields of barley and peas and Buddhist stupas that reflect the community’s spiritual way of life. Farming and livestock remain the main livelihood and visitors often get a glimpse of the simple yet traditional lifestyle of the people.
Zangla is also a base for short hikes and longer treks that open into scenic valleys and remote monasteries. For travellers, it combines history, culture and natural beauty, offering a rare chance to experience the authentic charm of Zanskar.
Guests like to eat our Ladakhi food. They say it is delicious, even when it is prepared by an elderly ama (mother) like me. I always make sure I serve them the cleanest and healthiest food. My husband is a copper artist. When guests leave us, they say ‘Julley’, and hug us. It makes us feel happy.
I became a Mountain Homestay Host in 2018, and I have hosted many travellers since then. Running a homestay has helped me and my family a lot. Not only is the solar set up in our house useful for us, but even travellers prefer to stay in our homestay because of it.
The training we got in astronomy turned out to be a life-changing experience for our village. I felt happy and proud while mapping the position of the planets and sharing the secrets of the universe with the tourists. Tourists told me that even they didn’t know so much about the dark skies!
