Karzok or Korzok (at an altitude of 14,995 ft or 4,570 m to 15,075 ft or 4,595 m above sea level), on the northwestern shores of the

Tso Moriri Tso Moriri or Lake Moriri , () or "Mountain Lake", is a pristine high-altitude lake and a Ramsar Wetland Site in the remote Changthang Plateau (literally: northern plains) in Leh district of the union territory of Ladakh in India. As the la ...

lake, is a village in the

Rupshu Rupshu is a high elevation plateau and valley and an eponymous community development block in southeast Ladakh. It is between the Startsapuk Tso and Tso Moriri, and west of Mahe. The Salt Valley and the Puga Valley to its north are also part o ...

region and

block Block or blocked may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Block programming, the result of a programming strategy in broadcasting * W242BX, a radio station licensed to Greenville, South Carolina, United States known as ''96.3 ...

of the

Leh district Leh district is a district in Indian-administered Ladakh in the Kashmir#Dispute, disputed Kashmir-region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the WP:T ...

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory and constitutes an eastern portion of the larger Kashmir region that has been the subject of a Kashmir#Kashmir dispute, dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and India an ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Featuring among the highest permanent settlement of the world, it is located 60 southwest of

Salt Valley The Salt Valley is a wide open area in the Rupshu region, a valley in southeast Ladakh, India. The valley has a length of about 20 km and a maximum width of about 7 km. Its average elevation is 5,000 m. It can be approached from Leh ac ...

it is 80-100 northwest of

Chumur Chumar or Chumur () is a village located in south-eastern region of Ladakh, Ladakh, India and the centre of nomadic grazing. It is in Rupshu block, south of the Tso Moriri lake, on the bank of the Parang River (or ''Pare Chu''), close to Ladakh's ...

, The

Korzok Monastery Korzok, དཀོར་མཛོད་ (wylie dkor-mdzod) is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery belonging to the Drukpa Lineage. It is located in the Korzok village, on the northwestern bank of Tso Moriri, a lake in Leh District of Ladakh, a union ...

, of Drukpa

Tibetan Buddhist Tibetan Buddhism is a form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet, Bhutan and Mongolia. It also has a sizable number of adherents in the areas surrounding the Himalayas, including the Indian regions of Ladakh, Darjeeling, Sikkim, and Arunachal Prades ...

lineage, is located here.

History

Karzok was on the

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

n trade route until 1947 and was the headquarters of the

Valley. One of the kings, Rupshu Goba, who lived there with his family, built nine permanent houses there. The village has several houses, and the nomadic population who establish their tents (made of

yak The yak (''Bos grunniens''), also known as the Tartary ox, grunting ox, hairy cattle, or domestic yak, is a species of long-haired domesticated cattle found throughout the Himalayan region, the Tibetan Plateau, Tajikistan, the Pamir Mountains ...

hair or skin) in summer, add to the agricultural operations in the region. The tents are provided with vents at the top to let out the smoke.

Pashmina Pashmina (, ) refers to, depending on the source, the cashmere wool of the Changthangi cashmere goat,Janet Rizvi: ''Pashmina: The Kashmir Shawl and Beyond''. Marg Foundation, 2009. ISBN 978-8185026909. fine Kashmiri cashmere wool,Robert R. Fran ...

is the valuable product that the Changmas trade along with the salt that they extract from large salt fields in the area, such as the springs at Puga. They barter these two products for food grains and other necessities. In recent years, building activity is on the rise with the nomadic tribes changing their lifestyle.

Geography

Karzok in

Changthang The Changtang (alternatively spelled Changthang or Qangtang) is a part of the high altitude Tibetan Plateau in western and northern Tibet extending into the southern edges of Xinjiang as well as southeastern Ladakh, India, with vast highlands and g ...

plateau lies on the northwest bank of the salt lake, Tso Moriri, north of which lies the

. The Salt Valley has the Kyago Tso salt lake surrounded by several glaciated mountain peaks including the Karzok Kangri (6,110m/20,046ft, also called Korzok Kangri)Korzok kangri
accessed 21 April 2025. which lies immediate south of

Spangnak Ri Spangnak Ri is a mountain peak located at above sea level in the far west of the Transhimalaya. Location The peak is located in the South-west of Samad Rakchan village in Nyoma tehsil of Ladakh. The prominence is . Transport See tran ...

and northwest of Karzok.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census of India, Karzok has 253 households. The effective literacy rate (i.e. the literacy rate of population excluding children aged 6 and below) is 46.64%. Karzok welcome sign

Climate

Karzok has a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

(

Köppen classification Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

Dfc) bordering on a

tundra climate The tundra climate is a polar climate sub-type located in high latitudes and high mountains. It is classified as ET according to the Köppen climate classification. It is a climate which at least one month has an average temperature high enough ...

(ET). Summers are cool with chilly nights, and winters are long and cold with lows below zero.

Transport

From the north, the Karzok is reachable via Sumdo, on the Miroo-Puga-Sumdo-Mahe Road (MPSM Road) which begins at NH-3 ( Miroo) and ends at

Leh Leh () is a city in Indian-administered Ladakh in the Kashmir#Kashmir_dispute, disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the WP:TE ...

Nyoma Nyoma is a principal village of southern Ladakh in India, the headquarters of an eponymous subdivision, tehsil, community development block and Indian Air Force Base in the Leh district.Mahe). From Sumdo, the Karzok is at the southern end of 40 km long Sumdo-Karzok Road. From the south, the Karzok is reachable via Sumdo

Kaza A kaza (, "judgment" or "jurisdiction") was an administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire, administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. It is also discussed in English under the names district, subdistrict, and juridical district. Kazas co ...

(in Himachal Pradesh) by the 125 km long Kiato-Karzok Road via the

Takling La Takling La is a parallel trek route through the Parana La (pass), located in the Himalayan Mountains. Parana La is the most famous trek route of Spiti and connects Kaza to Karzok. It has an altitude of 18,290 ft (5575 Meters) and follows t ...

being constructed by the BRO as the fourth road to Ladakh.

References

{{Leh district Villages in Nyoma tehsil