Karzok

Karzok is a high-altitude hamlet located at approximately 15,075 feet (4,595 meters) on the northwestern shores of Tso Moriri lake in the Changthang Plateau of Ladakh, India, inhabited by around 1,300 residents who maintain traditional pastoral lifestyles herding yaks and pashmina goats in one of the world's highest permanent settlements.

Karzok served as an important settlement along Central Asian trade routes until 1947 and functioned as the administrative center of Rupshu Valley under a local ruler known as Rupshu Goba, with nomadic Changpa herders historically engaging in salt extraction and trading pashmina wool with neighboring regions through mountain passes.

The hamlet's culture reflects deep-rooted Tibetan Buddhist traditions centered around Korzok Monastery, which belongs to the Drukpa lineage and was established between 1851 and 1861, serving as a spiritual hub where approximately 60 monks perform daily rituals and host religious festivals that strengthen community bonds.

Access to Karzok requires traveling along rough mountain roads from Leh, which is approximately 150 miles away and takes seven to nine hours by vehicle, with limited accommodations available in guesthouses and eco-resorts, and visitors should prepare for extreme cold conditions and carry adequate supplies due to the remote location.

The residents of Karzok have developed genetic adaptations to high-altitude hypoxia that allow them to thrive in an environment where winter temperatures can plunge to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 40 degrees Celsius) and annual precipitation remains below 4 inches (100 millimeters).