The current Zojila Pass road Status is open. The pass was declared open on the 25th of March after the snow-clearing ended. There is however still a lot of snow at the top of the pass and the road conditions are not completely safe.
For safety reasons, the traffic across the pass is regulated. From the Kargil side, vehicles are allowed to travel between 4 am to 10 am. The traffic from the Sonamarg side is released after 10 am. The pass remains closed on Fridays for all kinds of traffic for maintenance work.
To get the latest status of the road, You can follow me on Instagram and chat with me live there or subscribe to my YouTube channel and ask a question there.
Zojila Pass Current Status = OPEN
The current status of the Zojila Pass is open. The road was declared open on March 25th. Project Beacon of the Border Road Organization is responsible for clearing the road up to zero point near Zojilla from Sonamarg.
Zojila Road Condition
Take a look at the video below to see the road condition at Zojila Pass.
From Srinagar to Sonamarg is a smooth drive. After Sonamarg, the ascent for Zojila starts and the first 10 kilometers are on a good road.
As you start climbing up and get closer to the top, the road starts to deteriorate. It will be badly broken with several water streams on the way and a lot of heavy traffic. Until Zero Point, which is about 2 kilometers from the top, the road will remain to be bad.
After Zero Point, it is in excellent condition all the way to Dras and Kargil.
What makes the drive across Zojila a little difficult is not actually the bad road but the heavy traffic. The road is in fact quite wide. It is bad but wide enough. It is the traffic and the long line of trucks that make the drive tougher.
How to Plan a Trip to Zojila Pass
There are a couple of things that you should keep in mind while planning to visit Zojila. The first is the Friday rule and the second is of Zojila Timings.
Zojila on Friday
Zojila remains closed on Friday for road construction and maintenance work. But this rule is mostly applied to bigger vehicles like trucks and buses.
If you were traveling on a bike or in a car, you will actually be allowed to go even on a Friday. You will definitely be stopped by the cops and they will refuse to let you go. But you will have to talk to them a bit, request and after a few refusals, you will be allowed to proceed.
The benefit of crossing Zojila on Friday is that the traffic is next to none. You will not find any trucks and the drive becomes much easier, taking you lesser time to complete.
I always plan my trip in a way that I cross Zojila on Friday. It is just that you will have to be a little persuasive, talk to the cops and they usually let the bikes and the cars go. Trucks and Buses are not allowed until the latter part of the day, after 2 pm.
Zojila Timings
Traffic from Sonamarg is allowed after 7 am and traffic from Dras is allowed after 10 am. So if you were driving from the Sonamarg side, try to start at 7 am. This way, you will cross the pass before the traffic from the other side is released.
If you were coming from Dras, reach the check-post by 11 am. By that time, the traffic from Sonamarg would stop.
Srinagar to Sonamarg Road Status = CLOSED
The road between Srinagar to Sonamarg is currently closed and the hotels in the valley are also not open for tourists. For more details, take a look at the Best time to visit Sonamarg.
When will Zojila Pass Open?
The opening of Zojila Pass entirely depends on the weather and how fast BRO is able to clear the snow. But historically, it is the month of April when the pass is freed of snow and declared open for civilian traffic.
There have been instances when the pass was opened in March as well but chances of that happening are extremely rare.
To be on the safer side, do not plan a trip to Zoji La pass any before April 15th. If the weather did not favor it, the opening of the pass can sometimes even get delayed to May 1st week.
When will Srinagar to Sonamarg road open?
The road between Srinagar and Sonamarg remains closed during the peak winter season. In the months from December to March, the road is only open till Gagangir. The stretch between Gagangir to Sonamarg remains completely snowed out.
Historically, Sonamarg is declared open for tourists sometimes towards late March to early April. First, the Sonamarg road is freed of snow and then Zojila Pass is declared open. To be on the safer side, do not plan a trip to Sonamarg any earlier than late March.
Zoji La
The name Zoji La literally means the “mountain pass of blizzards” and quite rightly so. It is the most difficult stretch on the entire Srinagar Leh highway and it is because of Zoji La that the Leh route remains closed during the winter season.
The pass sits at an altitude of 3,528 meters (11,575 ft) and is a popular tourist attraction. You can find snow at the top of the pass even during the months of summer due to which a lot of people visiting Sonamarg also take a trip to Zoji La Pass.
In all my years of traveling, I have been on numerous passes. But one pass that still makes me a little nervous while crossing is Zojila. I think it is because of the fact that other than being a high-altitude pass, it is also a very crowded road that sees heavy traffic.
During the time when the pass is open, the road remains busy with tourist vehicles, trucks, buses, and ongoing construction work. I think this also is the reason that among all the high passes that I know of, Zojila sees the highest number of accidents and fatalities.
Best time to visit Zoji La
The best time to visit Zoji La will be anytime between May to October. However, even in these months, you should avoid visiting between late June to August because of the monsoon season and Amarnath Yatra time.
Zojila Pass Permit
There is no permit required to visit Zojila Pass.
When does Zojila Pass Open?
Below is a month-by-month breakdown listing months when the pass is open or closed.
- Zojila Pass in January = CLOSED; cannot be reached by road.
- Zojila Pass in February = CLOSED; cannot be reached by road.
- Zojila Pass in March = CLOSED; cannot be reached by road.
- Zojila Pass in April = Closed in the first half of the month but open in the latter half.
- Zojila Pass in May = Open but terrible road conditions. It will also be crowded because of people traveling to Leh Ladakh.
- Zojila Pass in June = Open but the region starts to experience pre-monsoon showers by end of the month. It will also start to get crowded due to the Amarnath Yatra pilgrimage.
- Zojila Pass in July = Open but bad time to visit because of monsoon. Extremely bad road conditions at the top of the pass.
- Zojila Pass in August = Open but bad time to visit because of monsoon. Extremely bad road conditions at the top of the pass.
- Zojila Pass in September = Open; and a good time to visit
- Zojila Pass in October = Open but the pass starts to receive snow towards the end of the month.
- Zojila Pass in November = Open but bad time to visit. It can snow anytime causing the roads to get blocked.
- Zojila Pass in December = CLOSED
Sonamarg to Zojila Pass Distance
The distance between Sonamarg and Zojila Pass is 23 kilometers.
Sonamarg to Zero Point Distance
Zero-point is actually located a few kilometers from Zojila top, towards Kargil. Coming from Srinagar, the total distance to zero point will be about 105 kilometers. From Sonamarg, the distance is about 27 kilometers.
Sonmarg to Zojila Pass Taxi Fare
A private taxi from Sonamarg to Zojila Pass will cost you Rs. 5000 for a route trip. There are no shared cabs available though.
Zojila Pass Road Status – Conclusion
I hope the information above on Zojila Pass Road Status was of help. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments section below or at our Community Forum, and I will be happy to answer. You can also follow me on Instagram and chat with me live there or subscribe to my YouTube channel and ask a question there.
