Khardung La (Khardung Pass, la means pass in Tibetan) is a high mountain pass located in Ladakh.
The pass on the Ladakh Range lies north of Leh and is the gateway to the Shyok and Nubra valleys. The Siachen Glacier lies partway up the latter valley. It is maintained by the Border Roads Organisation, the pass is strategically important to India as it is used to carry supplies to the Siachen Glacier.
Local summit signs claim that its elevation is 5,602 m (18,379 ft) metres high and that it is the world's highest motor-able pass. It has been listed in Guinness World Records. But these claims are disputed by multiple modern measurements, which all agree that its true height is much nearer to the 5,359 m (17,582 ft) and imply that there are several higher motor-able passes.
The road is closed annually from approximately October to May due to snow and one should anticipate potential long travel delays due to traffic congestion on narrow one-lane sections, washouts, landslides and road accidents.
The road was open when we visited though we saw a lot of tourists returning as it was snowing here and they could not go further.It is important to have an experienced driver as the vehicle skids a lot and gets stuck too due to snow.
The pass has an Indian Army post and a temple. Travellers stop to take pictures with the signboard that proclaims Khardungla Pass to be the highest motorable pass in the world. The pass offers amazing view of Leh and mountains surrounding the valley.
TIPS- Altitude sickness can be an issue if you are not acclimatized to high altitudes. You need a travel permit to enter Nubra Valley.
The pass on the Ladakh Range lies north of Leh and is the gateway to the Shyok and Nubra valleys. The Siachen Glacier lies partway up the latter valley. It is maintained by the Border Roads Organisation, the pass is strategically important to India as it is used to carry supplies to the Siachen Glacier.
The road was open when we visited though we saw a lot of tourists returning as it was snowing here and they could not go further.It is important to have an experienced driver as the vehicle skids a lot and gets stuck too due to snow.
The pass has an Indian Army post and a temple. Travellers stop to take pictures with the signboard that proclaims Khardungla Pass to be the highest motorable pass in the world. The pass offers amazing view of Leh and mountains surrounding the valley.
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