Khardung la Scenes 18000 ft

Videogaphy: Courtesy - Thomas Daniel
Editing & Compilation- Ramadurai R

Khardung La (la means pass in Tibetan) (elevation 5359 m) is a high mountain pass located in the Ladakh region, Jammu and Kashmir, India.

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. Built in 1976, it was opened to motor vehicles in 1988 and has since seen many automobile, motorbike and mountain biking expeditions. Maintained by the Border Roads Organisation, the pass is strategically important to India as it is used to carry essential supplies to the Siachen.

The world's highest motorable pass?

Khardung La is widely, but incorrectly, believed to be the world's highest motorable pass. There are higher motorable passes at Suge La, west of Lhasa, 5,430 m (17,815 feet), and Semo La 5,565 m (18,258 feet), between Raka and Coqen in Central Tibet. Both these elevations are supported by GPS and SRTM evidence and the latter was also measured by the Catalans and supported by the CIC, see above. Vehicles have been driven over the 5,582 metres (18,314 ft) Marsimik La, in the Indian Karakoram to the north-east of Khardung La, but it is debatable whether this pass should be considered to be motorable. There may be higher motorable passes elsewhere in Tibet, but verification of these has not been possible because of lack of information and restricted access. The youngest person to scale with the smallest capacity vehicle is Jagdish Chandrakant Chaudhari, an NCC Cadet from Ahmedabad, India. He scaled Khardungla Pass in September 1994 when Jagdish was of 19 years on TVS Scooty - a 59.6cc scooterate. The same record is registered in Limca Book Of Records under both categories.

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• leh
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• mountain pass
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