Khardung La, Ladakh

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Khardung La at a height of 18,380 ft is the world’s highest motorable road. The pass traverses the Ladakh Range as it connects the city of Leh and the Indus Valley to the Nubra Valley. The views from the pass of the Zanskar Range across the Indus valley to the southwest and the Karakoram Range to the northeast are superb.


Khardung La makes great day trip from Leh and the easiest way to reach it is to join one of the organized biking tours. Several tour operators in Leh will take you to the top of the pass and provide you with a mountain bike to enjoy the 40km (24 mile) ride back to town and you can also hire a bike (Bullet and Avenger are preferable) and go on your own. The price in August 2015 was approximately 1500Rs. per bike.


Day trips to Khardung La typically start around 11am but be sure to book a day in advance so that the required permit can be obtained. We started our trip around 10am and reached top around 1pm. It’s about a three hours drive to the top.  Most companies take pretty good care of their mountain bikes and will provide helmets and biking gloves as well.  The only possible stopping point is the military checkpoint at South Pullu at 15,300 feet. South Pullu also has a small dhaba (road side café) that serves maggi,  tea and has snacks. 

The first 24km of the road from Leh to South Pullu is hard surfaced and then it’s a gravel dirt road whose condition varies depending on the time of year. Lots of motorbikes, cars and big trucks use the road and it can be fairly busy in the morning but the traffic generally clears out by the time the bikes reach the top around 2pm.

The top of the pass is a stopping point for tourists both Indian and international who like to get pictures with the Khardung La road sign. The pass is at 18,380 ft and if you are not well acclimatized you will probably be out of breath and with a headache. The best option is to head back down immediately. If you have already spent a few days in Leh you can linger a bit for snaps and to enjoy some instant noodles or coffee at the world’s highest motorable cafe. Looking towards the northeast you can see the Saser Muztagh which is the easternmost subrange of the Karakoram range. Saser Kangri (7600+m) is visible and lies just on the Indian side of the border.

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