m̌ ḫ's photos

Credits: Libasu

Khardong La

The actual elevation of Khardung La is 5,359 m (17,582 ft) despite the local summit signs (incorrectly) claim that its elevation is in the vicinity of 18,380 feet and, also incorrectly, that it is the world's highest motorable pass. The Khardung La is thus widely but incorrectly though touted as the World's highest vehicle-accessible pass in the world. A well-graded Indian military road reaches 250 meters west of the Mana Pass on the India-Tibet border. It connects with an equally well-constructed, slightly lower Chinese military road based on SRTM data. A similarly visible well-graded road crosses the Marsimik La in Lakakh just 4 km west of the Line of Actual Control. There are also higher motorable passes at Suge La, west of Lhasa, 5,430 m and Semo La 5,565 m, between Raka and Coqen in Central Tibet. -- wiki

no montage, just blurred background :)

Nubra is a tri-armed valley located to the north east of Ladakh valley. Diskit the capital of Nubra is about 150 km north from Leh town, the capital of Ladakh district, India. Local scholars say that its original name was Ldumra (the valley of flowers). The Shyok River meets the Nubra or Siachan River to form a large valley that separates the Ladakh and Karakoram Ranges. The Shyok river is a tributary of the Indus river. The average altitude of the valley is about 10,000 ft. i.e. 3048 metres above the sea level. The common way to access this valley is to travel over the Khardung La pass from Leh town. On the Shyok (pronounced Shayok) River, the main village, Diskit, is home to the dramatically positioned Diskit Monastery which is built in 1420 AD. Hundar was the capital of the erstwhile Nubra kingdom in the 17th century, and is home to the Chamba Gompa. Between Hundar and Diskit lie several kilometres of sand dunes, and (two-humped) bactrian camels graze in the neighbouring "forests" of seabuckthorn. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nubra_Valley (credits to Libasu)

Khardung Pass (Khardung La or Khardong La in Tibetan) is a high mountain pass located in the Ladakh region of the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir. The pass on the Ladakh Range lies north of Leh and is the gateway to the Shyok and Nubra valleys. Built in 1976, it was opened to public motor vehicles in 1988, the pass is strategically important to India as it is used to carry supplies to the Siachen Glacier. The elevation of Khardung La is 5,359 m (17,582 ft), though local summit signs and dozens of stores selling shirts in Leh incorrectly claim that its elevation is in the vicinity of 18,380 feet and, also incorrectly, that it is the world's highest motorable pass :D Khardong La lies on the major caravan route from Leh to Kashgar in Central Asia, about 10,000 horses and camels used to take the route annually. During World War II there was an attempt to transfer war material to China through this route. Full text of this shortened version is here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khardung_La

The journey to Khardung La Pass winds through a landscape that transforms dramatically with gaining altitude. Far below lie patchwork fields surrounding Leh, giving way to desert-like expanses of rock and sand. As the road climbs higher into the rarefied air, the scenery shifts to snow-draped peaks and valleys. At the summit, a panorama of Himalayan wonder unfolds. Reaching the top feels like entering an airy castle hall, the soaring mountain peaks the columns supporting a vaulted ceiling of deepest azure. One can almost hear the wind whistling ancient tales through the rocky crags. As the road crests the pass, a breathtaking panorama unfolds on all sides - wave after wave of stark ridgelines marching to the horizon, their flanks dressed in ice and snow even in high summer.