Highest Road in the World — Umling La Pass

Dheeraj Sharma
Sep 2, 2018 · 7 min read

Umling La Pass in Ladakh, at an altitude of 19000 Feet or 5883 Mtrs, became the highest motorable pass in the world dethroning the Mana Pass in Uttarakhand and road to Uturuncu in Bolivia when BRO opened this road to civilians in 2017.

Many adventure enthusiasts have already visited this coveted pass last year and added this extreme accolade of visiting the highest motorable road in the world in their adventurous life. In today’s article, I am going to write in detail on how you can plan a trip to Umling La pass which is located nearby Hanle village in Ladakh.

If you are interested in knowing more about the highest roads and passed of the world, you can, of course, check my article on top 13 highest motorable roads in the world.

Umling La Pass — Highest Motorable Pass

Umling La Pass

The 54 km long road passing through Umling La Pass connects the villages of Chisumle and Demchok and took six years to be built by BRO under Project Himank. Hats off to the whole team of Project Himank who took this daunting task of building up the road at such a staggering altitude.

BRO had to give special training to all the workers for the construction of this road and is said that every hour workers had to come down to acclimatize themselves.

I cannot imagine the hard work undergone but well the result is we now have the highest motorable road in the world in India. As Umling La pass is near to the Hanle village, you will be spending a couple of days in Hanle and hence, will be exploring it as well.

In Hanle village, apart from witnessing the breathtaking beauty of the cold desert, you can visit Hanle Monastery as well as the second highest optical observatory in the world with an installed telescope of about 2.01 meters (6.5 feet) diameter. The details of making a trip to Hanle is detailed out in my comprehensive travel guide of Hanle.

Umling La pass is very near to the Line of Actual Control between India and China. Hence, one needs to get the inner line permit to visit this region including Hanle.

Cars resting on the way to Photi La

The permit for visiting Hanle was used to be sufficient to make a trip to Umling La Pass. However starting 2018, no permits are issued for Umling La pass and civilians are no longer allowed to visit it.

You can get the get the Inner Line Permits online now and get the stamps at tourist information center at Leh. However, in order to get the permit for Hanle, you will have to visit DC office in Leh and get the permit stamped as per the old method of getting the permit.

Carry the printout and visit Leh DC office to get the permit for Hanle. In case you are visiting Umling La pass from Demchok side, please prepare the permissions from the army for which you will need some good contacts in the army to get the permission.

Well, the region of Changthang around Hanle and Umling La pass is very scenic but that at the same time it is harsh, unforgiving and difficult to survive especially in winters.

As it is at a very high altitude, the lack of oxygen makes survival difficult if your body is not properly acclimatized to its high altitude. Hence, one needs to plan his/her journey extremely carefully to acclimatize properly and reduce the chances of acute mountain sickness. I highly recommend that you travel slowly and acclimatize properly before making the trip to Umling La pass.

Hanle Monastery

Location

The GPS co-ordinate of Umling La pass is “32.6930000, 79.2718610”and soon you will find it available on Google maps as more people visit the place in coming season.

How to Reach Umling La Pass

You can reach Umling Pass after reaching Hanle from three routes. However, you should also know how to reach Hanle first and again. In order to reach Hanle, you can take the direct route from Leh to Hanle which takes about 9–10 hrs.

Or you can take a direct route between Hanle / Tso Moriri and Pangong Tso as well and in most general cases, you will always be doing it from direct route of Pangong Tso to Hanle because you can exit Ladakh from Tso Moriri towards Manali — Leh Highway after visiting Hanle and Tso Moriri without coming back towards Leh.

Reaching Umling La Pass from Hanle

There are three routes to reach Umling La Pass from Hanle are:

  • 1. Hanle — Photi La (35 KMs) — Photile (57 KM) — Umling La (105 KMs): This is the most recommended route to reach Umling Las pass from Hanle in comparison to all other routes.
  • 2. Loma — Dungti — Fukche — Koyul — Demchok — Umling La: Well, there are lots of ifs and buts for following this route because you will need special permission from the army to visit beyond Fukche towards Koyul and Demchok. Demchok is the border village on Indo — China border and half of the village lies in China while other half lies in India. Hence, getting the permission to visit this village as a civilian is extremely tough and can result in a waste of a day in case army does not allow you to go beyond check-posts at Fukche or Koyul.
  • 3. Hanle — Ukdungle (30 KMs) — Umling La (101 KMs): The road from Hanle to Ukdungle is very rough and almost a dirt track. Better avoid unless you have 4×4 or used to ride/drive on rough roads. Once you reach Ukdungle, you can follow the trail towards Umling La pass crossing the nallas/bridges that falls on the first route. Hence, you can do kind of both routes as a circuit.
Views on the way to Umling La

I will highly recommend that you take High GC vehicle or a 4×4 vehicle in case you wish to take the Ukdungle route. I will keep my reservations for hatches and sedans going towards Photi La and Umling Pass pass as of now. Once, BRO completes the road constructions and makes it fully tarred, it is better to then attempt Umling Pass on hatchback or sedan. You should learn about the tips and tricks to drive on the rough roads in the Himalayas.

Pro Tip: If you are doing a self drive to Umling Las Pass and Leh — Ladakh, then make sure to read my article on 40 Must Have Things to Carry on a Self Drive Trip to the Himalayas

Suggested Itinerary for Umling La Pass

In order to visit Umling La Pass from Hanle, I will highly recommend that you stay two nights in Hanle in order to make a trip to Umling La pass from Leh. One day you can relax the night before visiting Umling La pass at Hanle and next morning leave early to give yourself ample time to visit Umling La pass from Hanle.

It will also give you a chance to relax at Hanle and witness the mesmerizing beauty of Hanle ad a star-studded night sky. Of course, an opportunity to capture the shots of milky way galaxy from your camera. Hence, I will recommend the following plan for Umling La pass trip:

Day 1 | Leh — Upshi — Chumathang — Nyoma — Loma — Hanle

  • Cover Landscapes en route
  • Cover Hanle Monastery and Hanle Observatory
  • Overnight at Hanle

Day 2 | Hanle — Photi La — Photile Village — Umling La Pass — Hanle

  • Visit the World’s Highest Motorable Pass — Umling La Pass
  • If you are an adventure seeker and have experience in riding or driving on dirt tracks and bad roads, you can try to take the route from Ukdungle. A word of caution that this route is better to be only taken if you have skills to ride/drive in such terrain else stick to Photi La route which in comparison is little easier to ride/drive than Ukdungle route.
  • Overnight at Hanle

Day 3 | Hanle — Tso Moriri via Mahe OR Salsal La OR Kyon Tso — Nidar

  • Cover Korzok Monastery
  • Kyong Tso 1 or Kyong Tso 2 Lakes if following the route from Nidar
  • Overnight at Tso Moriri Lake

Day 4 | Tso Moriri — Tso Kar — Debring — Taglang La — Rumste — Upshi — Karu — Leh

  • Cover Tso Kar Lake and Taglang La (some part of Manali — Leh Highway)
  • Overnight at Leh

You can always refer my most recommended and detailed itinerary for Leh Ladakh trip.

Road to Umling La from Photi La Route

Conclusion

This region near Hanle / Umlingla Pass offers one of the most beautiful landscapes that you will even see within Ladakh. Hence, if you are planning a bit of adventurous trip and not traveling with family, I will suggest to surely including Hanle and Umling La pass in your trip plan.

This region of Ladakh is still a bit secluded offering a different feeling and aura. I hope the above information will be useful for your upcoming trip Umling La Pass and other places within Ladakh.

Originally published at devilonwheels.com.

Devil On Wheels

Making travel to the Himalayas smart, safe and responsible

Dheeraj Sharma

Written by

Devil On Wheels

Making travel to the Himalayas smart, safe and responsible

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