Leh to Umling La — Highest Motorable Pass viaHanle.
Distance
440 km
Duration
2 days
Climb
6,000 m
Leh to Umling La — Highest Motorable Pass via Hanle.
A two-day ascent from Leh deep into the Changthang plateau to Umling La, which at 5,799m held the Guinness record as the world's highest motorable road from 2021 to 2025. The route crosses high-altitude desert past the Indus hot springs and the Hanle Dark Sky Reserve before the final thin-air climb. Open roughly June to September; serious acclimatisation and a full fuel plan are essential.
Quick facts
SurfaceMixed
Distance440 km
Days2
Total climb6,000 m
Fuel stops1 along route
DifficultyExpert
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2 days, 2 moods.
A suggested split across 2 days with 7 waypoints to discover along the way.
LehStart · Start in Leh (3,500m). Carry spare fuel, water and altitude meds. No dependable petrol beyond Karu until Nyoma.
UpshiScenic Point · Turn south off the Indus onto the Changthang plateau road. Army checkpost here — keep your Inner Line Permit ready.
Chumathang Hot SpringsPhoto Spot · Riverside hot springs on the Indus at 3,950m. Steam vents beside the tarmac make a fine warm-up halt.
NyomaFuel Stop · Nyoma army base — the last reliable fuel. Top up; there is nothing dependable onward.
HanleOvernight · Overnight at Hanle (4,500m), India's first Dark Sky Reserve. Homestays only, and some of the darkest skies on Earth.
Hanle MonasteryScenic Point · Seventeenth-century Gelugpa monastery on the ridge above the village. Plateau panorama before the final climb.
Umling La (5,799m)End · Umling La, 5,799m. It held the title of world's highest motorable road from 2021 to 2025. Thin air, prayer flags and the BRO signboard — turn back before the afternoon weather builds.
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