Where is Shipki La?
India, asia
35 km
3,954 m
hard
Year-round
Okay, picture this: you're carving through the Himalayas on a mostly-unpaved stretch of National Highway 5 (formerly NH22), tracing a forgotten offshoot of the legendary Silk Road. This is the Shipki La pass, straddling the India-China border high up in the Sutlej Valley, near the town of Khab.
Clocking in at around 35km (22 miles) from Shipki (China) to Khab (India), the real adventure begins with a 31.1km (19.32 miles) stretch from Khab built back in 2010. But heads up: the last 3.1km (1.92 miles) to Shipki devolves into a mule track!
At a staggering 3,954m (12,972ft), this route isn’t for the faint of heart! We're talking about a road often buried in snow from late October to late June/early July and prone to flash floods. Oh, and did I mention the 1,000-meter (1 km) drop-offs to the Sutlej River? It's known as one of the world's most treacherous roads, but the views? Totally worth the adrenaline rush! Just be aware that the border is no longer open to non-residents.
Road Details
- Country
- India
- Continent
- asia
- Length
- 35 km
- Max Elevation
- 3,954 m
- Difficulty
- hard
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