Miles Per Devgn
Home RidesGuidesPlanGarageLensAbout
Every pass you can ride in Ladakh, Kashmir, Himachal and Uttarakhand, ranked by altitude
The list Story Dispatch

Guides · Passes

Every pass you can ride in Ladakh, Kashmir, Himachal and Uttarakhand, ranked by altitude

Thirty-four passes, one altitude scale, and a source for every number. I've ridden 23 of them. The signboards don't always agree.

By Shubham Devgn · · 2 min read

The list · 34 motorable passes

Highest first.

  1. Mig La

    Ladakh

    Likaru – Mig La – Fukche, near Hanle

    BRO's 19,400 ft road, finished in 2025. Check civilian access in Leh before planning around it.

    5,913m

    19,400 ft

    Source

  2. Umling La

    Ridden Ladakh

    Chisumle – Umling La – Demchok

    19,024 ft on the BRO board. Held the world record from 2021 until Mig La.

    5,799m

    19,024 ft

    Source

  3. Mana Pass

    Ridden Uttarakhand

    Badrinath – Mana – Mana Pass

    The road tops out at about 5,610 m, just below the pass itself at 5,632 m. Needs permission; riders get it from the Army or the SDM in Joshimath.

    5,610m

    18,410 ft

    Source

  4. Marsimik La

    Ladakh

    Phobrang – Marsimik La – Tsogtsalu

    Close to the LAC. Civilian access isn't guaranteed; ask in Leh.

    5,582m

    18,310 ft

    Source

  5. Photi La

    Ladakh

    Hanle – Photi La – towards Umling La

    Steep approach, shut in winter. Figures range from 5,524 to 5,532 m.

    ~5,524m

    18,120 ft

    Source

  6. Kaksang La

    Ridden Ladakh

    Chushul – Mahe, Changthang

    Raw and remote. Published heights range from about 5,430 to 5,440 m.

    ~5,436m

    17,830 ft

    Source

  7. Chang La

    Ridden Ladakh

    Leh – Sakti – Chang La – Pangong

    5,360m

    17,590 ft

    Source

  8. Khardung La

    Ridden Ladakh

    Leh – Nubra

    The board says 18,380 ft. Surveys say about 17,580 ft.

    5,359m

    17,580 ft

    Source

  9. Tanglang La

    Ridden Ladakh

    Leh – Manali highway

    5,328m

    17,480 ft

    Source

  10. Wari La

    Ridden Ladakh

    Sakti – Agham, Leh to Nubra

    Gravel, broken tarmac and snow-melt crossings near the top. Figures range from 5,250 to 5,300 m.

    ~5,300m

    17,390 ft

    Source

  11. Lipulekh Pass

    Uttarakhand

    Gunji – Lipulekh, the Kailash Mansarovar route

    BRO's road opened in 2020. Civilian access to the pass itself is limited; ask in Dharchula.

    ~5,110m

    16,770 ft

    Source

  12. Shinku La

    Ridden Ladakh

    Darcha – Shinku La – Kurgiakh – Padum

    The back door into Zanskar from Lahaul.

    5,091m

    16,700 ft

    Source

  13. Niti Pass

    Ridden Uttarakhand

    Joshimath – Malari – Niti – Niti Pass

    Closed to crossing since 1962. Needs permission from the Army or the SDM in Joshimath. Published heights range from 5,068 to 5,086 m.

    ~5,070m

    16,630 ft

    Source

  14. Lachulung La

    Ridden Ladakh

    Leh – Manali highway

    5,065m

    16,620 ft

    Source

  15. Singe La

    Ridden Ladakh

    Padum – Lingshed – Photoksar

    Rough gravel; published heights range from 4,900 to 5,050 m.

    ~5,000m

    16,400 ft

    Source

  16. Baralacha La

    Ridden Himachal

    Leh – Manali highway, at the Himachal–Ladakh border

    4,850m

    15,910 ft

    Source

  17. Sirsir La

    Ridden Ladakh

    Photoksar – Wanla – Lamayuru

    Published heights range from 4,760 to 4,805 m.

    ~4,800m

    15,750 ft

    Source

  18. Nakee La

    Ridden Ladakh

    Leh – Manali highway, Gata Loops side

    4,739m

    15,550 ft

    Source

  19. Tsaga La

    Ridden Ladakh

    Chushul – Tsaga – Loma, Changthang

    ~4,635m

    15,210 ft

    Source

  20. Kunzum Pass

    Himachal

    Manali – Batal – Kunzum – Kaza

    Usually open June or July to October or November.

    4,551m

    14,930 ft

    Source

  21. Chanshal Pass

    Himachal

    Rohru – Chanshal – Dodra Kwar

    4,520m

    14,830 ft

    Source

  22. Pensi La

    Ridden Ladakh

    Kargil – Suru valley – Padum

    Open about six to seven months a year.

    4,400m

    14,440 ft

    Source

  23. Sach Pass

    Ridden Himachal

    Bairagarh – Sach Pass – Killar

    Raw road with water crossings. Published heights differ slightly.

    ~4,400m

    14,440 ft

    Source

  24. Fotu La

    Ridden Ladakh

    Srinagar – Leh highway

    The highest point between Srinagar and Leh.

    4,108m

    13,480 ft

    Source

  25. Rohtang Pass

    Himachal

    Manali – Rohtang – Gramphu

    Needs an online permit. The Atal Tunnel skips it.

    3,978m

    13,050 ft

    Source

  26. Sinthan Top

    Kashmir

    Kokernag – Sinthan Top – Kishtwar

    ~3,748m

    12,300 ft

    Source

  27. Namika La

    Ridden Ladakh

    Srinagar – Leh highway

    3,700m

    12,140 ft

    Source

  28. Margan Top

    Kashmir

    Anantnag – Margan Top – Warwan valley

    3,696m

    12,130 ft

    Source

  29. Razdan Pass

    Ridden Kashmir

    Bandipora – Razdan – Gurez

    ~3,556m

    11,670 ft

    Source

  30. Zoji La

    Ridden Kashmir

    Sonamarg – Zoji La – Drass, Kashmir to Ladakh

    The gateway from Kashmir. Snow shuts it for months in winter.

    3,528m

    11,570 ft

    Source

  31. Peer Ki Gali

    Kashmir

    Mughal Road, Shopian – Poonch

    The highest point on the Mughal Road.

    3,485m

    11,430 ft

    Source

  32. Jalori Pass

    Ridden Himachal

    Banjar – Jalori – Ani

    3,130m

    10,270 ft

    Source

  33. Sadhna Pass

    Kashmir

    Kupwara – Sadhna – Karnah (Tangdhar)

    The district gives it as about 3,000 m.

    ~3,000m

    9,840 ft

    Source

  34. Banihal Pass

    Ridden Kashmir

    Jammu – Srinagar, old highway

    Traffic now goes through the tunnels below it.

    2,832m

    9,290 ft

    Source

Heights checked 4 Nov 2026 against the linked sources. "~" means published figures disagree and this is the middle of the range. "Ridden" means I've ridden it myself.

Every rider has a photo at a signboard. This page is the list behind the signboards: the passes you can actually ride to in Ladakh, Kashmir, Himachal and Uttarakhand, highest first, with where each one sits. The ones marked “Ridden” are the ones I’ve done myself.

Read the numbers like this

Altitude figures for the same pass often disagree. Khardung La’s board says 18,380 ft, while surveys put it nearer 17,580 ft. Where sources line up, the list gives one number. Where they don’t, you’ll see a ”~” and the middle of the range. Every row links to where its number came from.

The top of the list moves

Umling La held the title of world’s highest motorable road at 19,024 ft. In 2025, BRO finished the Likaru–Mig La–Fukche road near Hanle, at 19,400 ft. Records up here are a work in progress, and so is this page.

Open isn’t the same as open to you

Several of the highest passes sit close to the LAC. A road existing doesn’t mean you can ride it. Mig La, Marsimik La and the Changthang passes depend on permits and on what the army allows that season. In Uttarakhand, Mana Pass and Niti Pass need permission from the Army or the SDM in Joshimath. Ask locally and carry your permit, not a screenshot of someone’s reel.

Plan by season

The Leh–Manali passes usually open around May and close by October. Zoji La is the gateway from Kashmir, and snow shuts it for months each winter. Kunzum usually opens in June or July. Treat all of these as patterns, not promises, and check the road status the week you ride.

Using this for a route

Pick your highest day first and build the trip around acclimatising for it. If Umling La or Kaksang La is the goal, put Khardung La and Chang La earlier in the plan. The day-by-day plans for Zanskar to Umling La and the 13-day Ladakh loop are both built that way.

The signboard is the photo. The pass is the day it took to get there.

Sources, checked

See you somewhere on the road.
Shubham

Keep wandering

One more for the road.

The Dispatch

One ride. One tip. One photo.

A short email every other week. No spam, no "10 hidden gems". Unsubscribe whenever the road calls.