Khardung La, 40 kilometres north of Leh, sits at 5,359 metres and is one of the highest roads open to civilian vehicles anywhere on earth. Built by the Border Roads Organisation in 1976, it connects the Indus Valley with the Shyok River valley and serves as the gateway to the Nubra Valley and, beyond that, the Siachen Glacier. In summer, daily buses run over the pass to Nubra; most visitors go by hired jeep or motorbike.
The ride up from Leh takes 90 minutes to two hours depending on road conditions. The pass itself is a windswept saddle where tea stalls set up in season and motorcyclists pose for photographs. Altitude sickness is a real risk — you must have acclimatised in Leh for at least two days before attempting the crossing, and you need an Inner Line Permit (easily obtained in Leh). The descent into the Nubra Valley reveals one of Ladakh's most dramatic landscapes: sand dunes, Bactrian camels, and the white peaks of the Karakoram.