Nurbula Pass | Boog Village Hanle To Reach Umling La Pass | World's highest Mountain pass
Channel: Go Nomad
Date: 2022-04-28

Nurbula Pass | Boog Village Hanle To Reach Umling La Pass | World's highest Mountain pass

#NurbulaPass | Boog Village Hanle To Reach #UmlinglaTop | #World'shighestMountainpass


Hanle (also spelt Anle) is a large historic village in the Indian union territory of Ladakh. It is the site of the 17th century Hanle Monastery (gompa) of the Drukpa Kagyu branch of Tibetan Buddhism. Hanle is located in the Hanle River valley on an old branch of the ancient Ladakh–Tibet trade route. More recently, Hanle is the home of Hanle observatory, one of the world's highest sites for astronomical observation.

Hanle is home to the Indian Astronomical Observatory. The location of the village and the observatory are highly sensitive due to the close proximity of the Tibetan / Chinese border. Special permission is needed to visit either by the Indian Government.[citation needed]

India set up the Himalayan Chandra Telescope, a 2m gamma ray telescope at Hanle. The Major Atmospheric Cerenkov Experiment Telescope (MACE), which is under construction in Hanle, will be the world's highest Cerenkov telescope and the second largest Cerenkov telescope in the world.[9] It was originally scheduled to become operational by 2016,[10] but plans were pushed back to begin operations in 2020.

The Border Road Organisation (BRO) has inaugurated the new highest motorable road which is much higher than Khardung La. The road passes over Umling La in Eastern Ladakh, the mountain pass that reaches its highest altitude at 19,300 ft above sea level. It is now the highest motorable road in the world, a record previously held by a road in Bolivia at 18,953 ft en-route to volcano Uturuncu. In India, Khardung La sits at an altitude of 17,582 ft, the Siachen Glacier is at 17,700 ft.

The road stretches for 52 kilometres and drives over the Umling Pass. At 19,300 feet, the road sits higher than the base camps of Mount Everest. Temperatures in the region drop down below -40-degrees Celsius in the winters and oxygen levels are alarmingly low, 50 per cent less than at normal places. The construction of the road would have been tumultuous in the harsh terrain.

This new road now connects important regions and towns in the Chumar sector of eastern Ladakh. It will offer an alternative direct route for locals between Chisumle and Demchok from Leh. While it may help in developing the socio-economic condition and promote tourism, it will also help the army to ferry troops and supplies to camps in the region more easily.

Over the years, many adventure seekers, travellers, tourists, used the Khardung La in India as a benchmark of their ‘highest’ achievements. The road to Khardung La has been treacherous and arduous, irrespective of the tools having two, three, four, or more wheels. The roads of Ladakh take no prisoners the higher you climb. There are Motorcycle groups, overland expeditions that travel in convoy nearly every year in every season to Khardung La. Even solo travellers attempt the climb and many achieve it. It reached a point where now nearly everyone who wanted to scale to these heights, has done so. Or, like me and my friends made numerous plans over the years and never left our homes with hopeful Whatsapp group chats. Now, both sides can make even bolder plans to go as high as 19,300 ft over Umling La.

Umling La Pass, located at an altitude of 19,300ft, has overtaken Khardung La Pass to become the highest motorable road in the world. The construction of this road had been in the making for some time. This seemingly impossible feat has been achieved by the BRO (Border Road Organization) as part of “Project Himank”. If you thought you have seen all that Ladakh has to offer in terms of adventure, wait till you come across Umling La Pass. Driving on the Umling La Pass, as well as the route to Umling La Pass, is an experience quite special in itself.  

Location of the Umling La Pass
If you are looking to find the exact location of Umling La Pass on Google Maps, you will be disappointed. Umling La Pass has not yet found its presence on Google Maps. However, what is known from reliable sources is that Umling La Pass, stretching to a distance of almost 86km, connects Chisumle and Demchok villages. Both these villages lie in close proximity to the Indo-China border in the eastern sector.

Why you should visit Umling La Pass
The area around the Umling La Pass is extremely barren and contains no trace of civilization. While traversing the pass, you can feel the winds slapping your face from two directions at the same time. The views leading to the Umling La Pass, and at the pass itself, will have you up on your toes at all times. Of course, deciding to travel through this pass is certainly no child’s play. For, the pass is as risky as it is beautiful.

Photi La
Photi La Pass