Khardung La

Khardung La is a mountain pass in the Ladakh region of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The local pronunciation is "Khardong La" or "Khardzong La" but, as with most names in Ladakh, the romanised spelling varies.The pass on the Ladakh Range lies north of Leh and is the gateway to the Shyok and Nubra valleys. The Siachen Glacier lies part way up the latter valley. Built in 1976, it was opened to public motor vehicles in 1988 and has since seen many automobile, motorbike and mountain biking expeditions. Maintained by the Border Roads Organisation, the pass is strategically important to India as it is used to carry supplies to the Siachen Glacier.The elevation of Khardung La is 5359m. Local summit signs and dozens of stores selling shirts in Leh incorrectly claim that its elevation is in the vicinity of 5602m and that it is the world's highest motorable pass. An explanation that has been proposed for the error is that the summit sign inherited the altitude of the original mule track through the pass.