Rohtang Pass – Driving Up Dangerous Roads in India

Rohtang Pass

As soon as I saw the snow-capped mountains from my hotel room balcony in Manali, we knew we had to be there. At 13,051 feet above sea level, Rohtang Pass is one of 13 high altitude mountain passes in India and we were excited to head up there! It connects Kullu valley to Spiti and Lahaul while the NH-21 highway to Leh also passes through this.

The highest motorable road in the world is also in India. It is called Marsimik La at 18,953 feet along the Indian-Tibetan border and is basically a military road which isn’t visitor friendly. So with that being researched, I was happy to experience riding in a car with no special snow tires up a pass termed a β€˜pile of corpses’ for that was the only reason we were in North India!

People die all time from bad weather while trying to cross the Pass. The roads are uneven. There are no barricades. No road rules. Just your adrenaline to keep you sane while you place your life in the hands of your β€œtrained” Himachal Pradesh driver as he accelerates up the precarious road to Rohtang!

Instead of writing a post, we have decided to show you how our journey looked like on those winding and rocky roads. Please excuse the camera shake as it wasn’t a smooth ride. We made a surprising friend at the end, keep an eye out for who we meet up in the mountains!

The Pass is open from May to November but can close without notice if there is heavy snowfall.

Rose

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