Nathula Pass - The legendary trade route between India and China

𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐮 means 'ʟɪꜱᴛᴇɴɪɴɢ ᴇᴀʀꜱ', and 𝐋𝐚 means 'ᴘᴀꜱꜱ'. It is at a height of 14,000 feet and 53 kms from Gangtok.

Ｈｉｓｔｏｒｙ:

Since it is one of the three open trading border posts between India and China, Nathu La Pass has played a key role in the Sino-Indian Trade.This mountain pass in the Himalayas connecting Sikkim with Chumbi valley of the Tibetian plateau. It connects the State of Sikkim with China's Tibet autonomous region. It is known as Silk Route.This legendary trade route was closed down in 1961 due to the Indo-China war. Recently, after memorandum of understanding between the two countries, trading on some commodities has been started recently.

Ｗｈａｔ Ｉ ｅｘｐｅｒｉｅｎｃｅｄ:

For me it doesn't look like other borders which I have seen before.It is more unique than others. It more looks like neighbouring house with high security and loitering 100 of petroling officers from both sides 😁. You can steal a piece of ice from China ( by the way don't try to do that creazy thing) . The thing is here both countries located right next to each other and seperated by barb wire.

Ｐｅｒｍｉｔ:

For Nathula Pass, Visitors require a special permit and are only allowed to visit in a group with a registered tour operator. The pass remains closed on Monday and Tuesday. However, on other days of the week, the pass is closed by 1:30 pm. Leave in the early morning hours for a comfortable trip. Visitors need to climb approx 90 steps to reach the border gates and memorial.The permit will be issued by Tourism department, you need to bring 2 passport size photographs, Adhar card/Voter id.The charges for Nathula Pass Permit is Rs 200 per person.

Ｃｏｓｔ:

The tour to Nathula can done by shared vehichle which would cost around Rs 900 to Rs 1000 per person for selected attractions like Tsomgo lake, Baba Mandir and including Nathula permit.

Ｗｅａｔｈｅｒ:

From November to December, you can visit Gangtok to Nathula Pass. There is heavy snowfall and the Nathula temperature drops to -25°C. November and March are great months to visit Nathula Pass as the weather is quite enjoyable. However, Nathula weather in April is delightful and there is a chance you can see snow.The Nathula Pass temperature drops as low as -25 ° C during winters. The minimum temperature during the summer months is approximately 10 ° C. June to September is the off-season because of the monsoon and the looming threat of landslides.

Ｔｉｐ:

You can make a plan to visit changu lake and Baba mandir on the way back from Nathu La to gangtok. Tsomgo (Changu) Lake and Baba Mandir permits are issued at the Police Check Post. Foreigners can also get it at Sikkim Tourism & Civil Aviation Department. Easiest is to apply through a travel agent or tour operator one day in advance.

Lastly,due to high altitude at Nathula, oxygen level in the air is quite low keep this in mind.

Wear good woolen clothes to keep you warm.