Everything You Need to Know about Nathula Pass, Sikkim
We visited Nathu La or Nathula or Natula pass as part of our first ever trip together to Sikkim, way back in 2013. So, the photographs and description you find here maybe wildly different from how you may find the pass today.
The way up
A visit to Nathula requires securing a permit from Gangtok the previous day. However, the travel desk at our place of stay took care of this as we’d informed them on the morning of the previous day that we’d like to visit Nathula the next day.
The only vehicles that we saw on the way to Nathula and back were Scorpios and Boleros. We started from Gangtok at 7:00 AM and we stopped for a breakfast of momos and tea. The road up to the checkpost where the permits are checked winds through picturesque forests.
The presence of tall coniferous trees kept us company through the forest blocks of Ranipool, Gangtok, Pangthang up to the Kanchenjunga viewpoint. The BRO or the Border Roads Organisation, responsible for laying and upkeep of the roads were in the process of building the road from Gangtok to Nathula and so the going was slow.
We couldn’t help but wonder what a mammoth task they had ahead of them. Their persistence of will to see the job through despite the demanding weather conditions was quite impressive.
Gradually, the density of vegetation after the Kanchenjunga viewpoint reduced in density and soon the conifers were entirely absent, with only patches of green.
We caught sight of a couple of distant waterfalls on the way as we ascended continuously and we were gradually becoming aware that through the sun was shining as brightly as it was when we were in Gangtok, there was a chill that was slowly creeping into the air.
The childhood Geography lesson in temperature dip of 1 degree Celsius for every 165 m ascent came to mind! 🙂
We made one more stop at a checkpost where the validity of our permits were verified. Once out of the checkpost, we passed by a small waterfall by the side of the road with a board that gave its name as Kyongnosla.
We took a break for tea at a nearby marketplace where we caught up with an elderly couple from Maharashtrian couple. It was heartening to see that wanderlust was alive at their advanced age.
Yak Love
We made our way past this market and soon, a pack of yaks, some decorated in accessories of bright colours and saddles and others without, came into view.
It was our first time coming face to face with the majestic beasts and for all their size, they seemed quite placid and their movements very measured.
Their handlers were nearby to offer any interested tourist a photo-op and a ride. We just took a photograph of the animals but declined the offer for a yak ride.
Tsomgo Lake
Just a short way past the yaks, we caught our first glimpse of the sparkling waters of the Tsomgo lake.
We decided we will visit the lake on our way back and made haste to get to the pass. Soon, we were gifted with our first glimpses of snow and it was the hard packed kind. Nevertheless, the first experience of snow which we had so far only seen in pictures or videos was unforgettable. We were now surrounded by peaks on both sides, decked with snow.
Mera Bharat Mahan!
We reached the entrance to the pass and it had become quite cold by then, even though the sun was shining brightly in a cloudless sky! We saw a ‘Mera Bharat Mahan’ (My India is Great) made out of rocks on the side of a mountain, which was visible from the parking lot.
Another information board warned us about the altitude we were at (14,200 ft), not amenable to strenuous movements due to the lack of oxygen, informed us about the dangers of exposure of eyes to bright sunlight reflecting off the snow and to keep the extremities covered and the exposed bits protected with sunscreen to avoid frostbite.
We made our way up a short flight of stairs to a memorial commemorating the soldiers who had lost their lives in the line of duty.
We could really feel the effect the thin air was having on our breathing and wondered if this is how it was in the best of weather, how bad it must be during the winter and how the soldiers brave through it while keeping the pass manned.
We saw a Chinese Army office on the Chinese side of the border and soldiers of the Chinese army having their photographs taken with Indian tourists. There was also a small eatery that served Maggi and tea at the pass. We saw the gated trade road across the pass.
On the way back, our driver took us to a shrine to Baba Harbhajan Singh, who had been martyred in a fall while escorting a mule pack. Interestingly, owing to the young age at which he met his end, he is venerated as a saint by both in active military service and the civilians of the surrounding regions.
On the way back, we stopped at Tsomgo lake. We took more photographs but we made our peace with the fact that no matter how many attempts are made, the beauty of the place could never be captured satisfactorily. The serene waters, the lazing yaks and the smell of Maggi and tea in the cold air promising comfort to weary travelers is something that we couldn’t capture in a single frame!
A hiccup and some lovely people!
Our adventures for the day didn’t end there however. After lunch at an eatery near the lake, we made our way back to Gangtok. When passing by a shack which claimed to the the highest BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, the state owned telecom enterprise) telephone exchange, the vehicle in which we were travelling gave up.
Apparently, the hard roads were too much for it and the front wheel bearing broke. Our driver did his best to coax it to move but the vehicle was steadfast in its decision to stay. He luckily found a family that he knew, travelling in another car on their way home. He flagged them down, explained our situation and got them to make space for us as well. When we asked our driver, how he would manage, he assured us that he would manage to get to Gangtok and come back later with help to get back the vehicle.
,We got to experience first-hand the legendary hospitality that the North East is known for, even from perfect strangers to travellers.
Even though the barrier of language separated us, we could communicate with gestures and sparse Hindi and classic Hindi filmy music kept us company as we descended towards Gangtok. In a while, clouds crept up blanketing us in a thick fog, slowing down our progress and by the time we reached Gangtok, it was well after nightfall (which happens around 4:00 PM).
The gentleman would accept nothing in return for his troubles to get us safely to Gangtok and left us with only the warmth of the Sikkimese as a takeaway.
To this day, it is memories like these of our trip that make us think Sikkim is definitely worth many more visits!
