Marsimik La — 5,582 metres above Pangong Tso

Marsimik La sits at 5,582 metres (18,314 feet) on the ridge above the north shore of Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh. Before the 2017 paving of Umling La, Marsimik was widely cited as the highest motorable pass in the world, and it remains one of the highest gravel tracks reachable by a regular 4x4.

History

The pass was surveyed and opened to military traffic after 1962, when the Indo-China conflict drew attention to the Pangong sector. The road was maintained by the Indian Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police for decades before civilian access was permitted, initially only with special permits and on escorted convoys. Full civilian access by Inner Line Permit opened in the early 2000s.

Riding it

The climb begins at Phobrang on the north-east shore of Pangong Tso at about 4,280 metres and gains 1,300 metres in 26 kilometres, almost entirely on loose gravel and scree. No part of the road is paved. Vehicles with locking differentials and low gearing are strongly recommended. Oxygen levels at the summit are roughly 45% of sea-level values, and a cold-weather layer is essential even in midsummer.

The road ends just past the pass at an Indian Army forward position; civilian vehicles turn around at the summit marker.

Along the way

• Pangong Tso — 134 km long endorheic lake, 60% in Tibet, with the north shore approach at around 4,280 m.
• Phobrang — last village with basic tea-stall provisions before the climb.
• Summit marker — a small concrete plinth and a weather-beaten flag, at 5,582 m on the ridge.
• Military forward position — the end of the civilian road, just past the pass on the Tibetan side of the divide.