Mig La — the world's highest motorable road

Mig La is the highest motorable road in the world, 5,913 metres (19,400 feet) on the Likaru–Mig La–Fukche road in eastern Ladakh. It was completed by India's Border Roads Organisation in October 2025, taking the record from the BRO's own Umling La road 40 kilometres to the south. The road connects the forward airstrip at Fukche to the Hanle valley and the rest of the Ladakh road network.

History

Construction started on 15 August 2023 and was completed in October 2025 at a reported cost of roughly Rs 520 crore. The 64-kilometre alignment links Likaru village in the Hanle region to Fukche, an Advanced Landing Ground only three kilometres from the Line of Actual Control with China. The pass itself is named for the MiG fighter aircraft once stationed at Fukche.

Like Umling La before it, the road was cut, paved, and certified in short summer seasons by labourers working at an oxygen level close to half of sea-level values.

Riding it

Civilian access to the Likaru–Mig La–Fukche corridor is subject to Inner Line Permit rules, and sections near Fukche can be closed to non-military traffic at short notice. For the moment, civilians with permits can approach from Hanle and drive to the summit when the road is open.

Vehicle performance drops sharply above 5,500 metres. Even fuel-injected engines lose around a third of sea-level power, and careful acclimatisation in Hanle or Loma (around 4,300 m) is strongly advised.

Along the way

• Hanle village — the last reliable fuel stop before the climb, home to the Indian Astronomical Observatory at 4,500 m.
• Likaru — small Border Roads hamlet at the south end of the paved corridor.
• Summit marker — concrete plinth with the 5,913 m / 19,400 ft inscription, the standard photograph.
• Fukche airstrip — Advanced Landing Ground 3 km from the Line of Actual Control, at the north end of the road.
• Umling La — the previous record-holder, now the world's second-highest motorable road at 5,799 m.