Khardung La is one of the (often falsely claimed as the) highest motorable passes in the world. The highest point of the pass is above 5.600 MASL. We wanted to check the pass out and combined it with the stunning Nubra Valley, that lies behind. We did both by bicycle, however, if you want to so you need a van to take you up to the pass, unless you are extremely fit (ascending from 3.500 to 5.600 is no joke) and so we did and it was extremely enjoyable.
Besides the scenery we also enjoyed some decent birds, especially on Khardung La. Goodies included Tibetan Snowcock (up to a meter next to the van) and a female Grandala (Unfortunately no male). Other birds which were also observed on other high altitude passes included White-winged (or Gueldenstaedt´s) Redstart and Horned Lark (ssp.
longirostris). Around the pass we also observed several groups of Wild Yaks.
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| A crappy record shot of a Tibetan Snowcock (Tetraogallus tibetanus), but a reasonable picture when considering it was taken with a 55 mm lens. Yes, we were close! |
In the Nubra Valley we did not do much birding, but some interesting birds were still observed like Hume´s Whitethroat, Common Rosefinch and Chukar. I think there are good birding spots in this area, for BirdQuest also visits this area, but none were known to me at that time, so better research might yield better species.
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| Common Rosefinch (Carpodacus erythrinus) |
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