At 5602m, Khardung La is claimed (and disputed) to be the world’s highest motorable pass. A plethora of prayer flags festoons a flanking chaos of rocks and there's permanent glacial ice on the pass's north face. There's also a basic canteen and what might be the world's highest traffic jam.
At this altitude you are likely to feel light-headed, so climbing to the small shrine above the road is unwise unless you're well acclimatised. Most visitors content themselves with having their photo taken at the pass sign, a privilege for which there's often quite a queue. If you get hit with altitude illness, there's emergency oxygen available at the small medical hut.
