Mountain Passes of Nepal: Elevations, Ranges and Trek Guide

A mountain pass is the lowest crossing point over a ridge or watershed, and in Nepal these saddles have long been the arteries of Himalayan travel, trade and pilgrimage. Because Nepal spans several language regions, the same feature carries different names. In the high Himalaya, where Sherpa, Bhote and other Tibetan-speaking communities live, a pass is a 'la' (ला) — hence Thorong La, Cho La and Larke La. In the middle hills, the Nepali (Khas) word 'bhanjyang' (भञ्ज्याङ) denotes a ridge-top gap, seen in place names such as Chiyo Bhanjyang on the Nepal-Sikkim border and the many 'Deurali' saddles along hill trails.

Other regional terms appear on Survey Department of Nepal topographic sheets and in trekking literature. In the far-western Karnali dialect a pass is often a 'lagna', as in Nyalu Lagna in Humla. 'Kang' is a Tibetan root for snow or ice that attaches to glaciated cols, while 'lekh' refers to a high grazing ridge rather than a single crossing. Understanding this vocabulary helps trekkers and map-readers recognise a pass even when its English label is inconsistent across sources.

Nepal's passes fall into three broad functional groups: trekking passes that link one valley system to another within the country, international trade-and-pilgrimage passes on the Nepal-China (Tibet) frontier, and high mountaineering cols crossed only with technical equipment. This guide treats all three, but focuses on the named passes that trekkers most commonly search for, giving elevation, range, district and difficulty for each.

The table below and the list that follows compile Nepal's most significant named passes, ordered roughly from highest to lowest. Elevations are drawn from Wikipedia pass infoboxes cross-checked against trekking and mapping sources; where figures differ between the Survey Department, the Himalayan Database and popular guides, the most commonly cited value is given and notable variation is flagged. All heights are approximate metres above sea level, with feet in parentheses.

Among the passes crossed on organised treks, Amphu Lapcha (Amphu Labtsa) is the highest at about 5,845 m (19,177 ft), followed by the Nangpa La trade route at roughly 5,806 m and Tashi Lapcha at about 5,755 m. The standard Everest Three Passes teahouse circuit tops out at Kongma La (5,535 m), and the single most-crossed high pass in Nepal is Thorong La (5,416 m) on the Annapurna Circuit. True mountaineering cols such as the South Col of Everest (7,906 m) and Lho La (6,026 m) stand far higher but are not trekking objectives.

Because Nepal is a long east-west country, the passes are spread across every province: from Chiyo Bhanjyang and Lumba Sumba in the east, through the Everest (Solukhumbu) and Rolwaling (Dolakha) clusters, the Manaslu (Gorkha) and Annapurna (Manang-Mustang) passes of the centre, to the Dhaulagiri cols and the far-western Tinkar and Lipulekh passes toward the Nepal-India-China trijunction.

Thorong La (also spelt Thorung La) is the most famous trekking pass in Nepal and the answer most people are seeking when they search for 'thorong la pass elevation'. It stands at 5,416 metres (17,769 feet) in the Damodar Himal, just north of the main Annapurna range, at approximately 28.79 degrees north, 83.94 degrees east. The pass is the highest point on the roughly 160-230 km Annapurna Circuit and is often marketed as one of the highest passes reached on any teahouse-supported trek in the world.

The crossing links the village of Manang in Manang District, on the eastern side, with the Hindu-Buddhist temple complex of Muktinath and the settlement of Ranipauwa in Mustang District to the west. Trekkers typically make an early pre-dawn start from Thorong Phedi or High Camp to reach the prayer-flag-draped saddle before strong afternoon winds rise, then descend steeply to Muktinath. Thorong Ri, Khatung Kang and Yakawa Kang frame the pass.

Thorong La is non-technical in good conditions — no ropes or crampons are normally needed — but its altitude makes it serious. In October 2014 (Kartik 2071 BS) an unseasonal blizzard and avalanches around the pass killed at least 43 trekkers and guides, Nepal's deadliest trekking disaster, underlining the need for acclimatisation, weather awareness and turning back when conditions deteriorate.

The Everest (Khumbu) region in Solukhumbu District holds three celebrated trekking passes that are combined into the strenuous Everest Three Passes Trek, usually completed alongside Everest Base Camp and the Gokyo Lakes. Kongma La is the highest at about 5,535 metres (18,159 feet) and links the Chhukhung valley to Lobuche near the Base Camp trail, crossing rocky terrain and small frozen tarns. It is the loftiest pass on any standard teahouse circuit in Nepal.

Cho La sits at 5,420 metres (17,782 feet) at roughly 27.96 degrees north, 86.75 degrees east, connecting the Gokyo valley — after a crossing of the Ngozumpa glacier, Nepal's longest glacier — with Dzongla and the Everest Base Camp route. The pass involves a short glaciated section that can be icy, so trekkers often use microspikes; it answers the common query 'cho la pass height'. Renjo La, the third pass at about 5,360 metres (17,585 feet), joins the Thame valley and Lumde with Gokyo and offers one of the finest panoramas of Everest, Lhotse and Makalu.

None of the three requires roped mountaineering, but all involve long days above 5,000 metres, loose moraine and the real risk of altitude sickness. Sagarmatha National Park entry and the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality permit are required, and independent solo trekking on these passes is discouraged; a guide is now generally required for national-park treks in Nepal.

Larke La (Larkya La) at about 5,106 metres (16,752 feet) in Gorkha District is the high point and climax of the Manaslu Circuit Trek, one of Nepal's finest restricted-area routes. The pass lies between the high camp at Dharmasala (Larke Phedi) and the descent to Bimthang, and links the Budhi Gandaki valley with the Marsyangdi. Although it is a walking pass, its length and exposure to wind and early snow demand fitness and good acclimatisation.

Two passes step up into genuine mountaineering territory. Tashi Lapcha (Tashi Labtsa), at roughly 5,755 metres, is a glaciated col on the boundary between the Rolwaling valley in Dolakha District (Gaurishankar Conservation Area) and the Khumbu in Solukhumbu (Sagarmatha National Park). It requires ropes, crampons, ice axes and helmets to negotiate crevasses, moraine and rockfall, and the Rolwaling side is a controlled restricted area requiring a special permit.

Amphu Lapcha (Amphu Labtsa), at about 5,845 metres (19,177 feet), is generally cited as the highest trekking pass in Nepal. It connects the remote Hongu (Honku) valley — the approach used on Mera Peak and Baruntse expeditions — with the Imja valley near Chhukhung. The crossing involves steep snow and ice slopes, fixed ropes and a controlled abseil, and is undertaken only by well-equipped, guided parties. These technical cols illustrate why 'the highest mountain pass in Nepal' has more than one answer depending on whether trekking, mountaineering or trade routes are counted.

Long before they were trekking objectives, Himalayan passes were trans-Himalayan trade routes carrying salt, wool, grain and pilgrims between Nepal's valleys and the Tibetan plateau. Nangpa La, at about 5,806 metres a few kilometres west of Cho Oyu, was the classic caravan route of the Khumbu Sherpas — its older name was simply Khumbu La — over which salt from Tibet was exchanged for Nepali grain. Since the 1959 Tibetan uprising and tightened border controls it has become politically sensitive and is effectively closed to ordinary crossing.

Kora La, at 4,660 metres in Upper Mustang, is the lowest pass on the entire Nepal-Tibet frontier and the only one served by a motorable road, following the ancient Kaligandaki salt-trade corridor toward the Tibetan town of Lo. In the far west, the Tinkar and Lipulekh passes in Darchula District lead toward Taklakot and the Mount Kailash-Manasarovar pilgrimage; Lipulekh (around 5,110 m) sits at the disputed Nepal-India-China trijunction and features in Nepal's territorial claims over the Kalapani-Limpiyadhura region.

Other historic crossings include Kang La in the Nar-Phu valley of Manang, the Nyalu Lagna on the pilgrimage route through Humla to Kailash, and Chiyo Bhanjyang on the Nepal-Sikkim border near Kanchenjunga. On the amarnepal site these routes are also covered from a historical angle in the trade-route material; here they are placed within the wider directory of named passes.

Nepal's passes divide into two difficulty tiers. Non-technical trekking passes — Thorong La, Larke La, Cho La, Kongma La, Renjo La and French Pass — require no roping in normal conditions but cross 5,000-5,500 metres and demand fitness, acclimatisation and stable weather. Technical passes — Amphu Lapcha, Tashi Lapcha, Sherpani Col, West Col and the historic Nangpa La — require glacier skills, fixed ropes, crampons and experienced guiding, and are usually combined with a climbing permit.

The recognised crossing seasons are spring (roughly March to May) and autumn (late September to November), when skies are clearest and passes are relatively snow-free. Winter (December to February) brings deep snow that can close high cols, while the summer monsoon (June to August) brings rain, cloud and leeches on the approaches — though the rain-shadow districts of Mustang and Dolpo remain trekkable. Sudden out-of-season storms, as in October 2014, remain the chief hazard.

Permits vary by region: the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit and TIMS card for Thorong La; the Manaslu Restricted Area Permit and Manaslu Conservation Area Permit for Larke La; Sagarmatha National Park entry plus the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality permit for the Everest passes; and Gaurishankar Conservation Area plus a Rolwaling restricted-area permit for Tashi Lapcha. Above all, every high pass is an altitude challenge: ascend gradually, watch for headache, nausea and breathlessness that signal acute mountain sickness, and be prepared to descend.