Nathu La pass day, permit arranged
Sikkim · 9 hrs · SUV, driver and permit · Pickup from your stay
From ₹8000 for the whole vehicle, up to 8 people. The price is per car, not per person.
Vehicles
- SUV: Eight seats, and the one permitted on the Nathu La road. ₹8000 for the vehicle.
A border you can stand on, if the paperwork exists
Nathu La is a live border post at 14,100 ft where the road out of Gangtok finally runs out at a fence. It sat on a branch of the old Silk Road, it was shut for over forty years after 1962, and it is now open to a limited number of visitors a day under army control. Standing there is genuinely unlike anywhere else in India.
It is also the most heavily gated day out in Sikkim. The permit is separate from and stricter than the Tsomgo one, it has to be filed in advance through a registered local agent against each traveller's ID, it is issued to Indian nationals only, and the pass is closed to visitors on some days each week and whenever weather or military movement says so. Numbers are capped daily, so a permit applied for late is simply not issued.
This booking handles all of it: permit filed in advance, a registered SUV that is allowed on the road above Tsomgo, an early start because the army's window is a morning one, and Tsomgo and Baba Mandir taken on the way up rather than as a separate day. We confirm your date is one the pass is open before we take the booking, rather than after.
Why this one is worth booking well ahead
Daily permits are capped
A limited number are issued each day through registered agents and they go. Applying two days out is not a plan. Book ahead and the paperwork is filed the moment your ID details land.
SUV only, and the barrier enforces it
The stretch above Tsomgo takes registered SUVs. That is why there is no sedan option here, and why a car that got you to the lake yesterday is turned round today.
We check the date before we take your money
The pass closes on certain days of the week and at no notice for weather and military movement. We confirm your date against the permit office rather than letting you find out at the barrier.
Where you'll go
1. Tsomgo Lake
The glacial lake at 12,300 ft, taken on the way up rather than as the destination. Enough time to walk the shore and get a hot drink, then on.
Boot and coat hire, and food, paid at the stalls
2. New Baba Mandir
The shrine the regiment maintains, a few kilometres above the lake. A short stop, partly for the story and partly to let everyone breathe before the last climb.
3. The climb to the pass
Hairpin after hairpin above the treeline, with snow banked at the edges most of the year. The last stretch is the reason this route is SUV only.
4. Nathu La
A working border post at 14,100 ft on a branch of the old Silk Road, with soldiers on both sides of a fence a few metres apart. You get around thirty to forty minutes, and that is set by the army rather than by us.
How you get there
A registered SUV, and nothing else goes
Gangtok to the pass is about 56 km one way and takes roughly three hours, climbing from 5,400 ft to 14,100 ft. The vehicle is yours for the whole day at a flat rate for the car, however many of the eight seats you fill.
- Pickup: Your stay in Gangtok at 6:00 am
- Vehicle: SUV up to 8, with driver. No sedan on this route
- Distance: About 112 km return, climbing to 14,100 ft
- At the pass: Around 30 to 40 minutes, set by the army
- Drop: Back in Gangtok around 3:00 pm
The day
6:00 am: Pickup in Gangtok
Original photo ID for every passenger. No ID, no pass, no exceptions.
6:45 am: The permit barrier
Papers already filed and checked against your ID.
8:15 am: Tsomgo Lake
About 45 minutes on the way up. Hire boots here if you need them.
9:15 am: New Baba Mandir
A short stop, and a chance to acclimatise before the last climb.
10:30 am: Nathu La
The pass, the gate and the fence. Around 30 to 40 minutes, army timed.
11:30 am: Start back
Down past the lake, with lunch on the way.
3:00 pm: Drop
Back at your stay.
In your price
- Registered SUV with local driver for the full day
- Pickup and drop at your stay in Gangtok
- Protected area and Nathu La permits filed in advance in your name
- Tsomgo Lake and New Baba Mandir taken on the way up
- Fuel, tolls and driver allowance
- GoExplorer support number for the day
Not included
- Permit fees charged by the administration
- Boot and coat hire
- Food
- Anything personal
What you pay on the day
- Protected area and Nathu La permit fees, charged by the administration at whatever the current rate is
- Boot, coat and glove hire at the Tsomgo stalls
- Food at the lakeside stalls
- Personal expenses
Who this suits
Indian nationals only, because the pass is closed to foreign passport holders. Fit adults and older children who handle altitude well: 14,100 ft reached inside three hours from Gangtok is a serious gain. Not suitable under 5, over 70, in pregnancy, or with any heart, lung or blood pressure condition. The SUV takes eight at one flat price.
What to bring
Original photo ID for every passenger and a copy of each. A heavy warm layer, gloves, a hat, sunglasses and sunblock, whatever the month. Cash for permit counters and stall hire.
The army has the last word, always
Nathu La closes for snow, for visibility and for military movement, sometimes with no notice at all. If the pass is shut and only the lake is reachable we tell you before pickup and you take a full refund or a free reschedule. We will not sell you a Nathu La day and quietly deliver a Tsomgo one.
Cancellation
- More than 72 hrs before: Full refund
- 48 to 72 hrs before: 50% refund, or reschedule free once
- Within 48 hrs: No refund, the permit is filed and the daily slot is used
- No show: No refund
Safety and the operator
Nathu La is an active border post under army control and their instructions are not advisory. Photography is restricted at the pass and your driver will tell you where it is not allowed. The altitude is the real risk: 14,100 ft inside three hours from Gangtok causes headaches, nausea and breathlessness in otherwise healthy people. Move slowly, tell your driver early, and accept the decision to descend if it is made.
Questions
Can foreign passport holders go to Nathu La?
No. The pass is open to Indian nationals only and there is no version of the permit that changes that. If your group is mixed, book the Tsomgo and Baba Mandir day instead, which foreign nationals can sometimes join on a different permit with more lead time.
How far ahead should we book?
As far as you can, and at least a week. Daily permits are capped and issued through registered agents, so a late application is often simply not issued whatever we do.
Is the pass open every day?
No. It closes to visitors on certain days of the week, and separately for weather and military movement at no notice. We check your date against the permit office before confirming the booking.
Why is there no sedan option?
The road above Tsomgo takes registered SUVs. A sedan is turned round at the barrier, so selling one here would be selling a day that does not happen.
Is the price per person?
No. It is ₹8,000 for the SUV for the whole day, whether two of you travel in it or eight.