Khardung La stands at 5,359 metres by the figure in the data, though the signs on the pass itself claim a higher number, and the argument over its exact height has become part of its charm. It was opened to the public in the late 1980s, and for years it was marketed as the highest motorable road in the world. Whatever the real statistics, you are riding through air with roughly half the oxygen of sea level, and every motorcyclist who gets here has a story about it.
The road from Leh is a steady climb of about forty kilometres, mostly on tarmac that ranges from good to terrible. The upper section is where things get serious. Snow can lie at the roadside well into summer, meltwater crosses the road in streams, and the surface turns to mud and loose stone in places. The Border Roads Organisation keeps the route open, and its signs, with their dry jokes about speed and safety, are a feature of the whole climb. Be careful on the descent too, because brakes and nerves take a pounding.
At the top there is a cluster of prayer flags, a small cafe and a shrine run by the army, and a sign you will want a photo with. Stay no more than about twenty minutes. The altitude can hit hard and fast, with headaches, nausea and dizziness, and the right response is to descend, not to push on. If you have not acclimatised in Leh for at least two days, you are asking for trouble. Drink water, breathe slowly, and do not be the rider who tries to prove something.
The surrounding mountains are of the Ladakh range, and on a clear day the view across to the Karakoram is huge and quiet. The weather, however, is the real boss. It can be bright and still, then snowing within the hour, and the pass is sometimes closed for hours or days after storms. Winter closures are common, though the army works to clear the road.
Leh, around thirteen kilometres by straight line and much further by road, is where you fill up, and the next dependable supply is on the far side in the Nubra valley. Carry water, warm gloves and a windproof layer, and start early.