East Sikkim
Above Tsomgo Lake the road climbs on to Nathu La, 4,310 m (14,140 ft), on the old trade route between Sikkim and Tibet. Only Indian citizens may go. On a US passport or an OCI card, your day tops out at the lake, 3,753 m (12,310 ft).
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Never Monday or Tuesday
The pass never opens on a Monday or Tuesday, and one 2026 guide lists Friday as closed too. Snow or Army orders can shut it at a day's notice, so we confirm it is open the evening before and build the week around its open days.
Photo: Gokul Arakkal / Unsplash
The papers
A registered Sikkim operator files the permit the evening before, with a passport, voter ID or driving licence and two photographs for each traveler; Aadhaar is refused. Only a Sikkim-registered permit SUV may drive the road.
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About 200 a day
Only about 200 civilian permits are issued a day, and in October, November, April and May they go within hours. If an Indian passport holder in your party wants the pass, tell us when you book, not when you land.
Photo: NSG / Unsplash
Looking north
From the pass you look down into the Chumbi valley, the wedge of Tibet that lies between Sikkim and Bhutan, cloud permitting. The Jelep La, the caravans' old pass nearby, has been shut since 1962. This is why the road to Bhutan runs round through Bengal.
Photo: Lakshmi Raj / Pexels
Below the pass
At Sherathang, trade across Nathu La resumed on 1 August 2026 after six years, Monday to Thursday until November. Nearby stand the shrines to Harbhajan Singh, a sepoy who died near Nathu La in 1968.
Photo: Ashish Rangwala / Pexels
Altitude first
The pass is about 560 m higher than the lake. We carry oxygen, keep stops short and turn back at Tsomgo if anyone feels unwell; insurance should cover about 4,500 m. A spare Gangtok morning gives the pass a second try.
Photo: Anita Prasad / Pexels