Khardung La in June – The Frozen Wonderland

by Vargis.Khan

If you are planning to visit Ladakh in the next few days then below is a picture that can give you an idea of what you are in for. I received this picture from a friend of mine who is currently visiting Ladakh. Believe me, this is not what Khardung La in June usually looks like.

But all thanks to the heavy snowfall that the entire region experienced this year, most of the high altitude passes in Ladakh and Spiti, and en route, are still buried deep under snow. As a matter of fact, Rohtang La was freed of snow just last week and the Manali Leh route is yet to be declared open.

So if you are heading towards Ladakh in the coming days and Khardung La is a part of your itinerary, then prepare to be mesmerized by a frozen wonderland.

khardung la in june

Khardung La in June

Khardung La actually remains open for traffic throughout the year, except for when heavy snowfall may block the road temporarily.

The road from Leh across Khardung La will take you down to Nubra Valley. It then continues further to Siachen Base camp and Siachen Glacier. So it is indeed very important for the Indian Army to keep this road operational.

Another thing to know about the pass is that there is always some amount of snow remaining towards the top. It is never completely free of snow but the sight in the picture above is rare in the month of June. Usually, this amount of snow can only be seen if you are going towards Khardung La in April or May.

Also Read: How to Plan a Trip to Ladakh –  A Complete Travel Guide

Khardung La in April

April is the time when the snow starts to melt towards the end of the month. A snowfall, however, can still happen anytime at the pass in April.

Khardung La in May

Towards the beginning of the month, there is plenty of snow that you can enjoy at Khardung La; similar to the picture above. But by the end of the month, and then in June, it is mostly all gone except for the area around the top of the pass.

Conclusion

So if you are visiting Ladakh this year, you are going to find a lot of snow at Khardung La. If you are reading in later years, it will all depend on how the weather was that year.  But do not worry, Khardung La will still not disappoint you. You will still find plenty of snow at the summit unless you were completely out of luck.

I hope the information above was of help. If you have any questions or need any other information, please feel free to ask in the comments section below or at our Community Forum, and I will be happy to answer.

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4 comments

Ernst June 18, 2019 - 11:30 am

Hi Vargis,

Thanks for your answer, we are now travelling the other way around as you advised.
Is it save to travel from Srinagar to Leh?

Kind regards,

Ernst.

Reply
Vargis.Khan June 18, 2019 - 6:04 pm

Hi Ernst – Yes it is.

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Ernst Fliek June 14, 2019 - 2:12 pm

Hi Vargis,

I enjoy your site. We, four brothers, are travelling on Enfields from Delhi thru Spiti valley to Leh, Srinagar, Amritsar and back.
We start 17th of june from Delhi and will be crossing Kunzum La around 21st of june. Wil it be open around that time you think?
From the info on your site it seems there is still a lot of snow in Spiti.
Sightseeing in Leh has to be done on Leh rented bikes I understand (we hire bikes in Delhi, Lalli Singh) but travelling thru Leh to Srinagar would be no problem I hope?

Best regards,

Ernst.
The Netherlands

Reply
Vargis.Khan June 14, 2019 - 9:32 pm

Hi Ernst,

Better do it the other way around. Delhi – Srinagar – Leh – Spiti – Shimla and back. Kunzum Pass will take some time to open, maybe 10 days or more. And no, there will not be any problem on Delhi rented bikes except for sightseeing in Ladakh.

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