Lepcha La (Kaurik) — Riding to Spiti’s Newly Opened Pass to the Tibetan Border

Some passes you visit because they’re famous. Others you visit because you’ve been waiting years for them to open. Lepcha La — also known as Kaurik — is the second one for me. After spending a quiet day in Nako post my Shipki La climb, I had one more long-pending dot on my map before heading to Kaza, Spiti Valley: a pass that was closed to civilians for decades and only recently reopened. The kind of place where there are no cafes, no signboards, no other riders — just a ribbon of road, a barren slope, and Tibet on the other side.

From Nako to Kaza — With a Detour Most People Skip

After a day’s rest in Nako, I started early towards Kaza — the largest town in Spiti and my base for the next couple of days. But before Kaza, I had a detour planned: Lepcha La, also called Kaurik, another high Himalayan pass that was closed to civilians for years and only recently reopened. Where Shipki La draws all the attention, Lepcha La sits quietly to its east — equally dramatic, almost completely uncrowded.

How to Get Permits for Lepcha La (Kaurik)

The good news: visiting Lepcha La is much simpler than it used to be. The system right now works like this:

Step 1 — Register at the Sumdo ITBP post
About 1 hour’s ride from Nako on the way to Kaza, you’ll reach Sumdo. Stop at the ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) post and register your visit. Keep your Aadhaar card and a photocopy ready.

Step 2 — Register at the local Sumdo admin post
A second registration with the local administration at Sumdo. Same documents.

Step 3 — Army check post on the diversion road
A few kilometres after Sumdo, there’s a diversion off the Kaza road that turns towards Kaurik. Continue a few kilometres further and you’ll hit an army check post for final verification before they let you proceed.

Important Rules — This Is a Border Area

• Cameras OFF until you reach Lepcha La itself. Phones in your pocket, GoPro turned off. The army takes this seriously.
• Carry physical Aadhaar cards — digital copies may not be accepted at every checkpoint.
• Foreign nationals are not permitted. Indian citizens only.
• Photography at Lepcha La viewpoint is allowed, but follow whatever the army on duty tells you.
• No drone flying. No exceptions.

The Ride to Lepcha La — Tibet on the Horizon

I started from Nako with a partly clear sky overhead. This year, Spiti has seen rain like I’ve never witnessed in my earlier visits — the valleys soaked, the streams swollen — and I’d been quietly praying for a clear morning. My prayer was answered.

Past the Sumdo registrations and the army check post, the road climbs steadily. The landscape strips itself of everything — no trees, no shrubs, no animals — just bare sun-baked slopes folding into themselves. Every curve gives you a fresh angle on the Tibetan plateau extending to the east, and at some point you stop trying to take photos and just ride.

At Lepcha La — A Long-Pending Dream Standing in Front of Me

I parked the motorcycle at the terminal point and walked over to the viewpoint. From there, you can clearly see the Tibetan villages in the distance — small clusters of life on the other side of a line drawn long before any of us were born.

I stood there for a while. This had been a dream for years — back when Lepcha La was still off-limits to anyone without proper military clearance. Now I was here, with no other tourist in sight, just a couple of soldiers on duty.

The Ride Back — Kaza Beckons

After spending a couple of hours at the top, I rode back the same way — Sumdo, the diversion, then the main Kaza road. As I came down, I kept toying with one question: should I stop at Gue Monastery on the way? I’ve visited the famous mummified monk there before on earlier trips and decided to stop by Gue Monastery once again — there’s something about that quiet chamber and the mummified monk that draws me back every time. But Gue deserves a story of its own — that’s coming up next.
From there, I rode the final stretch into Kaza, rolling in by late afternoon — the largest town in Spiti and my base for the next two days.
Lepcha La is what Shipki La was a decade ago — quiet, raw, and almost entirely unvisited by travellers. That will change. Roads like this don’t stay secret for long. If you’ve already done Shipki La and are looking for one more high pass story to add to your Spiti diary, this is the one.
Have you ridden to Lepcha La or Kaurik? Or planning a Spiti trip? Drop a comment — I’d love to hear.

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How to Reach Lepcha La (Kaurik)

• From Nako: ~1 hour ride to Sumdo, then 30-45 min to the pass via the diversion road
• From Kaza: ~2.5 hours via Sumdo (reverse route, register at Sumdo on the way)
• From Reckong Peo / Kalpa: Take NH5 towards Pooh → Khab → Sumdo (~4-5 hours)
• By Road: Bike or 4×4 strongly recommended, sedan only in completely dry conditions
• By Bus: No bus service to Lepcha La — private vehicle only
• Mandatory stops:
  • Sumdo ITBP Post — register with Aadhaar card
  • Sumdo local admin — second registration
  • Army check post — final verification on the diversion road

📌 Lepcha La sits at ~4,300 m on the Indo-Tibet border. Carry physical Aadhaar — digital may not be accepted. No foreign tourists are permitted.

Things to Do at Lepcha La (Kaurik)

• Stand at the Viewpoint – Watch Tibetan villages visible across the border in the distance
• Ride the High-Altitude Road – One of the quietest, most cinematic stretches in Spiti
• Photography at the Pass – Allowed only AT Lepcha La itself, not before (border zone rules)
• Quiet Reflection – No crowds, no cafes, no signboards — just you, the wind, and the mountains