How high is Chele La?

3,988 metres — the highest motorable pass in Bhutan, on the road between the Paro and Haa valleys. It is the easiest way for a visitor staying in Paro to reach the high alpine world of the country, an hour and a half's drive up from the valley.

What can you see from Chele La?

On a clear day, the sacred peak of Jomolhari and the snow wall of the high Himalaya to the north, the Paro valley below on one side and the broad, quiet Haa valley on the other, and alpine meadows grazed by yaks (rhododendron-flushed in spring). Cloud moves fast at this height, so the great views are a matter of timing — best on a clear morning.

What is there to do at the pass?

Take in the prayer-flag saddle, the high air, and the view; walk down through forest to the cliffside Kila Nunnery (the classic outing); or continue over the pass and down into the rarely-visited Haa valley. For visitors based in Paro, Chele La is a rewarding half-day that reaches the alpine heights without a trek.

Chele La — the prayer-flag saddle at 3,988 m, the highest road pass in Bhutan

A Bhutanese mountain pass

Chele La — at 3,988 metres, the highest road pass in Bhutan, between the Paro and Haa valleys.

Chele La is the highest motorable pass in Bhutan — a windswept saddle at 3,988 metres on the road that climbs out of the Paro valley and drops over into the remote Haa valley beyond. The pass is a forest of prayer flags streaming in the high wind, and on a clear day it gives one of the country's great panoramas: the sacred peak of Jomolhari and the Himalayan wall to the north, the two green valleys falling away on either side, and alpine meadows that flush with rhododendron in spring. It is an easy drive up from Paro for a morning, and the trailhead for the walk down to the cliffside Kila Nunnery.

Location: On the road between the Paro and Haa valleys, Paro
Elevation: 3,988 m
Also known as: Chelela · Chele La pass · Cheli La

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The high saddle

Chele La crowns the road that climbs from the Paro valley over the mountains to the Haa valley on the far side — at 3,988 metres, the highest pass a road crosses in Bhutan. Like every Bhutanese pass it is marked by a great host of prayer flags, thousands of them strung between poles and trees, snapping and streaming in the constant high wind that gives the place its bracing, exhilarating air. To arrive at the top after the long climb through forest is to break out suddenly into the open alpine world above the treeline — thin clear air, far horizons, and the sense of standing on the roof of the country.

The view

On a clear day Chele La offers one of Bhutan's finest road-reached panoramas. To the north rises Jomolhari, the great sacred peak on the Tibetan border, and the snow wall of the high Himalaya; below on one side lies the Paro valley the road climbed from, and on the other the quiet, broad Haa valley, one of the least-visited corners of the country. The alpine meadows around the pass are grazed by yaks in the warmer months and flush with rhododendron and dwarf flowers in spring. Cloud and weather move fast at this height, so the great clear views are a matter of timing and a little fortune — which only makes them the more memorable when they come.

What a visitor does here

Most visitors come up to Chele La from Paro for a morning — for the drive, the prayer-flag saddle, the high air, and the view. The pass is also the trailhead for two fine walks: down through forest to the cliffside Kila Nunnery, among the oldest nunneries in Bhutan, set on the ledges below the pass; and up along the ridge towards higher viewpoints for the energetic. The drive over the pass and down into Haa opens one of the country's gentlest and least-touristed valleys, for visitors with the time to continue. For those staying in Paro, Chele La is the easiest way to touch the high alpine world of Bhutan in a half-day.

Visiting

Getting there
Chele La is reached by a drive of about an hour and a half from Paro, climbing steadily on a winding forest road to the pass. The matched guide arranges the drive, usually as a morning outing (for the clearest views and least cloud) and often combined with the walk down to Kila Nunnery.
Altitude and weather
At nearly 4,000 metres, the pass is high — visitors who have only just arrived in Bhutan take it gently, and warm windproof layers are essential, as the saddle is cold and exposed even when Paro is mild. The road can be affected by snow in deep winter; the guide confirms it is clear before the day. Mornings give the best chance of the clear views before cloud builds.
Walks from the pass
The classic walk is down through forest to Kila Nunnery (about 45–60 minutes down, a steeper climb back); the guide arranges it. Energetic visitors can walk up along the ridge towards higher viewpoints. Anyone less keen on walking can simply enjoy the pass itself — the flags, the air, and the view.
Best time to visit
Spring through autumn (April–November) for reliable access and the alpine flowers (rhododendron flushes the meadows in April–May); winter is possible but snow can close the road. Clear mornings, especially in the dry autumn and winter air, give the finest views of Jomolhari and the Himalaya.

Frequently asked

How high is Chele La?: 3,988 metres — the highest motorable pass in Bhutan, on the road between the Paro and Haa valleys. It is the easiest way for a visitor staying in Paro to reach the high alpine world of the country, an hour and a half's drive up from the valley.
What can you see from Chele La?: On a clear day, the sacred peak of Jomolhari and the snow wall of the high Himalaya to the north, the Paro valley below on one side and the broad, quiet Haa valley on the other, and alpine meadows grazed by yaks (rhododendron-flushed in spring). Cloud moves fast at this height, so the great views are a matter of timing — best on a clear morning.
What is there to do at the pass?: Take in the prayer-flag saddle, the high air, and the view; walk down through forest to the cliffside Kila Nunnery (the classic outing); or continue over the pass and down into the rarely-visited Haa valley. For visitors based in Paro, Chele La is a rewarding half-day that reaches the alpine heights without a trek.

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Chele La — at 3,988 metres, the highest road pass in Bhutan, between the Paro and Haa valleys.

The high saddle

The view

What a visitor does here

The high saddle

The view

What a visitor does here

Getting there

Altitude and weather

Walks from the pass

Best time to visit

Begin when you're ready.

The high saddle

The view

What a visitor does here

Getting there

Altitude and weather

Walks from the pass

Best time to visit

Begin when you're ready.