Sasser Pass

Saser Pass, Saser La, or Sasser Pass (el. 5,411 m or 17,753 ft) is a high mountain pass in the Indian union territory of Ladakh on the ancient summer caravan route from Leh to Yarkand, in the Tarim Basin of Xinjiang. It leads from the head of the Nubra Valley into the upper Shyok Valley, on the way to the even higher, but easier, Karakoram Pass.

Saser Pass
Saser Pass, Nubra c. 1857
Elevation	5,411 m (17,753 ft)
Location	Ladakh, India
Range	Karakoram Range
Coordinates	35°2′N 77°44′E[1]
Location in Ladakh, India Show map of Ladakh Saser Pass (India) Show map of India

History

"This was the notorious Sasser, not the highest but probably the most impressive and dangerous [of the passes along the caravan route between Ladakh and Yarkand]."^[2]

The Saser Pass could not be avoided in summer and took a huge toll on caravan pack animals, such as ponies and mules. It was too icy for the Bactrian camels, which were the usual pack animals to the north of the Saser Pass.^[3]

Saser Pass lies 37 km southeast of the Siachen Glacier area that the 1972 Simla Agreement between India and Pakistan failed to define clearly.