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A high Himalayan pass in Himachal Pradesh at about 4,551 m that is the gateway from the Lahaul valley into Spiti.
Kunzum Pass, also called Kunzum La, is a high mountain pass in the eastern Kunzum Range of the Himalayas, at about 4,551 metres (14,931 feet) above sea level in the Lahaul and Spiti region of Himachal Pradesh. It is the entrance to the Spiti valley from Lahaul, sitting close to the Chandra river on the Manali side and above a tributary of the Spiti river on the Kaza side. The pass lies roughly 122 km from Manali and 79 km from Kaza, with the high-altitude lake Chandratal reachable by a trek of about 15 km from the top. A shrine to Kunzum Mata stands at the pass, and travellers customarily stop there before continuing. Because it is snowbound for about seven winter months, the pass is normally open only from around June or July to October or November, and the National Highways Authority of India has planned a tunnel beneath it to give the Spiti valley all-weather connectivity with Manali.
Type: PhenomenonElevation of about 4,551 metres (14,931 feet), in the eastern Kunzum Range of the Himalayas.
Connects the Lahaul valley with the Spiti valley, and is the traditional entry point into Spiti from the Manali side.
Located in the Lahaul and Spiti district area of Himachal Pradesh, close to the Chandra river on one side and a tributary of the Spiti river on the other.
About 122 km from Manali and 79 km from Kaza, the administrative centre of Spiti.
Chandratal, the crescent-shaped high-altitude lake, lies about 15 km away by trek from the pass.
The Kunzum Mata temple stands at the top of the pass and is a customary halt for drivers and travellers.
Open only for part of the year — roughly June/July to October/November — and closed by snow for about seven winter months.
A tunnel under the pass has been planned by the National Highways Authority of India for all-weather Manali-Spiti connectivity.
Frequency: Himalayan pass questions appear in almost every SSC and State PSC general awareness cycle, and in UPSC Prelims map-based geography.
About 4,551 m (14,931 ft)
Himachal Pradesh
Lahaul and Spiti
Eastern Kunzum Range of the Himalayas
Lahaul valley with Spiti valley
About 122 km
About 79 km
About 15 km by trek
Around June/July to October/November
Kunzum is the hinge between two of the driest and most isolated inhabited valleys in the Indian Himalaya. For most of the year it is the shortest road link between Spiti and the rest of Himachal Pradesh via Manali; when it closes in winter, Spiti's only remaining road access is the long southern route through Kinnaur towards Shimla, which stays open through the year. That seasonal isolation shapes everything from supply prices to school terms in the valley, and it is why a tunnel beneath the pass — following the logic of the Atal Tunnel that already removed Rohtang from the Manali-Lahaul route — has been planned. The pass is also the approach to Chandratal and to views of the Bara Shigri glacier, making it a fixture of Himalayan tourism and of the pressure that tourism now places on a fragile cold-desert ecosystem.
Kunzum Pass (Kunzum La) — Himachal Pradesh, Lahaul and Spiti, eastern Kunzum Range.
Elevation about 4,551 m (14,931 ft).
Connects the Lahaul valley with the Spiti valley; gateway to Spiti from the Manali side.
Chandra river on the Manali side; a Spiti river tributary on the Kaza side.
About 122 km from Manali, 79 km from Kaza; Chandratal about 15 km away by trek.
Kunzum Mata temple at the top of the pass.
Closed by snow for around seven months; a tunnel beneath it has been planned by NHAI.
Kunzum Pass is in Himachal Pradesh, in the Lahaul and Spiti region, in the eastern Kunzum Range of the Himalayas.
It stands at about 4,551 metres, roughly 14,931 feet, above sea level.
It connects the Lahaul valley with the Spiti valley, and is the usual entry point into Spiti from the Manali side.
It is normally open from around June or July to October or November, and is closed by heavy snow for about seven winter months.
Chandratal, the high-altitude crescent-shaped lake, is about 15 km from the pass by trek.