Shipki La

Shipki La
Illustration depicting Sutlej river at Shipki La, ca. 1856
Elevation	3,930 m (12,894 ft)
Traversed by	India National Highway NH5
Location	Himachal Pradesh, India – Tibet, China
Range	Himalayas
Coordinates	31°49′55″N 78°44′02″E / 31.83194°N 78.73389°E / 31.83194; 78.73389
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Shipki La is a mountain pass and border post with a dozen buildings of significant size on the India-China border. The river Sutlej, which is called Langqên Zangbo in Tibet, enters India (from Tibet) near this pass.^[1] A spur road on the Indian side rises to an altitude of 4,720 metres (15,490 ft) four km southwest of Shipki La.

The pass is on the border between the Kinnaur district in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India, and the Ngari Prefecture in Tibet, China. The pass is one of India's border trading points with Tibet along with Nathu La in Sikkim, and Lipulekh in Uttarakhand. The pass is close to town of Khab.

Currently the road at the pass is used only for small-scale local trade across the border.^[2] Like other border passes along the India-Tibet border, it is not open for non-residents.^[3] Most people travelling between India and Tibet by land travel via Nepal.