Sarchu (also known as Sir Bhum Chun) is a major halt point with tented accommodation in the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

on the Leh-Manali Highway, on the boundary between

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...

and

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu and ...

in India. It is situated between

Baralacha La Bara-lacha la also known as Bara-lacha Pass, or Bārā Lācha La, (el. ) is a high mountain pass in the Zanskar range of Northern-India, connecting Lahaul district in Himachal Pradesh to Leh district in Ladakh. Rail-cum-road tunnels are being ...

to the south and

Lachulung La Lachulung La (el. ), or Lāchālūng La or Lungalacha La, is a paved motorable mountain pass in Ladakh in India just north of border with Himachal Pradesh. It is located on the NH3 Leh–Manali Highway, north of Sarchu and west of Pang. Rai ...

to the north, at an altitude of . Sarchu_1

The journey along the Manali-Leh highway normally takes two days, so travellers and tourists stop overnight here. An

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n army camp is sited nearby on the banks of the Tsarap Chu river. The highway and the camp are closed during the winter, when snow blocks the high passes along the road. Sarchu at Manali-Leh highway

Main Attraction

Earlier known for its significance as the old Silk Route. It is as yet a top most loved destination for traders of Himalayas, itinerant clans and adventure seekers. Sarchu is of great importance mainly due to its location on the Leh-Manali highway. It also resembles Ladakh with its barren splendor. This place can be visited between June and September when the snow melts and the Leh-Manali highway is open for traffic. Sarchu is an important route for Ladakh Manali Highway. In other words, life line for both states. Sarchu is the starting point for

Zanskar Zanskar, Zahar (locally) or Zangskar, is a tehsil of Kargil district, in the Indian union territory of Ladakh. The administrative centre is Padum (former Capital of Zanskar). Zanskar, together with the neighboring region of Ladakh, was brief ...

Trek of

. The trek is very testing as it includes exploring through remote crevasses, crossing high passes and waterways. There are dazzling perspectives on the snow-loaded pinnacles at every step of the way of on this trek. Other than seeing the normal magnificence along the path, the trek has some hair-raising challenges like river crossing, steep edges, and navigating through restricted canyons. The desolate excellence of Sarchu allures the travellers who are searching for comfort in the midst of mountains.

Boundary dispute

The boundary at Sarchu was disputed between the states of

and

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

. There is a pillar on the boundary, and records state that the boundary follows a

drainage divide A drainage divide, water divide, ridgeline, watershed, water parting or height of land is elevated terrain that separates neighboring drainage basins. On rugged land, the divide lies along topographical ridges, and may be in the form of a singl ...

, but operators of seasonal tent accommodations cross the border to get favorable sites. In 2019, after this part of Jammu and Kashmir was reorganized into the union territory of

, there was renewed interest in having the

Survey of India The Survey of India is India's central engineering agency in charge of Cartography, mapping and surveying.

mark the border.

Weather

During winters, the temperature may drop to -20°C or less depending upon the month while in summers the temperate varies from 5°C to 15°C during the day and may fall below 0°C at night. Staying in Sarchu has its own set of difficulties. AMS or

Acute mountain sickness Altitude sickness, the mildest form being acute mountain sickness (AMS), is the harmful effect of high altitude, caused by rapid exposure to low amounts of oxygen at high elevation. People can respond to high altitude in different ways. Sympt ...

is among the fundamental difficulties. Travelers normally stop at

Keylong Kyelang (also spelled Keylong) is a town and the administrative centre of the Lahaul and Spiti district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, north of Manali via Atal Tunnel and from the Indo-Tibetan border. It is located along the Mana ...

or Jispa before heading out to Sarchu to acclimatize themselves. The chances of mountain sickness are uneven and depend on person to person and their present health conditions, although the possibility of getting hit by AMS cannot be ruled out completely.

References

Inter-state disputes in India Internal borders of India Internal territorial disputes {{Ladakh-geo-stub