Chelela - a scenic mountain pass in the Himalayas in Bhutan, connects the Paro Valley to Haa. While doing so, It attains an elevation of 3.8 km! – I visited the place in May '19.
On a clear day, one can observe both the valleys and the distant snow-clad peaks as well, while standing on a summit. Above is the view of Paro valley… Here, in the middle, the most difficult airstrip is visible too!
Now the Haa depression is visible just after moving around by 180 degrees! However, scaling even a few steps is hugely exhausting because of rarefied air at that height.
Congratulations for this trip, and thank you for sharing these amazing photos with us.
How long did it take you to reach that high? I guess that the road which the vehicles take ends up at a certain point and from there, people need to walk, right?
Are there any attractions near this area, shops, restaurants?
From Paro City, it takes approx one and half-hour to get to the spot.
The road is a mountain pass and thus does not end there.
The vehicles stop right on the highway and do create a bottleneck sometimes.
One can stay stationed there and observe everything.
However, going through a small trail offers the most rewarding view.
Thank you for these details and information. I guess some guided tours are available for the small trails!
I completely agree with you, that some of the best views and pictures are often taken when you’re far from the touristic places. I think it’s the same case wherever you go. In Bulgaria, a country which is very famous for its nature, the best views are the ones which are off-road.
It’s possible to have long trails, however, we did not spend more than an hour there.
Acclimatization presents the most crucial problem at such heights. As I had stated in one of the captions, here, a person from the plains becomes breathless too fast.
Another similar high altitude mountain pass Khardung-la is notorious for causing hypoxemia if one spends more than 15 minutes there!
