Chele La Pass

At 3,988m, the highest road pass in Bhutan, straddling the border between Paro and Haa districts with sweeping views of Jomolhari and Jichu Drake.

Haa was closed to visitors until 2002, which is why the road over the pass carries so little traffic, and the drive up from Paro takes about an hour and a half through fir and hemlock. Prayer flags cover the saddle, and Jomolhari stands clear to the north in the early morning before cloud builds. Kila Goenpa, a nunnery built into the cliff below the pass, is reached by a walk of an hour or so. The far side drops into the Haa valley.