Pele La Pass
A 3,420 metre pass over the Black Mountains, between western and central Bhutan
Pele La crosses the Black Mountains at 3,420 metres on the road east from Wangdue Phodrang towards Trongsa. The range runs north to south through the middle of Bhutan and divides the western valleys from the centre and east of the country. The turn for the Phobjikha Valley comes off this road, so most visitors to Gangtey cross or come close to the pass.
The pass is marked by a chorten and by prayer flags, and the ground either side of it is dwarf bamboo, which is what the yak herds up here graze. It is the watershed as well as the road crossing: west of it the rivers run to the Punatsangchhu, east of it to the Mangdechhu. Crossing it is the point on a Bhutan itinerary where the country stops feeling like the western valleys and starts feeling remote. Chendebji lies on the far side, on the way to Trongsa.
Highlights
3,420 metres
Crosses the Black Mountains
On the road to Phobjikha and Trongsa
Practical Info
Address
Black Mountains, on the Wangdue Phodrang to Trongsa road
In This Destination
Wangdue Phodrang District
Gateway to central Bhutan's highlands
On the itinerary