The breathtaking road to Yotong La
Yotong La is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 3.436m (11,272ft) above the sea level, located in the Bumthang District of Bhutan. It’s one of the highest mountain roads of the country.
The road to the summit, also known as Yatong La, is paved in very bad conditions (even gravel sections) and pretty steep, with hundreds of turns. Prayer flags hang on top of the pass.Remember this is is a mountainous area, climbing up a high mountain, with a notorius absence of oxygen. Altitude and extreme weather are always a factor.
Located in the Black Mountains, the road is very narrow. It’s called Bumthang-Ura Highway and was built in the 1990’s. A drive not to be missed! On the west side you pass through a hardwood forrest while on the east side it is a pine tree forrest with little villages and beautiful houses.
The pass is often closed during winter for a day or two due to heavy snowfall. It is quite strange that from early April and May, we do not see snow at this height. Top of the pass is fully covered by mist most of the time. A gravel side road at the summit climbs up to 3.521m (11,551ft) above the sea level, to a radio/TV Repeater Station. Very steep and narrow. 4x4 vehicles with high clearance only.