Saser Pass, Saser La, or Sasser Pass (el. 5,411 m or 17,753 ft) is a high
mountain pass in
Ladakh and
India on the ancient summer caravan route from
Leh in Ladakh to
Yarkand in the
Tarim Basin. It leads from the head of the
Nubra Valley into the upper
Shyok valley, on the way to the even higher, but easier,
Karakoram Pass.
History
"This was the notorious Sasser, not the highest but probably the most impressive and dangerous [of the passes along the caravan route between Ladakh and
Yarkand]."[2]
The Saser Pass could not be avoided in summer and took a huge toll on caravan pack animals, such as ponies and mules. It was too icy for the
Bactrian camels, which were the usual pack animals to the north of the Saser Pass.[3]
^Keay, John. When Men and Mountains Meet, p. 182. (1977) Reprint: Oxford University Press. Karachi, 1993.
ISBN0-19-577465-5.
^Trails to Inmost Asia: Five Years of Exploration with the Roerich Central Asian Expedition, p. 42. George N. Roerich. 1931. Reprint by Book Faith India, Delhi. 1996.
ISBN81-7303-032-4.
Further reading
Trans-Himalayan Caravans: Merchant Princes and Peasant Traders in Ladakh. Janet Rizvi. Oxford University Press. New Delhi. 1999.
ISBN0-19-564855-2.