Driving the old mule road from Zuluk to Kupup

From Zuluk the road climbs the zigzags to the Thambi viewpoint, where on a clear morning Kangchenjunga stands on the western skyline. Above it the road reaches open high ground and drops into Nathang Valley. Beyond Nathang it passes the old Baba Mandir at the site of Harbhajan Singh's bunker, and then reaches Kupup and Elephant Lake. The whole stretch takes half a day with stops, and every bend seems to open a new view.

This was the main route of the Kalimpong–Lhasa wool trade: Kalimpong, Pedong, Rhenock, Rongli, Zuluk, Nathang, Kupup and over Jelep La into the Chumbi Valley. Mule trains carried wool south and cloth, tools and grain north. The British built a cart road along it from 1884, and their troops used it in 1888 and 1903–04. It closed after the 1962 war, and the mule bells went quiet. Today Army trucks and tourist cars use the same line.

Start early, because cloud usually rises from the valleys by late morning. The route is for Indian nationals only, on a Silk Route permit, with a locally registered car and driver. You can turn back to Zuluk from Kupup, or continue past Baba Mandir and Tsomgo to Gangtok. Carry water, snacks and warm layers, keep a plastic bag for motion sickness on the bends, and check current status before you travel.