Nathu La is the Himalayan pass at 4,310 metres that serves as one of the officially open trading border crossings between India and Tibet.
The pass connects Sikkim in India with Tibet, an autonomous region of China. It formed part of the historic Silk Route and was reopened to border trade in 2006 after decades of closure following the 1962 Sino-Indian War.
Nathu La is strategically important because it provides a relatively direct route between the Tibetan Plateau and the Indian plains. Its high altitude brings severe winter weather, and the pass is controlled by Indian and Chinese border forces.
Nathu La is often confused with nearby Jelep La, another historic Sikkim–Tibet pass. Khardung La is in Ladakh, while Zoji La connects the Kashmir Valley with Ladakh.