Pangsau Pass

Pangsau Pass is a mountain pass at 3,727 feet on the India-Myanmar border, about 12 km from Nampong in Changlang district, Arunachal Pradesh. Located on the historic Stilwell Road, it is the easternmost motorable border point in the region. Notable for scenic forested Himalayan views, World War II heritage, and the annual Pangsau Pass Winter Festival, it offers a remote border landscape surrounded by hills and tribal settlements.

Visitors can expect a high-altitude border pass on the Stilwell Road surrounded by forested Patkai hills. The site features a border gate marking the India-Myanmar boundary, viewpoints overlooking valleys, and markers related to World War II history. The area is remote with limited commercial development, offering open mountain scenery, photo opportunities, and during January, cultural performances at the Winter Festival ground near Nampong.

Pangsau Pass lies on the historic Stilwell Road (Ledo Road), constructed during World War II (1942-1945) by Allied forces under General Joseph Stilwell to connect Ledo in Assam, India to Kunming in China via Myanmar as an alternative supply route. The pass and surrounding area saw significant wartime activity and remains a memorial to the engineering effort and soldiers involved.

The pass is located in the homeland of the Tangsa tribal community. It is culturally significant as the venue for the annual Pangsau Pass Winter Festival held in January at Nampong, which showcases traditional dance, music, crafts, cuisine and customs of local tribes and promotes cross-border cultural exchange.