India is a densely populated and vast nation, boasting significant territorial expanse. It shares borders with 7 different countries in Asia and is surrounded by three different seas to the south. With land boundaries adjoining seven neighboring nations, including recent tensions and historical conflicts with China and Pakistan, India’s military prowess ranks among the world’s strongest.
Introduction
As a proud citizen of India, it is an immense pleasure and source of great patriotism to visit the land borders where tourists are legally permitted to explore up to specific areas designated by military personnel. Words cannot adequately commend the bravery and sacrifices of our military personnel who tirelessly guard our borders day and night, facing various challenges such as bone-chilling cold, scorching heat, and dense forests.
As citizens living peacefully in India, we can never fully comprehend the difficulties they endure and the sacrifices they make to ensure our safety and peace of mind. We catch only a glimpse of their experiences when we visit the designated border areas open to tourists in India. Here are few of the famous borders allowed for tourists in India with different nations.
Major International Borders
Pakistan
Wagah Border
You’re definitely missing too much in life if you miss visiting this spectacular border with Pakistan in Amritsar, Punjab. The Retreat ceremony happens every evening and trust me it gives every patriot an unreal goosebumps and makes you wish you were a soldier to guard such borders. Important meetings and border crossings happen frequently, where Lahore is a few kilometers away from here.
Tanot and Longewala Checkposts
This is another point near the border 120kms away from Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. The Indo-Pak border is 15-20km far away from this point and tourists aren’t allowed to travel beyond this checkpost. There is a famous temple named Tanot Temple which tourists usually visit.
Kartarpur Corridor
This is another visa free border crossing between India and Pakistan near Amritsar. This corridor connects Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, near Lahore in Pakistan to Gurudwara Dera Baba Nanak, Gurdaspur district, Punjab. Indian citizens with passports can enter Pakistan only to visit this Gurudwara approximately 9km from the Indo-Pak border, making a legal entry into Pakistan territory.
Munabao
This is another border crossing between India and Pakistan for the train Thar Express between Jodhpur and Karachi(now canceled) in Rajasthan. Border Retreat Ceremony is even held here and Indians with valid visas can take this train to reach Pakistan. This is another International train between India and Pakistan along with Samjhauta Express.
China
NathuLa Pass
This is another important mountain pass in Sikkim at an altitude of 14,140 ft. There is a gate from which Chinese land starts where security forces from both the nations are guarding round the year. This is an important border as Indians visiting Manasarovar Lake actually enter the Chinese border from this point(another one is Lipulekh Pass, Uttarakhand). This is one among the 5 borders where BPMs are held between India and China.
BumLa Pass
Located in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh at an altitude of 15,200ft above the sea level, which is another point of BPM between India and China. This marks an important story in India’s history as the Chinese entered India during the 1962 war exactly from this point. There’s dense snowfall round the year and it is a very challenging border for the defense personnel.
Pangong Lake
Remember the climax of Three Idiots movie near a gorgeous lake which is the famous Pangong Lake in Ladakh. This lake is approximately 134 km long and part of it flows to Chinese territory. This is also a disputed area between India and China. Trust me, a trip to Ladakh is absolutely incomplete without visiting this lovely lake.
Mana
This is another lovely village 5kms away from Badrinath in Uttarakhand which is actually called The Last Village of India. Actual border between India and China is 40kms away in a place named Mana Pass, but civilians are not allowed to go beyond Mana Village. This is a spectacular village with lovely mountains. The winters are horrible with heavy snowfall.
Chitkul
A mesmerizing village in Kinnaur Valley in Himachal Pradesh. This is 60kms away from India-China border and no civilians are allowed to go beyond this village. Kalpa and Chitkul are 2 incredible villages in Kinnaur Valley and Chitkul is a favorite destination for trekkers as well. But the road to Chitkul is a very challenging and adventurous one.
Bangladesh
Akhaura Border
Compared to China and Pakistan borders, the other ones are quite friendly to tourists and actually one can even step out and come back making their international trip. This is an important border between India and Bangladesh in Agartala, Tripura where in peak days approximately 500 trucks cross the border. Retreat ceremony happens even here and it’s guarded by the BSF.
Dawki
This lovely river named Umngot flows from Meghalaya in India to Bangladesh. This is the famous crystal clear river boating of the world and it happens meters away from the border. The starting point of the boat is inches away from the border and BSF are guarding it, so nobody can cross it. There isn’t a immigration counter here, so just an unfenced border with Bangladesh. Apart from these borders there are various points in Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura where aerial view of Bangladesh is clearly visible.
Myanmar
Moreh
This is a friendly border between India and Myanmar in Manipur. Indians actually can enter the Myanmar Border, exchange their currency, shop the Burmese things and return back on the same day. This is around 100 kms from the capital Imphal. Though it’s a beautiful border, things aren’t going good due to civil war in Myanmar and issues in Manipur.
Champai
This is another border town in Mizoram close to Myanmar border. Though the road to reach here is horrible, there’s a beautiful lake named Rih Dil lake beyond the Myanmar Border where Indians can visit with proper permit during peaceful times, but right now it’s not recommended due to issues happening in Myanmar.
Sri Lanka
Dhanushkodi
So this is a beach town in Tamilnadu and 12 kms away from the mainland of Sri Lanka. It is believed that Ram Setu was built to Lanka from here. I received a welcome message from Airtel Sri Lanka once I reached here. The exact point is called Arichal Munai, 15 kms from the city of Rameshwaram.
Nepal & Bhutan
Apart from these border points between India and Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Myanmar there are few friendly borders between Nepal, Bhutan too which can be easily entered without any permit just with valid Indian ID card. There even runs a train to Nepal from Jaynagar in Bihar to Kurtha traveling a distance of 35 kms.
Jaigaon at Ali Daurpur district in West Bengal is a major border crossing between India and Bhutan. Banbasa, Raxaul, Jogbani, Sonauli are a few major border crossings between India and Nepal. There are even direct buses run by the Indian Govt between India and Kathmandu from Delhi, Siliguri and few other places for visiting Nepal.
Things to keep in mind before visiting strategic borders.
- Make sure you apply for a valid permit from concerned authorities well in advance(it’s required for all Chinese and Pakistan borders)
- Network is hardly available, keep that in mind and be prepared for the same
- Don’t click pictures of Security Personnel and defense establishments, also don’t upload anything related to the security forces on social media.
- You’d observe a time difference in your mobile phones (+2:30 incase of China, +0:30 incase of Bangladesh) once you go near the borders. Have a watch to keep a proper time.
- Follow the instructions of the Officers strictly and follow the rules as mentioned without fail.
- Some borders are located at high altitudes. Make sure you acclimatize properly and have proper medication ready.
- It’s not recommended to take your own vehicles to remote places like NathuLa, BumLa. There are prescribed vehicles and only those drivers are permitted to drive there.
Conclusion
The true feeling of borders can only be felt during the visit to Pakistan and the Chinese borders surrounded by the Indian forces with a lot of warnings and military establishments. We must be proud of our forces for safeguarding our Nation from all the external threats of terrible weather, terrains at all times of the year. Mention your experiences visiting borders and also add some more if I forgot to mention any other prominent ones.
