A lot of people traveling to Ladakh are now opting for public transport to reduce the overall budget of the Ladakh trip. So, questions like “Can I make a trip from Leh to Nubra Valley bus?” are not surprising.
When you travel from Leh to Nubra Valley by bus, not only it will save you cost but you also get to experience traveling in Ladakh in a local way. The method of using public transport is very common among many couples or solo tourists in Ladakh.
So, in today’s article why not I answer this question about traveling from Leh to Nubra Valley by bus and help you save some money 🙂 🙂 …
Let's quickly dive into the details:
Why do you need Leh to Nubra Valley Service?
The rates or private taxis in Ladakh for a two day trip to Nubra Valley covering Diskit and Hunder is about Rs 10,000. If you include Turtuk in the trip, it adds about Rs 4000 in the taxi prices. If you add Panamik and Sumur villages, the taxi rates increase further.
By now way, the private taxies in Ladakh are cheap. Hence, people on a low budget need to find alternate ways to travel to Nubra Valley from Leh without spending too much money. So, what are your options for sightseeing in Ladakh to the places like Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso or Nubra Valley on a budget?
Thankfully, as so many people visit Ladakh in the season time, the roads are filled with tourists. You can always find travel partners in Changspa road area or Leh main market area to share taxi costs with them. The taxis to cover tourist attraction places near Leh will not cost you much. So, even if you get a couple of people, you can afford the taxi for local Leh sightseeing.
However, if you want to make a trip to Nubra Valley from Leh, you will have to spend Rs 10,000 – Rs 15000 for the taxi. Even if you get five people to share the cost of this private taxi to Nubra Valley, it means you have to spend Rs about Rs 2000 – 3000 each for a two day trip to Nubra Valley from Leh in a private taxi.
Some people travel on a low budget and prefer public transport to also experience the local way of commuting. Spending Rs 2000-3000 just for transport to one place in Ladakh could be a decent portion of their complete budget of Ladakh trip.
So, let me share the details with you about the bus service that runs between Leh and Nubra Valley including the bus schedule, timings, and the bus ticket fare.
Places to Visit in Nubra Valley
Wait, before we understand public transport buses from Leh to Nubra Valley, let us first understand what places of sightseeing exist in Nubra Valley. It will help you then understand how you can plan the trip to Nubra Valley and which buses should you be interested.
You can visit the following places in Nubra Valley for your 2-3 day trip from Leh.
- Diskit: Diskit has a monastery which is the largest and oldest Buddhist monastery in Nubra Valley and houses a 106 feet tall Maitreya Buddha statue. There is Lachung Temple as well which is quite close to the monastery. It is the headquarter of Nubra Valley and well connected within Nubra Valley.
- Hunder: Hunder is famous for its sand dunes and double-humped bacterian camel safari.
- Sumur: Somewhere between Sumur and Kyagar, you can visit the Samstanling monastery.
- Panamik: It has hot water springs and a sacred Yarab Tso lake nearby the entrance of the village.
- Turtuk: Opened for tourists in 2010, Turtuk offers a much different landscape and cultural orientation than the rest of the Nubra Valley. You can see apricot trees loaded around the entire village with views closer to the Karakorum range. If you have time, a MUST VISIT place in Nubra Valley.
Now, Nubra Valley is divided into two parts that get diverted around Khalsar. One road goes to the most famous route of Diskit, Hunder, and Turtuk and finally ends around Tyakshi village where border starts.
The other route starts runs through Tiger, Sumur, and Panamik. The road further goes towards Warshi village and finally to Siachen base camp. Tourists (domestic only) are allowed to travel up to Warshi village only.
Leh to Nubra Valley Bus Service – Timing & Schedule
Now that we know how Nubra Valley is divided on the map. Let me start with the details on the schedule and timing of the buses running from Leh to Nubra Valley and within Nubra Valley connecting various villages like Diskit, Hunder, Turtuk, Panamik, and Sumur.
Leh – Diskit Bus Service
Three buses travel from Leh to Diskit, Nubra Valley every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday of the week. Hence, you can only plan your trip from Leh to Nubra Valley by bus on these days of the week. The Leh to Nubra Valley bus leaves at 6.00 AM on these days of the week from Leh bus stand.
Nubra Valley to Leh Bus – Return Journey
The bus from Diskit, Nubra Valley to Leh leaves on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday of every week. It is the same bus that comes from Leh to Diskit on the previous days, and hence, it leaves the next day. The timing of the bus from Diskit to Leh is 7.00 AM on these days of the week from the Diskit bus stand.
Leh to Hunder Bus Service
You can travel to Hunder from Diskit easily by many local shared jeeps or hitchhiking. Hunder is just about 8 km from the Diskit village and is famous for its silver dunes.
Otherwise, there is a bus that starts from Leh to Skuroo at 6 AM every Tuesday and Thursday. Skuroo is a bit ahead of Thoise (army airstrip) in Nubra Valley and Hunder will fall on the way as you cross Diskit – Hunder – Thoise – Skuru on this bus. You can get down at Hunder.
Leh to Turtuk Bus Service
Finally, there is also a bus to Turtuk in Nubra Valley every Saturday and leaves at 6 AM from Leh bus stand. This bus also returns from Turtuk village back to Leh the next day, which is Sunday. Tyakshi village just ahead of Turtuk village is the last village before LOC which you can visit on this side of Nubra Valley.
Leh to Panamik Bus Service
There is also a bus that runs between Leh and Panamik, which leaves every Tuesday of the week from Leh bus stand. You can get down at Sumur if you are interested in visiting Sumur else go all the way up to Panamik.
This bus running between Leh and Panamik also goes over to Khimee and Taksha villages ahead of Panamik towards Warshi village. As a domestic tourist, you are allowed to travel only up to Warshi village in Nubra Valley on the Panamik side.
Finally, one bus runs from Leh to Charsa village, ahead of Sumur every Saturday. This bus leaves Leh bus stand at 6 AM.
This means that about 8-9 buses are available in a week to travel from Leh to Nubra Valley by bus to different places in Nubra Valley like Diskit, Hunder, Turtuk, Sumur, and Panamik. So, plan your trip to Nubra Valley on these dates in case you are interested to travel by bus from Leh to Nubra Valley.
Buses within Nubra Valley – Diskit, Turtuk, Panamik
Even within Nubra Valley, Diskit village is well connected to Turtuk and Panamik, the two different ends of Nubra Valley a tourist can visit. There is a daily bus that runs from Diskit to Turtuk at 2.30 PM, and then the same bus returns to Diskit from Turtuk at 6.00 AM. The daily bus from Panamik to Diskit runs every day at 7.30 AM.
You can notice that Nubra Valley is fairly connected to Leh by public transport. Hence, you should not have issues while planning a trip to Nubra Valley from Leh by bus or public transport.
You can always refer to the complete Leh Ladakh bus schedule to read about all the buses that operate in the Ladakh region. However, I have mentioned brief details of the buses in Ladakh that go to nearby Nubra Valley from Leh.
Bus Fare for Leh to Nubra Valley Bus Services
It is always better to buy the ticket for the Leh to Nubra Valley bus in the prior evening itself from Leh bus stand. This booking helps to ensure you are boarded the next morning on the bus.
- The one-way bus fare for Leh to Diskit bus service is about Rs 197 per person and same bus fare is charged when you return from Diskit to Leh bus service
- The one-way bus fare for Leh to Skuroo bus service is about Rs 256 per person and same bus fare is charged when you return from Skuroo to Leh bus service
- The one-way bus fare for Leh to Turtuk bus service is about Rs 316 per person and same bus fare is charged when you return from Turtuk to Leh bus service
- The one-way bus fare for Leh to Charsa bus service is about Rs 282 per person and same bus fare is charged when you return from Charsa to Leh bus service
- The one-way bus fare for Leh to Panamik bus service is about Rs 287 per person and same bus fare is charged when you return from Panamik to Leh bus service
- The one-way bus fare for Panamik – Diskit bus service is about Rs 75.
- The one-way bus fare for Turtuk – Diskit bus service is about Rs 80.
You can easily get a homestay in Diskit or Hunder for about Rs 300 – 400 per person and the two meals will cost you about Rs 150 – 200. Similarly, the price range is valid for Panamik and Sumur villages too.
Hence, the two-three day budget trip from Leh to Nubra Valley by public transport will cost you only about Rs 900 – 1100 in total with transport, food and stay. A three day trip to Nubra Valley from Leh may cost you about Rs 1400-1500 by public transport.
Some Important FAQs
1. Is there any other way to travel to Nubra Valley from Leh if I miss the bus?
As you can see that buses to Nubra Valley from Leh many buses run and there is excellent connectivity within Nubra Valley as well. Even after so many options for traveling by public transport to Nubra Valley from Leh, if you miss the buses, then you have the option to travel by shared tourist taxis. You will have to find either the group looking to share cost or go to a travel agent and book a seat on their shared tours.
There are lots of flyers that people put at cafes, dine-ins, restaurants, travel agent desks/shops/whiteboards wanting to share the taxis for different trips within Ladakh.
2. How much time will the bus take to reach Nubra Valley from Leh?
Nubra Valley is 120 km from Leh and this bus journey will take about 6-7 hrs to reach Nubra Valley from Leh.
3. Can I do pre-bookings for Leh to Nubra Valley bus service?
No, there is no pre-booking option available for Leh to Nubra Valley bus service. These are ordinary buses run by the state JKSRTC department. You may book the ticket one evening in advance from the ticket counter at Leh bus stand.
4. Is it possible to book the Nubra Valley – Leh bus online?
No, there is no online booking facility available to purchase tickets for Nubra Valley Leh bus service. You may book the ticket one evening in advance from the ticket counter at Leh bus stand.
5. Is the journey on a Nubra Valley to Leh bus comfortable?
These buses are ordinary JKSRTC buses with no deluxe comfort. Hence, do not expect much and try to travel like a local. Some local travel agents do run tempo travelers, but then you are looking for shared tourist taxis or tempo travelers which costs higher than these standard buses.
You will find such options in plenty in Leh main market or Changspa road as mentioned in question #1.
6. Do these JKSRTC buses from Nubra Valley to Leh stop for any sightseeing on the route?
These buses do not stop for any sightseeing on the route to Nubra Valley. Hence, you will not be able to click photos wherever you like as the bus will not stop at your wish.
However, you can try to grab a right-hand window seat on Leh to Nubra Valley bus to capture some basic photos from the moving bus or enjoy the journey. The views will keep on changing from left to right but overall the right-hand side will offer you the most scenic views.
Please note that the bus may stop at the falsely claimed highest motorable road in the world, Khardung La. Do not forget to take pictures and supper/tea at the Cafeteria of the world’s 12th highest motorable world.
Conclusion
I hope this article will help you learn about the bus services from Nubra Valley to Leh and vice-versa. Also, I have covered the buses running within Nubra Valley.
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I have tried to cover most important FAQs towards the end, but if you still have got any questions on making a trip to Nubra Valley by public transport, please feel free to post those questions in the comments section.
Have you traveled on the Leh to Nubra Valley bus on your trip to Ladakh? I will be happy to hear about your experience in the comments section of the article.
