Nubra Valley is one of the MUST VISIT places in Ladakh especially if you are visiting for the first time. It is among the sub-districts in Ladakh, located in the North East side having Diskit Village as its main headquarters.
Diskit is situated about 120 odd KMs from Leh town which is the main capital of Ladakh district. The Shyok river, a tributary of Indus river, meets the Nubra or Siachen river to form a large valley that separates the Ladakh and Karakorum Ranges.
The ultra-wide landscapes, humongous mountain faces, lovely trails, a wide variety of colors and musical Shyok river flowing midst the valley will take your breath away at first sight.
Since it is near to the Line of Actual Control, you need to get Inner Line Permit to visit Nubra Valley, both as an Indian and foreigner.
Let's quickly dive into the details:
Nubra Valley in Ladakh
The major attraction of a trip to Nubra is traveling over the so-called or hyped, falsely claimed highest motorable road, Khardung La Pass. Nubra Valley is an ideal place to fit into the acclimatization schedule of your Ladakh trip once you reach Leh because it is at a lower altitude than Leh, at an average altitude of 10000 Feet or 3048 Mtrs.
Please note that climbing to a very high altitude of Khardung La from Leh and then sleeping at a low altitude of Nubra Valley DOES HELP tremendously in acclimatization.
Thus, apart from the magnificent vistas on offer, Nubra Valley has hidden advantage of acclimatization as well, which will eventually help your Ladakh trip be more successful. No wonder if you are missing on this part of Ladakh on your trip, you are almost missing out on the heart of your Ladakh trip.
Location
Diskit, the main headquarters in Nubra Valley is located about 120 KMs from Leh town of Ladakh district.
Altitude
Nubra Valley has an average altitude of about 10000 Feet or 3048 Mtrs.
Best Time to Travel
Similar to what we learned about the best time to travel to Leh Ladakh, in the months of January to March, Nubra Valley remains shut down in cold snow conditions. Only a few options are available to stay and open to welcome guests.
In April, some guest houses start to open up, but the food does remain an issue in most places. You have to rely on homestays or guesthouses and home-cooked food only mostly. You can see apricot flowers blooming all over Nubra Valley in April.
Then comes the months of May, June, July, and August, which is the peak tourist season in Ladakh. You can find all accommodation options open with full staff and support even in Nubra Valley during these months of the year.
Come September and early October, the tourists start to reside as the cold starts to set in and accommodation starts to pack up too. In my opinion, this is by far the best time to visit Nubra Valley to see the full glory of the burning colors of Ladakh with clouds hovering like candies in the blue sky.
The colors are purely magical at this time of the year and with fewer tourists comparatively, you get better deals at hotels, and you enjoy more. So, you kill two birds at once.
After the third week of October up to December, mostly all the accommodation options pack up except the small guest houses or homestays and very few hotels. However, the situation of accommodation options in Nubra Valley in winters as well is not that bad as compared to Pangong Tso and Tso Moriri lakes, where only a few homestays run with basic facilities.
How to Reach Nubra Valley – Ladakh
Let us check out the details on how you can reach Nubra Valley from Leh.
Route from Leh to Nubra
Below is the most general route to Nubra from Leh that most people usually follow. You can reach in about 5 – 6 Hrs depending upon the number of breaks you take in between and of course at Khardung La.
Do try to ensure you do not stay more than 15 minutes at Khardung La as you will start to get hit with AMS because the body cannot cope up with that high altitude, so quickly in the trip, for that long.
The route to Nubra Valley from Leh along with the distance between the subsequent places is as follows:
Leh – Khardung La Pass (40 KMs) – Khardung Village (34 KMs) – Khalsar (23 KMs) – Diskit (19 KMs) = 116 KMs
You can cover Diskit & Hunder on the first day, irrespective of the fact where you are staying between these two places. Then, you can plan to cover Sumur & Panamik while you are returning from Nubra Valley. So, if you are one of those who prefer relaxing vacation and do not want to rush through places then, I will suggest you make a three day trip to Nubra Valley and include Turtuk in the plan too.
Of course, I assume your body has been acclimatized properly by staying for a couple of nights in Leh before attempting to climb Khardung La pass and come over to Nubra Valley. If you are short on time, then you can make a two-day trip covering Diskit, Hunder, Sumur, and Panamik on the flow of travel to and from Leh.
There is a direct route between Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso as well and people have started using that route to travel directly to Pangong Tso from Nubra Valley nowadays.
As of 2016, the fuel pump at Diskit is mostly operational even in winters.
There are several bus services that run within Nubra Valley and multiple buses are present running between Leh and Nubra Valley. You can always refer to the detailed Leh to Nubra Valley Bus Services schedule and timetable.
Preferred Vehicles
The higher ground clearance vehicles are preferable and 4×4 ones generally not required. However, quite a few people do it in hatchbacks and sedans as well. But, it depends upon your skills to drive and road conditions at the time of travel when you take a hatchback or a sedan.
Suggested Itinerary for Nubra Valley
Generally, at least one-night stay is preferable to witness the mesmerizing beauty of Nubra Valley truly. Of course, one night stay will help you ride the Bacterian Camels over Sand Dunes of Hunder around sunrise and sunset (i.e., cooler conditions) that increase the charm of your vacation to a further extent. Most people, generally do:
Day 1 | Leh – Khardung La – Diskit – Hunder
- Head for Nubra Valley and stay overnight at Hunder / Diskit
- On the way enjoy a cup of soup at Highest Motorable Pass (as claimed) Khardung La
- Diskit has monasteries with tallest lord Buddha statue and Hunder has sand dunes and bacterian camel safari
Day 2 | Hunder / Diskit – Sumur – Panamik – Sumur – Khardung La – Leh
- Sumur has a Samstanling monastery to check out nearby
- Panamik has hot water springs and a sacred Yarab Tso lake
- Overnight at Leh
You MUST add a day to your schedule and go ahead to visit Turtuk, about 95 KMs from Diskit. Turtuk was opened in 2010 for domestic tourists and in 2013 for foreign tourists. It is an amazing place, quite different from the rest of the landscape in Nubra Valley and houses a different affinity for culture too.
Accommodation Options at Nubra Valley – Ladakh
I will not go into the details of them as you can always refer my comprehensive list of Good Hotels or Accommodation in Nubra Valley.
Places to Visit in Nubra Valley
You can visit the following places in Nubra Valley for your 2-3 day trip from Leh. I will try to explain these places in detail in some other articles to maintain the brevity of this article.
- 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.
- Hunder: It 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.
Warshi – Tyakshi Villages
Now we as Indian tourists can also travel up to Warshi village in Nubra Valley which is ahead of Panamik on the way towards Siachen Base Camp.
You can hence cover Yarma Gompa & Yarma Gonboo monasteries if you like to visit them, which falls upon this route. The route goes like Panamik – Taksha – Sasoma – Warshi, which is about 39 km ahead of Panamik. As per Nubra Valley permits, you do not need any special permits for this route as well. Siachen base camp is still out of sights for permissions to civilians.
From the Hunder side in Nubra Valley, you can travel all the way up to Tyakshi village ahead of Turtuk from where you can see the Indo-Pak borderline.
Medical Facilities
Diskit Village has a hospital where you will be able to get basic medical aid and treatment.
Food Joints in Nubra Valley
Most of the time you will be eating out in Hotels or Camps or Guest Houses or Homestays you will be staying in. However, there are dhabhas or eating joints at Khalsar and Khardung villages where people generally stop for lunch while on the way to or from Leh.
You should always carry your water bottle and refill it as many times as you need water. It will not only keep you hydrated always, but you will also help in saving the Himalayas from plastic garbage. Remember, every tiny step counts and your step in this direction can help save the Himalayas too !! 🙂 🙂
Phone Signals in Nubra Valley
BSNL Postpaid Connection does work like a charm in most parts of Nubra Valley with some loss of signal at few places though.
Petrol Pumps
Do not forget to refill petrol/diesel at Leh petrol pump. Update 2016: Things have improved and the petrol pump at Deskit, Nubra is mostly found in working conditions nowadays even in winter. Do not forget to check my article on petrol or fuel availability in Ladakh.
ATMs
You will not find any ATMs in Nubra Valley and hence, it is always better to carry cash from Leh (the only place where you find ATM in Ladakh) itself.
Conclusion
Nubra is a must have a place to visit, and I am sure when you visit Leh Ladakh, this one surely is not the place you would like to exclude from itinerary of Leh Ladakh trip. I hope the above information will be useful for your upcoming trip to Ladakh.
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Please feel free to post any questions or doubts you might have in planning your trip to Ladakh in the comments section below. If you have been to Nubra Valley, do you agree to the points shared in this article?
Do share your thoughts and other information you might feel will be worth sharing with other fellow travelers and help them.
354 Comments
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Hi… its my primary plan. Nothing is planned concret
day1 on 8/8 reaching leh morning by flight
Day 5 12/8 flight from Srinagar. To delhi
In 4,5 i want to visit leh, nubra, panyong,,,
Can u help to plan it…
Well, the first two days will be acclimatization in Leh which are 8 and 9 August. It takes two days to reach Srinagar with night halt at Kargil. So, you do not have time to visit Pangong tso and Nubra Valley
Hi Dheeraj, I personally traveled to Ladakh several times in the past. Thanks to DoW for the valuable information. I plan to visit Ladakh again in the first week of Aug 2018 and would like to spend more time in Nubra. My tentative itinerary looks like this:
Day 01: Reach Leh
Day 02: Leh Sightseeing
Day 03-05: Deskit, Sumoor, Tegar, Panamik, Tirit, Lugzhun, Hunder, Turtuk (not too keen in treks though). HELP REQUIRED IN KNITTING THE ITINERARY ON THESE DAYS.
Day 05: Nubra to Leh
Day 06: Leh Leisure Day
Day 07: Leh to Pangong
Day 08: Pangong to Tsomoriri
Day 09: Tsomoriri – Tsokar – Leh
Day 10: Leh – Alchi – Likir – Phyang – Leh
Day 11: Depart
you’re free to suggest changes to the itinerary. I don’t mind extending my trip by a day or two more if some interesting places can be added.
Well, I will highly recommend you take the direct routes to Nubra to Pangong Tso and then Pangong Tso to Hanle and then Hanle to Tso Moriri. You can plan to spend the extra days at Hanle or Tso Moriri or one day at Hanle and other in Leh for rest and shopping.
Thanks Dheeraj. Will it not be too hectic to travel from Nubra to Pangong and then to Tsomoriri? We would be using a Force Traveler for the trip and have no problem in extending the trip by a day or two. Also, please help in knitting the Nubra part of the itinerary.
Not really, it will be similar to what you will eventually undertake and also help you cut short the journey at Hanle with one day rest too. Hanle is a place not to be missed.
Hi ,
I and my dad are traveling, so can we make 1 day trip to hunder ,if not, then atleast to diskit & come back to leh by evening? (also covering Khardung La)
hopefully i will get shared taxi, right for both ways transport
Thanks in advance
It all depends if people are interested in making a trip in shared taxi. You can other wise take one way and hitch hike the other way
Ohk nice… thnkx for the info..
Just 1 thing, will there be taxi transport to go diskit between afternoon or evening, so that i’l stay a night and leave the next day
Reason is i can arrange for the permits in the morning and then by afternoon leave for diskit (Can this be possible)
There could be a possibility but the probability is less of finding it. You may need to search a bit and be lucky.
Acha ok
I’l enquire at the taxi stand the night when i reach Leh
This should help me out
Hello,
Which places in Nubra valley offer ATV rides and how much do they cost?
Thanks,
Paras.
I heard they have started some rides around Hunder. I am not sure about the costs.
Hi Dheeraj,
I was planning a 4 day trip to Leh and wanted to be doubly sure if i should undertake it or not. Would love if you could help understand the below trip would work or not –
1. Arrive at Leh early morning via flight and take complete rest.
2. Leave for Nubra at around 10 in the morning and stay at Nubra. [Wanted to know if there is a route which avoids Khardung La and is it safe?]
3. Leave for Leh at around 12 next day.
4. Do a day trip to Pangong and return to Leh.
5. Fly out in the morning.
All the permits, accomodation and mode of travel would be pre-arranged.
Eshan, the plan you are making is nothing but very troublesome and can land you up in a hospital. It is better to make a trip when you have time on hand or do it like first two days complete rest in Leh with only very light sightseeing, just rest to acclimatize the body. Next two days can be trip to Khardunga La and then on 5th day make a day trip to Pangong Tso. This is the best I can suggest.
Hello
Many thanks for your blog – it’s one of the best sources of information I’ve found! I would like to head north from Delhi with a couple of friends between April 4th – 15th. We would like to visit the beautiful scenery in Ladakh and would like to do some driving on motorcycles.
It seems as though it is possible to travel around this area at this time of year? Please could you let me know what are our best options. I’m not sure how cold/ how much snow and ice there will be and whether it is safe to visit by motorbike.
Thank you!
Rohan
Hey Rohan,
Are you planning to fly to Leh and then explore? The bike rides will only be possible around Leh and not allowed to Nubra and Pangong Tso in April due to skiddy conditions at Khardung La and Chang La.
Hi thanks for response. Given weather conditions for driving I think I’ll have to save leh for another time. Will we be ok travelling by motorcycle between manali and shimla and surrounding area? Do you have any recommendations?
Thanks!
Yes, Rohan, in fact you can make a trip to Kinnaur Valley if you are interested in a bit adventure.
Hi ji, We Starting to leh tomorrow,
We are a couple fly to leh, Day 1:Leh, 2:Nubra, 3:Leh return, 4:Pangong, 5:Hanle, 6:Tsomoriri, 7:Leh, 8:Lamayuru return (Sharing), 9:Kargil (via Baltiac sharing or individual), After that we are confused to go to zanskar or direct to srinagar. I want to book return flight from Srinagar after visit gulmarg and Pahalgam. Days not problem but we are from south india.. Before no experience like this high altitudes.
So need suggestions:
1.For zanskar minimum how many day needed or
2.shall return from padum
or
3.skip zanskar due to 1st time..
Transport:Strictly Sharing taxi…
Really confusing….
Need all your team suggestions.
Sorry for missing out, hope you are enjoying your trip at its best
Thank you for your helpful information and for the time you take to reply to questions.
I will be travelling alone and I hope to visit Diskit at the time of the Festival. I’m thinking of getting there the “standard” way, by looking around for a shared ride.
Did you say it was possible to stay at the Monastery ? failing that, I conclude there are lots of places in town.
After the festival, I’d like to hike/ride down the valley and spend time in Hunder. I’m a photographer and would like to see things in different light.
From the maps in my books and online, I see a big trail from around Hunder/Changmac over to the Indus Valley. It seems to end around Basgo. Is it possible to hire a porter or horse in Hunder to make this trip ?
How long would it take ?..it looks like 3-4 days. On the maps, I see some villages. Are homestays possible ?
Thank you for your help.
Dave…from Canada
Hello Dave,
Deskit is head quarters of Nubra Valley and there is surely bus services connecting Deskit and Leh. Also, many shared cabs would be running between Deskit and Leh mostly on daily basis. You can refer the bus time table too and plan the trip accordingly:Rates & Time table of Bus Services in Leh – Ladakh
Most of the monasteries in Ladakh offer stay options and yes, there will be plenty of home stays available in Deskit and Hunder villages. You will not be stranded there. Hunder is just 7-8 KMs from Deskit and you will have no issues in hitch hiking or taking lifts. If you are used to hiking being from Canada, well, you can walk as well through beautiful scenery too.
There could be one trail but I do not have clue over feasibility of doing it. I have not known it as it does not seem to be a popular one in Ladakh. So, even porters will be hard to find. Sorry on that front.
Regards
Dheeraj
Thanks Dheeraj; This sounds good and I thank you, once again. If I manage to get some info regarding that trail, which surely exists, I’ll post it to help inform others.
I was thinking that, taking that trail from the other end could be an option and maybe some help (if necessary) could be available in Lamayuru, or thereabouts.
Have a great day.
Dave
Sure David, have a great trip !! Will look forward to your trip updates.
Thank you Dheeraj for your reply.Hope you will guide me in future
Happy to help anytime, feel free to post any questions on traveling related to Northern Himalayas in India 🙂
Dear Dhirajji,
We are arriving at leh on 28th september. We are a family of 4 members. Me, my wife and two daughters. Do you need to book hotel prior to visit in leh and hunder ? Or is there spot booking available? Can we have rooms if we spot book on the day we arrive?
It is late in the season, less tourists will be there. You can book on the spot.
Dear Mr Dheeraj
I am reaching leh on 28th september with my spouse & 2 years aged daughter.
Actually I am budget traveller so can get shared car for Nubra,Pangong lake & sight seeing from leh?
Can you share any hints of fares for said trips?
Pl. share your valuable feed back.
You are a couple and private taxis are very costly in Leh but you will be able to find the shared taxi without much fuss at all. There are lots of flyers which people put at cafes, dine-ins, restaurants, travel agent desks/shops/whiteboards wanting to share the taxis for different trips within Ladakh. Even travel agent organize such shared taxis trip as well but charge a little higher about Rs 200-300 more than it would ideally cost. So, in the worst case, you can always go back to them and book a seat for yourself. Gelling up with people in Ladakh is more or less easy because many people travel solo and look forward to meeting new people
Thanks for your valuable feedback back.
Best wishes for your trip, feel free to post any further questions you may have
Hi Deeraj,
Thankyou for this post as Nubra is definitely on my list.
I have a few question, since I’m traveling solo I will mostly gonna rely on sharing cabs during my trip. But after doing some research it seems like my itinerary will match the bus schedule to Nubra which depart every Tuesday from Leh. Which will safe me some efforts to try to find sharing taxi partners since I can just catch the bus.
The question is, will these buses make the stops in Khardung La, Sumur and Panamik? Or will it just go straight to Nubra without stopping? Because I’d love to make some photo stops if it’s possible.
Thanks.
Hello Ruth,
They may stop for couple of minutes at Khardung La on request but not enroute anywhere else expcept the bus stops of villages to pick up passengers. Sumur and Panamik does not fall on the route as bus goes to Deskit only. So, it will not stop there as well. Since, you will love to take pictures of the scenes enroute, best is to find the tourist shared taxi and get a seat in it. you will be able to find the shared taxi without much fuss at all. There are lots of flyers which people put at cafes, dine-ins, restaurants, travel agent desks/shops/whiteboards wanting to share the taxis for different trips within Ladakh. Even travel agent organize such shared taxis trip as well but charge a little higher about Rs 200-300 more than it would ideally cost. So, in the worst case, you can always go back to them and book a seat for yourself.
Hi Dheeraj,
Is there any place you know where food is provided in Turtuk? I am planning to spend a day in that village and was wondering if you can suggest some place to have traditional Balti food.
Let me know. Many thanks for your help as always!
Best,
Sanchita
I will say villagers will help you do so. Some homestays/guest houses will be running restaurant cum dhabha where you can eat food. You can request them to prepare some balti food on request and of course paying the goodwill at the end. I don’t see any reason they will not be able to help you with your request.
Thanks Dheeraj for your quick response. That helps. After my journey I am gonna share my experience here as I have referred each and everything right from choosing drivers to places to stay from ur blogs. I just love DOW and the hard work u have been putting. Cheers!
Thank you so much Sanchita !! I will look forward to it eagerly.
Hello Dheeraj,
You are doing a great job. After going through your lots and lots of useful advises, I finally planned for the Leh trip. I would be travelling to Leh in next month i.e August. Following your instructions I am starting the trip from Srinagar. I am sending you my itinerary please go through it and suggest me any changes if you want to.
11th August- Reaching Srinagar at 12.30 pm. Day at srinagar n Stay at Srinagar
12th Aug- Srinagar to Kargil via Sonmarg, Drass. Stay at Kargil
13th Aug- Kargil- Leh stay at Leh.
14th Aug- Leh- Nubra. Stay at Nubra.
15th Aug- Nubra- Pangong via Shyok/Warila. (Here want to know whether travelling by this route is safer as we are couple and renting a cab and also whether this route is open for tourist in month of August.) Stay at Pangong
16th Aug- Pangong- Leh. Stay at Leh
17th Aug- Leh- Jispa/Sarchu. Stay at Jispa/Sarchu
18th Aug- Jispa/Sarchu- Manali. Stay at Manali
19th Aug- Manali- Chandigarh Tour ends.
I am having a return flight from Chandigarh on 20th Aug at morning, so need to reach thr till 19th.
PleaSe let me know if this itinerary is good to go or would you suggest any changes in the above plan.
Waiting for your valuable response.
Thanx n Regrads
Hi Swapy,
You MUST have at least one day stay in Leh after reaching Leh to acclimatize, rest and get the permits done which I see is missing from your plan. Secondly, in August Shyok river swells and the road from Shyok village is mostly closed. You will need to take Wari La route. I will say to wait for some company at Agham village which can be along with you to support in the need of an hr else come back to Leh and do Leh – Chang La – Pangong Tso.
Regards
Dheeraj
Thanks for the reply Dheeraj. But as you see we dont have days in hand to rest and also to come back to leh from Nubra and then to do Leh Pangong. I am in contact with a cab driver that too recommended by you on the Forum, and my problem is that I already booked my return flight tickets which will be leaving from Chandigarh. The cab which i booked will accompanying us from Srinagar upto Manali, if u suggest i will drop that plan and can take a flight from Leh upto Chandigarh which will give me 2 more days for the Leh Ladakh region. Currently I am on the negotiation stage with the Cab driver. If you suggest then i will drop the idea for Leh Manali cicuit.
Well, I will suggest so given the number of days at hand else choose between places in Ladakh and covering Srinagar – Leh and Pangong – Leh on the trip only which also makes sense. For rest of the places in Ladakh, you can make some other trip in future by flying in and out of Leh.
Dheeraj one last question, sorry if i m bothering u too much, I will be reaching Srinagar around 12.30 pm, so is it a good idea if I directly go to Kargil rather than staying at Srinagar? This will give me one day for acclimatization. Does that route requires any kind of permission or Does Srinagar To Kargil route have timings
Swapy, well, it takes about 8 hrs to reach Kargil from Srinagar. You can speed it up to 7 hrs with fewer breaks. No permit is required to travel from Srinagar to Kargil
Hi dheeraj…
If i come from jammu to leh on flight and immediately go to deskit crossing khardunla(not stopping anywhere) by hiring a taxi…within 5hrs i ll be in deskit…
Is it advisable…
How risky is it?
It is a like trying to attempt a suicide !! PLEASE DO NOT do it. Take about 3 days of rest after flying in to Leh and then think about moving around.
Hi Dheeraj
We were planning for a plan which included Srinagar. But now we have changed that. Kindly see the plan.
Day 1) Fly from Delhi to Leh, Acclimatization at Leh
Day 2) Leh Local sightseeing, Stay at Leh
Day 3) Leh to Nubra Valley, stay @Nubra Valley
Day 4) Nubra to Siachen base camp and to Pangong Tso (Is it possible?) – Stay at Pangong Tso
Day 5) Rest at Pangong Tso and back to Leh, stay at Leh
Day 6) Leh to Kargil, Stay at Kargil
Day 7) Kargil to Leh
Day 8) Leave to Chandigarh (Morning flight)
Is the plan too tight in terms of travel?
Regards
Krishnaraj R
Your plan looks good to me just that skip the Siachen base camp thing. Also, wait for some vehicles to come before going to the desolated route of Nubra to Panogng Tso.
Thank you Dheeraj for the reply.
1) How is the road from Nubra to Pangong Tso for Innova?
2) What would be the lowest temperature in the above plan? Just to get an idea about the clothing required.
Thanks
3) How is the weather right now?
4) Will prepaid connections work in J&K?
Weather is now a days overcast and bit rains/snow at high altitude in Ladakh. Outside state Prepaid connections do not work in J&K
Innova should be able to manage the road from Nubra to Pangong Tso but drive with caution and care. You should read: Tips for Carrying Clothes for Ladakh Trip