If you are in Leh, the one thing that most people recommend that you do is take an overnight trip to Nubra valley. Before I hit Ladakh, that is exactly what a lot of people told me to do. Given its popularity, ScoutMyTrip too, added it to our 12-day itinerary and thus, this thrilling traveler of yours ended up discovering a land of surreal beauty and calming reflections – Nubra Valley.
Sounds pretty mysterious when I add those descriptors but well, that is honestly, how I would term my journey and stay at Nubra Valley. This part of the journey was just after our epic Highest Blogger Meet at Khardung La and it is the promised part that I skipped in my previous post on Pangong Tso. Nubra Valley was not just about our stay at Hunder but the entire journey that we took from Khardung La to reach here and back. It was possibly the most peaceful part of the journey where we seem to have escaped any major incidents. This section was so surreal that I felt as if I were watching a movie on one of the travel channels like National Geographic. Hey! What they show on that channel is real and trust me on this for I saw it with my own eyes!!! Now get ready to see it for yourself –
About Nubra Valley
Located along the Northern border of India, a little below the famed Siachen glacier, is the Nubra Valley. With a tributary of Indus – Shyok river as its lifeline, this valley is quite unlike the valleys that one has heard of. Green in some parts but a cold desert in many others and a little rocky in some, Nubra Valley surprised me with its textures and colors. This was an important place in the yesteryears for it was one of the key places that lay along the historic silk route.
There are three key places or towns in Nubra Valley include Diskit, Hunder and Turtuk. Of these, we managed to just drive through Diskit and stay in Hunder.
The disappearing snow capped mountains of Khardung La
Our highest blogger meet at Khardung La gave us an experience of snow capped mountains and green valleys of the Tsolding Buddha Park where we were treated to some hot Maggi and an interesting 2-hour discussion with OYO Rooms and ScoutMyTrip. A meet that was quite pleasantly and rudely disturbed by the Yaks who insisted on crossing over at the appointed hour. Bloggers being bloggers had to take that break to capture it all in their lenses – including me (unapologetically)
Done with our meet, we split into two factions – one that went back to Leh and the other that continued on to Nubra Valley. The snow capped mountains and the melting snow gave way to a completely different landscape – a total antithesis of the white and green that we were experiencing so far.
Barren mountains and calming reflections
A few kilometers away from Khardung La actually, made me turn back constantly in the car – to reassure myself that there were indeed some snow capped mountains that we had crossed. The entire landscape suddenly was rocky with some streams flowing around here and there. Patches of blooms would just appear to interrupt the otherwise, sandy yet artistic landscape.
There is a certain beauty in these barren mountains that you are bound to gasp over. It seems surreal and even more for me when I captured the most amazing reflections on the water that we passed by. Be it just the calm beauty of those barren mountains or the stunning beasts that they shelter.
Diskit Monastery in Nubra Valley
Our first stop (not counting the photo stops) was at the Diskit monastery. The monastery atop a hill looked quite impressive and naturally, so given that it was the largest one in Nubra Valley. I had heard that the place had a very impressive prayer hall, a Maitreya Buddha statue within and some unusual Buddhist guardian statues within. Sadly, time was short and I could not really explore the place to discover these on my own. However, we did visit another of its landmarks – another Maitreya Buddha statue and this one, was really gigantic.
This 32 feet statue dominated the sky and faced the Shyok river. The Jhampa statue is a recent addition to this old monastery and was constructed in 2010 with all the donations that the place got. The statue is said to be a symbol of world peace and specifically, aims at preventing a clash with Pakistan. Hence, it has been built to face the country. It is said to bring peace and protection to the Nubra Valley below.
The day being clear, I got multiple shots of this statue from every possible angle. It might sound crazy but each angle gave me a something new to admire in this statue. Like the side view showcases a building with window.- I wonder if you caught that at the first glance 😉
The Sand dunes of Nubra Valley
If barren mountains were not a distinct enough landscape, you suddenly, encounter sand dunes. The cold desert of Ladakh made its appearance in Nubra valley in the most bizarre manner as we left Diskit monastery to continue on to Hunder, Gone were the rocky formations and all you could see were miles of free flowing, ever-shifting sand dunes. It was as if nature was showcasing its best all in one place.
Meeting the cutest camels at Nubra Valley
Where there are dunes, there have to be camels. And not just any camels, but the cutest ones with double humps. The Bactrian camels of Nubra Valley stole my heart, especially this guy as he stared back at me in the eye to say – “Yo there! What are you upto?”.
Sadly these camels are all tagged for tourist activities which include camel riding. Even the babies are strung along. Thankfully, no one is allowed to ride them. This part of the Nubra valley was crowded owing to these activities. A few of the bloggers wandered off from the crowd to get more of those dunes but the rest of us returned back to our charming OYO property in Hunder.
Our Stay at Nubra Valley
OYO Rooms had one of the most charming properties here for us to experience. With a stream that flowed through the property and little cottages around it, the resort itself was a haven. While our evening was spent with crazy jokes and Sam giving his maiden performance for this trip, the morning was a different story. Waking up to chirping birds and the sound of a flowing stream is enough to put you on a high for the rest of the day. And that is exactly, what happened with me.
Next morning as we set forth for Pangong Tso, we could not but admire the parting views of Nubra Valley. Typically, this kind of beauty would make my senses go on an overdrive but on the contrary, I felt very calm. I think it is the varied landscapes and they all converging together that made this place so surreal, while the Shyok river and its reflections are what made it calming. And possibly, these contrasts are what makes Nubra Valley so appealing for anyone who visits Leh.
Getting here
- You can either fly into Leh or drive in from Delhi as we did on this road trip.
- Nubra valley is 150 kms from Leh and can be reached by car or a taxi. To hire these, you can get in touch with any of the tourist agents in Leh. Alternately, your hotel too, can help arrange for it.
Travel Tips
- One needs an Inner Line Permit to visit Nubra Valley.
- It is better to spend a day in Leh acclimatizing to the altitude before you head to Nubra Valley. This is to avoid AMS as you climb atop Khardung La. Staying in Nubra Valley will further assist your acclimatization as this is at a lower altitude.
- Ensure that you book your hotel or tent well in advance as these places are often quite full during the season – June to September.
- The entrance fees for Diskit monastery is INR 30 and you can visit it anytime between 7 am-1pm & 2-7 pm
P.S: I experienced Nubra Valley as a part of the Highest Blogger Meet organized by ScoutMyTrip and OYO Rooms
63 Responses