By road
~120-150 km from Leh, crossing Khardung La, one of the world's highest motorable passes
North India · Ladakh
Nubra Valley, Ladakh
Sand dunes and double-humped camels at 10,000ft · ~120-150 km from Leh, crossing Khardung La, one of the world's highest motorable passes
Getting there
By rail
No railway in Ladakh; Jammu Tawi (~620-840 km) is the theoretical nearest, but essentially impractical
By air
Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport, Leh, ~120-162 km
Best time to visit
May to September — Khardung La stays reliably open
Don't miss
Diskit's giant Maitreya
Hunder dunes
Panamik springs
Turtuk
Things to do
Bactrian camel rides at Hunder
Diskit monastery visits
Turtuk village stay
Where to eat
Sources: wikimedia, Photo: Addy6697 · CC BY-SA 4.0
What to pack
Layers for hot days and cold nights, permits sorted in Leh
A quieter corner
The hot springs at Panamik, looking across to Ensa Gompa
About Nubra Valley
- Desert
- Mountains
Where it is
The Nubra Valley lies in the north of Ladakh, where the Shyok and Nubra rivers meet below the Karakoram range, reached from Leh over the Khardung La pass; its villages lie at about 3,000 m.
History
Nubra lay on the caravan route between Leh and Yarkand in Central Asia, and its villages grew up as halts for traders crossing the Karakoram Pass. Diskit Monastery, founded in the 14th century, is the oldest and largest in the valley.
People
Nubra's villages are home to Ladakhi communities and, towards Turtuk, to Balti communities, speaking Ladakhi and Balti. Villagers grow barley, apricots and walnuts on irrigated fields along the valley floor.
Known for
- Bactrian camels on the Hunder dunes
- Diskit Monastery and its giant Maitreya
- The Panamik hot springs
- Turtuk, a Balti village
- Apricot orchards
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.