Himachal Pradesh has always been travelers’ favorite, thanks to its mesmerizing valleys. Right from Shimla to Manali, you would see a lot of travel packages flooded on the internet. Apart from these well-known locations, there are also a few unexplored ones which are as good as their famous ones. Today we will be exploring one of such beautiful locations, Nubra Valley. If you are travelling to Leh Ladakh, then you must travel to this amazing location. Nubra Valley is located in the heart of Himachal Pradesh at the Nubra and Shyok rivers banks. It is located 160kms from Leh. It is situated at 10000 ft above sea level. There are few best places to visit in Nubra Valley.
Why is Nubra Valley Gateway to Beauty and Splendour?
Nubra Valley is known as the cold desert and a place with higher altitudes. If you are travelling to Leh and wish to plan for an overnight trip, you can certainly consider an overnight trip to Nubra Valley. You would find an equal mixture of greener and cold desert here. The most famous places to visit Nubra Valley are Hunder, Turtuk, and Diskit. You would find a lack of vegetation here. Nubra valley is the home of many beautiful villages and monasteries. Apart from this, you would also get a chance to go through one of the world’s highest motorable passes, which is known as Khardung La. Due to its amazing structure, Nubra Valley is also called as Orchard of Ladakh. You can check for any customized Ladakh holiday package for more details.
What is the travel distance between Leh to Nubra Valley?
The total distance between Leh to Nubra is 160 km (approx.). If you prefer a road trip, then it would take up to 5 to 6 hours (approx.). If you are flying, then the nearest airport to reach Nubra Valley would be Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport.
How many routes are there to reach Nubra Valley from Leh?
If you are travelling from Leh, it will take you approximately 5 to 6 hours by road. Make sure you do not miss the sunset from the mountains of Hunder. You can start early in the day after having your breakfast to not miss the sunset. You can reach Nubra either by Bus or taxi. If you are planning to cover Dikshit, Hunder and wish to go for a taxi, then you can go for a 2-day trip. For this, you can hire any private taxi that would cost you around Rs.10,000 (approx.). If you wish to add up a few more locations like Turtuk and Panamik, then you would need to pay an additional Rs.5000. (approx.)
If you are planning to travel from Leh to Nubra Valley by public transport, then you can consider going by bus. You can get direct buses from Leh to the respective locations. But before planning to take a bus, make sure to check the timings. Generally, the buses start at 6 am on every Saturday. Hence make sure you plan accordingly.
There are also trains available from Ladakh. Few of the trains which you can consider to take from Ladakh are Ladakh to Bahman Diwana, Ladakh to Lohian Khas Jn, Ladakh to Bhawi, Ladakh to Jangipur Road and Ladakh to Madhavnagar route.
What are the modes to reach Nubra Valley from Leh town?
By Air
If you are travelling by Air, then Leh is the closest airport. From there, you can either hire a taxi or a bus to reach the Nubra Valley. You can also choose to fly down to Srinagar. All the major cities of India including Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi, and Mumbai are connected with Leh.
By Train
If you are travelling by train, then you can get down to Jammu Tawi Railway Station. It is around 700 km (approx.). Once you get down, then you can reach Leh by bus or car and then travel to Diskit at Nubra Valley.
By Road
If you got your vehicle, then you can travel to Nubra, which is 160 km (approx.) away from Leh. Here you would need an inner line permit to enter via Khardung La or K-Top. Once you reach Khalsar, then you can travel to either Hunder, Sumur, Diskit, or Panamik.
Accommodation Options in and Around Nubra Valley
At Nubra Valley, you would find many accommodation options as per your budget. There are many hotels in Nubra Valley. You can find the best budget-friendly stay options at Hunder and Diskit village. One will experience a decent well-maintained room and with a beautiful view. At some of the places, you will also get the gardens to spend your time. You can explore the accommodation options in any of these two villages as these are 11 kms (approx.) apart. You can certainly explore Ladakh tour packages to check this inclusion. If you are planning to travel during peak season, then make sure you make the booking to avoid the last moment issues.
Best Time to Visit Nubra Valley
Since it is the coldest place with high altitude, make sure you check the best timings to visit Nubra Valley. You will be going through the world’s highest motorable pass through Khardung La, and due to this, Nubra valley would be accessible round the year.
Summer Season
During the summer season, Nubra valley can be quite hotter, and hence most travelers avoid this travelling this time. Generally, the summer starts here by April and lasts till July. You can experience the temperature anywhere between 8 degrees to 20 degrees Celsius.
Monsoon Season
During the monsoon, one can experience heavy rainfall in this region. You would see the rainfall at Nubra valley between August and September.
Winter Season
The temperature of the Nubra valley goes up to -10 degrees to 15 degrees Celsius. Here the winter starts in October and can last till February. One can also experience snowfall a couple of times in this season.
Festivals
There are some festivals during which one can visit Nubra Valley. Some of the famous festivals which you can consider attending are the Hemis festival, Dosmoche festival, and Losar festival.
Best season
Considering the above-mentioned information, Summer is the best season to visit Nubra Valley since the temperature is quite comfortable for sightseeing. You can plan your trip between February to April.
Is Permit required to visit Nubra Valley?
Earlier tourists never needed any permit to visit Nubra Valley, But considering the heavy traffic of tourists, Ladakh union decided to get the Inner line permit mandatory from April 2017. Here one needs to pay the Environmental charges of Rs.400. (approx.) You can get the Inner line permit forms from the stationary shop located behind the Leh DC office. The timings to get the forms is between 9 AM to 3 PM. So, make sure you collect the forms and submit them during this timing itself. Once you get the permit, make sure to get multiple copies of it as you would be travelling to many places, and military personnel might ask you to submit one of them.
What to do and Top Attractions in Nubra Valley
Nubra valley is known for some of the best places and attractions. There are many things to do in Nubra Valley. Here are a few of them which you can put on your itinerary.
Maitreya Buddha
This is one of the most attracted by the tourist, Maitreya Buddha is one of the future incarnations of Buddha, and you will find a huge statue of 32 meters in Nubra Valley. It is located at the top of the hill inside the Diskit Monastery. This huge statue overlooks the entire valley towards Pakistan. This holy statue was recognized by the 14th Dalai Lama. It was made to protect Diskit, promoting peace in the world, and avoid future wars with Pakistan.
Camel Safari
Since it is the coldest desert located at the highest altitude, one can also enjoy the double-humped camel safari at Hunder dunes. This can be one of the best experiences you can get during the Nubra Valley trip. One can experience snow-capped peaks, beautiful mountains, a pleasing view of River Siachen, and the orchards of apricots.
Samstanling Gompa
Samstanling Gompa is one of the beautiful monasteries located at Sumur. This is known as one of the most visited monasteries in Ladakh. You will get a beautiful view of the clear sky, scenic greens, and the huge mountains. You can also plan trekking here as it takes only 45 minutes from the monastery to reach Sumur.
Diskit Monastery
Diskit Monastery is known as one the oldest and largest gompa in Nubra Valley. It was built in the 14th century and is known for its beautiful architecture. Here you would see a statue of Crowned Buddha which is known as Cho Rinpoche. The very famous Maitreya Buddha is located in this monastery itself.
Camps in Nubra Valley
How can you not plan camping if you are travelling to Nubra Valley? There are few camps which you can explore, such as Nubra Ethnic camp, Mystic meadows camp, Apple Nubra camp, Cold desert camp, valley flower camp, deluxe royal camp, double-humped camp under, Desert Himalaya resort, Nubra organic retreat, and K2 luxury camp. You can choose the ones as per your requirement and the budget. These camps provide you with all the necessities, including power backup, campfire provision, oxygen cylinder, and the other required facilities.
So, when are you planning to explore Nubra Valley on the Leh Ladakh tour package?
