Nubra Valley Tourism | Places to Visit | Things To Do

Nubra Valley, one of the highest navigable roads in the world leads up this, a magical mountain world of dunes snow, desert, mountain streams and Bactrian camels set in the cradle of the Nubra Mountains. Towards the north-east of the Ladakh valley lies the tri-armed valley of Nubra. Once you’ve visited this place, every time you close your eyes to imagine heaven, this will flash upon the inward eye. A part of the Tibetian Plateau, Nubra is a cold desert. River Shyok becomes one with the Nubra River to form a huge valley that divides the Karakoram ranges from Ladakh. Nubra Valley has to be reached en route through Khardung La Pass from Leh. Dotted with knock down palaces and small villages, this is prime walking country.

All tourists require an inner line permit to come here, which will give 7 days of access to the region. It is surrounded by the Siachen Glacier, Sasser Pass and Karakoram pass. The valley looks like it’s been dipped in butter-scotch icecream with a little bit of the chocolate flavor thrown in by a fanciful kid for good measure. The water bodies’ look like blue lagoon, the mocktail and when you think of their tastes, you’ll realize that I am not too far from the truth given that you can taste the place with your eyes and forget all about food. Given its extreme climate, you might take time to adjust to the place but to tell you the truth, you’ll hardly have any time to think about how your body is feeling when you reach this place.

Every season brings in a new set of assets. The winters bring snow and paint the vista in a glittering white colour, April brings a riot of apricot flowers, summers bring the maximum number of tourists but the autumn brings in extra colours. The clouds above look a lot like white candy-floss during this season. Do not forget to visit the Deskit and Samstanling monasteries. Your visit to these holy spots will transport you to a different universe altogether. The famous and beautiful Nubran monasteries are the cherry on the cake for all those who enjoy art.

The ambiance combined with the scenic beauty is bound to make you forget that you belong to a planet called earth at times. Animal lovers must prepare themselves to make the acquaintance of the double humped Bactrian camel and if you plan to create a memory benchmark, and then do go for the camel safari from Deskit to Hundar. You’ll join the club of silk route travelers and become a part of an ancient tradition…or well, something close to it. If you visit Ladakh and Leh, your tour will be incomplete without a visit to this valley which is a creation by God’s choicest angels.

The best time to visit Leh-Ladakh is during the summer months of May-August. During the winter, it will be difficult for travelers to find accommodation, as most guest houses and hotels remain closed. Visitors should book early, as accommodation is scarce and temperatures are low. Still, it all makes for a once in a lifetime mountain adventure.