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Nubra Valley, is
nestled towards the north east of Ladakh. The
tri-armed valley is perched 3048 meters above the
sea level and is termed as heaven on earth. It is
necessary for a tourist to acquire an Inner line
permit for entering. The Shyok River meets the Nubra
River or Siachen River to form a large valley that
separates the Ladakh and Karakoram Ranges. Both the
rivers are the main water resources for the eastern
and the western sides of the Saser sub-range of the
Karakoram ranges. Tourists love to enjoy riding on
the back of the Bactrian Camels while admiring the
view of snow-covered mountain peaks
The Sand Dunes Nubra Valley, from a view point on
the road from Diskit, makes for an appealing sight.
Once you are at the great sand dunes, relish riding
the double-humped Bactrian camels, which are
absolute to this area.
Diskit Monastery
Nubra Valley is old monastery nearby to seven
centuries.
Diskit monastery is located at an altitude of 3142
meters. It is approachable by a Diskit village
through a rugged and dusty road that crosses a
stream in the middle of the village. In the 14th
century, Nubra Valley was founded by Changzem Tserab
Zangpo, the disciple of Tsong Khapa. Currently, it
belongs to the yellow hat sect of Buddhism, also
known as the Gelugpa order. And under the control of
the Thiksey monastery and hence, considered a sub-gompa
of Thiksey. The monastery is beautiful inside out.
Within the Tibetian style Gompa, there are beautiful
frescos and gompas. An iconic feature of the
monastery is the statue of Cho Rinpoche (Crowned
Buddha), which is a part of the prayer hall. Within
the prayer hall, there are big drums and various
images of the guardian deities.
HUNDER
Located 150 kilometers North of Leh, Hunder, sitting
at an average altitude of 10, 000 feet, is a small
village where the Shyok River meets Nubra River.
Hunder lies on the ancient silk route, once an
important international trade route. Today it is one
of the most strategic points located close as it is
to the Siachen Glacier, the world highest battle
ground between India and Pakistan.
A trip to Hunder from Leh requires the visitors to
cross the Khardung La, which according to the claim
of Indian Army plaque at the top, is "World's
Highest Motorable Pass" however modern readings
using GPS devices refute the claim. From Khardung La
it's a 130 kilometer of rough drive to reach Hunder
Village.
Hunder is most popular for the camel rides in the
high altitude cold desert. The camel safaris are
done on Bactrian Double-humped Camels which are
reminder the bygone era of Silk Route trade. The
vast stretch of sand dunes between Hunder Village
and Diskit is where you will see the Bactrian Camels
grazing in the sea-buckthorn forests. It is also
where most of the safari rides are offered.
Earlier, Hunder Village was the last point where
visitors were allowed after obtaining inner line
permits from DC office in Leh. Since 2010, the
Indians were allowed to travel further to Turtuk. In
2013 even foreigners were allowed to travel up to
Turtuk. From 2014, Indian visitors no longer require
inner line permits to travel Nubra Valley anymore.
Foreign visitors still need to get inner line
permits to travel to Hunder in Nubra Valley.