Nubra valley is situated at the Northern part of Ladakh, around 150 kms from Leh. Nubra valley is the only place in India where one can find double humped Bactrian camels in a desert of white sand dunes situated at a height over 10,000 ft. A high altitude desert!! Y-shaped Nubra valley separates Ladakh and Karakoram mountain range. The valley is covered by mainly two rivers, Nubra or Siachen river and Shyok river. Nubra is a tributary of Shyok and Shyok is a tributary of Indus river.
We left after breakfast for Nubra valley. Leh is at an elevation of approx. 11,500 feet. And Khardung La is at 18,500 feet. The distance between the two places is just 40 km. So, you gain an immense amount of altitude in a very short span of time - the fastest way to get altitude sickness! The view is breathtaking and the air just keeps getting thinner and thinner. The roads are pretty decent till South Pullu, but after that its the highway to hell! The way to Nubra goes through Khardung La pass. The signs at Khardung La show that it is the "Highest Motorable road". It was a magnificent feel being at 18380 ft from mean sea level!! We stepped of our car to enter the Rinchee cafetaria which almost cures you with hot black tea and Maggi that tastes so good, it can bring you back to life! They even have a Maggi Story written on the front wall. With faint smiles back on our faces, we were taking in the view all around us. And then, out of the blue, it started snowing! For few of us, that was a first. The faint smiles broke into huge grins. The bitter cold was instantly forgotten. Nature floored us that day. First, with its ferocity, and then with its beauty. Saw the might of human spirit too. So many people who cycled their way to Khardung La! Cannot fathom the level of strain that puts on the system!
The descent into Nubra valley was quite spectacular as the mountains around took on a different hue from the Leh region - they just seemed more bare and statuesque! The Nubra Valley had blown the beauty of my previous sights right out of the water. All the adjectives in the dictionary cannot do justice, and my attempts to capture the tiniest bit of its essence on camera have so far proved futile. I can only suggest you come and see for yourself. We passed through small streams flowing across the road. All along the road there were cheesy safety slogans like “If married, divorce speed”, “If you sleep, your family will weep”, “Be gentle on my curves”, “Feel the curves but don’t hug them”, “Check your nerve on my curve”, “Mountains are pleasure if you drive with leisure”,”It’s not a rally, enjoy the valley” and my favourite, “Love thy neighbor but not while driving”! We descended to the dry river bed and then turned west towards the villages of Hunder and Diskit. At Hunder, the high altitude desert begins. White sand dunes for several kilometers, clear blue sky above elegant Karakoram with Shyok river at the base - an unique place on the earth!! Desert, mountain with snow, river all at one place! Its such a jaw dropping sight!
First we decided to get dressed in Ladakhi clothes and take photographs. It was fun! Then we went for a ride on the Bactrian double humped camels. Said to have been left behind at the high-altitude desert dunes of Nubra valley during the trade crossings of Central Asia, these Bactrian Camels Bactrian camels were originally natives of the Gobi Desert. Those days they were part of caravans that plied the Silk Route carrying goods from Central and South Asia. The ride offered to tourists is a top draw in the Nubra valley and most visitors come here just for it; we were glad we got the chance too. Up close we found that these animals looked shorter than the single-humped ones we’d seen before. Also, understandably, the Bactrian ones were quite furry with thick tufts of hair around their necks and legs – they looked rather cute! We climbed atop them and were seated in between the two humps. Then the camels waddled across the dunes for exactly 15 minutes – it was an uneventful and bumpy but fun ride!
It started raining and we had to rush back to shade. But it was only for a few minutes and then the clouds cleared and we could see the rainbow. It was amazing and we stayed around for sometime watching the beauty of this place. Soon, we could see the double rainbow - one lighter, but the other was distinct. We felt extremely lucky to have been able to see such a wonderful sight. It was incredible to have mountains, a waterbody, vegetation and a desert; all within a span of a few kilometres.
After sometime, we went back to "Royal Camp Hunder" - our stay for the night. The place was beautiful with a small stream running in between the beautiful tents.
Next morning, we went to see the Diskit Monastery, the largest and the oldest surviving monastery in Nubra Valley. The Diskit Gompa has two distinct parts - one, the Gompa (monastery) itself, which, like most other monasteries is located on a inclined land and which you have to walk and the second, the statue of the Maitreya Buddha (future Buddha), upto which there is a motor able road.
But the most exciting thing about Diskit Gompa was the huge Maitreya Maitreya statue that was built on a high terrace across from the village on a smaller hillock! We could see it clearly from the Gompa but seeing it from up-close while standing at its feet was just simply exhilarating! Unlike the Shanti Stupa in Leh, this one had been built by truly skilled craftsmen – it was a marvelous piece of work! Not only the Buddha is huge (almost 3 storey high) it is also very well decorated and painted in bright colours. The view of the sky and mountains from this place is exhilarating. The locals believe that the statue was built with the idea of promoting peace with Pakistan and hence the statue faces Pakistan.
The tour of Nubra valley gave us a unique feel of the northern-most part of India and its inhabitants. No tour of Ladakh could be complete without crossing the world’s highest motor-able pass and taking a peek at the wonderful landscape on the other side.
We left after breakfast for Nubra valley. Leh is at an elevation of approx. 11,500 feet. And Khardung La is at 18,500 feet. The distance between the two places is just 40 km. So, you gain an immense amount of altitude in a very short span of time - the fastest way to get altitude sickness! The view is breathtaking and the air just keeps getting thinner and thinner. The roads are pretty decent till South Pullu, but after that its the highway to hell! The way to Nubra goes through Khardung La pass. The signs at Khardung La show that it is the "Highest Motorable road". It was a magnificent feel being at 18380 ft from mean sea level!! We stepped of our car to enter the Rinchee cafetaria which almost cures you with hot black tea and Maggi that tastes so good, it can bring you back to life! They even have a Maggi Story written on the front wall. With faint smiles back on our faces, we were taking in the view all around us. And then, out of the blue, it started snowing! For few of us, that was a first. The faint smiles broke into huge grins. The bitter cold was instantly forgotten. Nature floored us that day. First, with its ferocity, and then with its beauty. Saw the might of human spirit too. So many people who cycled their way to Khardung La! Cannot fathom the level of strain that puts on the system!
The descent into Nubra valley was quite spectacular as the mountains around took on a different hue from the Leh region - they just seemed more bare and statuesque! The Nubra Valley had blown the beauty of my previous sights right out of the water. All the adjectives in the dictionary cannot do justice, and my attempts to capture the tiniest bit of its essence on camera have so far proved futile. I can only suggest you come and see for yourself. We passed through small streams flowing across the road. All along the road there were cheesy safety slogans like “If married, divorce speed”, “If you sleep, your family will weep”, “Be gentle on my curves”, “Feel the curves but don’t hug them”, “Check your nerve on my curve”, “Mountains are pleasure if you drive with leisure”,”It’s not a rally, enjoy the valley” and my favourite, “Love thy neighbor but not while driving”! We descended to the dry river bed and then turned west towards the villages of Hunder and Diskit. At Hunder, the high altitude desert begins. White sand dunes for several kilometers, clear blue sky above elegant Karakoram with Shyok river at the base - an unique place on the earth!! Desert, mountain with snow, river all at one place! Its such a jaw dropping sight!
First we decided to get dressed in Ladakhi clothes and take photographs. It was fun! Then we went for a ride on the Bactrian double humped camels. Said to have been left behind at the high-altitude desert dunes of Nubra valley during the trade crossings of Central Asia, these Bactrian Camels Bactrian camels were originally natives of the Gobi Desert. Those days they were part of caravans that plied the Silk Route carrying goods from Central and South Asia. The ride offered to tourists is a top draw in the Nubra valley and most visitors come here just for it; we were glad we got the chance too. Up close we found that these animals looked shorter than the single-humped ones we’d seen before. Also, understandably, the Bactrian ones were quite furry with thick tufts of hair around their necks and legs – they looked rather cute! We climbed atop them and were seated in between the two humps. Then the camels waddled across the dunes for exactly 15 minutes – it was an uneventful and bumpy but fun ride!
It started raining and we had to rush back to shade. But it was only for a few minutes and then the clouds cleared and we could see the rainbow. It was amazing and we stayed around for sometime watching the beauty of this place. Soon, we could see the double rainbow - one lighter, but the other was distinct. We felt extremely lucky to have been able to see such a wonderful sight. It was incredible to have mountains, a waterbody, vegetation and a desert; all within a span of a few kilometres.
After sometime, we went back to "Royal Camp Hunder" - our stay for the night. The place was beautiful with a small stream running in between the beautiful tents.
Next morning, we went to see the Diskit Monastery, the largest and the oldest surviving monastery in Nubra Valley. The Diskit Gompa has two distinct parts - one, the Gompa (monastery) itself, which, like most other monasteries is located on a inclined land and which you have to walk and the second, the statue of the Maitreya Buddha (future Buddha), upto which there is a motor able road.
Diskit Gompa is one of the largest and oldest monasteries in the Nubra valley. Like most other Buddhist Gompas in the Ladakh region, Diskit Gompa it clings to a mountain-side sitting just above the village. Luckily, vehicles can go right up to the base of the monastery from where it’s a short climb up to the prayer halls and shrines. We were amazed to find that all of these were immaculately maintained and preserved over the years. The monastery courtyard was pristine and in the early morning air looked absolutely wonderful. The insides of the shrines (we visited 3 in all) were as wonderfully maintained as the outside. A climb to seven storied Diskit Gompa through a few hundred steps takes some time and effort; but the effort is adequately rewarded. From elevation of upper stories of the Gompa, the panorama of hills and the greenery around the Diskit village looks spectacular.
But the most exciting thing about Diskit Gompa was the huge Maitreya Maitreya statue that was built on a high terrace across from the village on a smaller hillock! We could see it clearly from the Gompa but seeing it from up-close while standing at its feet was just simply exhilarating! Unlike the Shanti Stupa in Leh, this one had been built by truly skilled craftsmen – it was a marvelous piece of work! Not only the Buddha is huge (almost 3 storey high) it is also very well decorated and painted in bright colours. The view of the sky and mountains from this place is exhilarating. The locals believe that the statue was built with the idea of promoting peace with Pakistan and hence the statue faces Pakistan.
The tour of Nubra valley gave us a unique feel of the northern-most part of India and its inhabitants. No tour of Ladakh could be complete without crossing the world’s highest motor-able pass and taking a peek at the wonderful landscape on the other side.
