Sep 15, 2015 03:32 PM
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North of Leh across the Khardung La (pass) at 5, 578 metres along the highest motorable road in the world is the Nubra Valley.
Fed by the Nubra and Shyok Rivers, the valley was once thought to be under a huge glacier. What remains left today are stretches of sand dunes and stark boulder-strewn plains that look almost extra-terrestrial.
Bound by the Karakoram Range in the north and east, this land was once traversed by traders from China with camel caravans. The Nubra valley opened to tourists only in 1994 and is still virgin territory for travelers.The best way to reach Nubra Valley is by road as there aren’t any train stations or airports situated in the region. It is a wise idea to first arrive via air at the domestic airport situated in Leh.
From there, you can book a jeep which will take you to Nubra Valley along the Srinagar-Leh National Highway. Public buses in Leh which are run by the state government also form a great alternative if you are looking to reach Diskit in Nubra valley. All tourists coming in or going out of the Nubra valley has to take the Khardung La Pass where they need to submit the photocopies of their travel permits to soldiers stationed at North and South Pullu.
If you are going in the months of November to May, entry to Nubra Valley will only be permitted in the mornings of Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. However, you can only depart from the valley to Leh on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings. It’s better to avoid Mondays at all costs as the road closes for repairs. Vehicles arriving in Nubra can only do so till 10:00 in the morning while those going towards Leh can access the roads exclusively from 1:00pm-6:00pm.Depending on the climatic conditions, the best time to visit Nubra valley is during autumn season which is from July to September.
This place experiences extremely cold climate throughout the year irrespective of the season prevailing, thereby leaving visitors to choose from slightly less colder months. Summers in Nubra valley are pleasant and cool lasting from March to May whereas winters envelop the valley from December to February when temperatures drops as low as -4°C. No matter which month you choose to pay Nubra valley a visit, keep in mind that temperatures always falls during nights making it the coldest time of the day.
