Nubra Valley

High cold-desert valley north of Leh with sand dunes, two-humped camels and old monasteries.

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Nubra lies about 120 km north of Leh across Khardung La, one of the highest motorable passes in the world. People come for the Hunder sand dunes and Bactrian camels, the hilltop Diskit Monastery with its tall Maitreya Buddha, and the Balti village of Turtuk near the border. It suits travellers who have already spent two days getting used to the altitude in Leh.

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Photos

Maitreya Buddha statue at Diskit Monastery

Photos from Wikimedia Commons. Select a photo for its author and licence.

Best time to go

When	What to expect
May to August	Main season. Days are pleasant at about 15 to 25 degrees Celsius and nights are cool. All camps and eating places are open. Higher passes can still have snow in May and June, and rain or rising water can disrupt roads in July and August.
September to mid-October	Cooler, clearer and less crowded, with autumn colour. Many camps start closing from late October.
November to March	Severe cold. Most camps and hotels shut and only a few small guesthouses and homestays stay open. January to March is largely closed for tourism.
April	Apricot trees are in blossom, but few eating places are open and visitors mostly rely on homestay meals.

Sights and activities

Diskit Monastery

A hilltop Gelugpa monastery founded in the 14th century, with prayer halls and wide views over the valley. Photography is not allowed inside the prayer hall.

Distance: In Diskit
Entry: About 30 to 50 rupees per person, in cash
Timings: 7 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 7 pm, daily
Time needed: 1 to 1.5 hours

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Maitreya Buddha statue

A seated Buddha about 32 metres tall just below Diskit Monastery, consecrated by the Dalai Lama in July 2010. It looks out over the Shyok river.

Distance: In Diskit, below the monastery
Timings: Daylight hours
Time needed: 30 minutes

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Hunder sand dunes

Pale sand dunes set against bare mountains, known for rides on two-humped Bactrian camels. A camel ride costs about 300 rupees for 15 minutes, 350 for 30 minutes and 600 for an hour.

Distance: About 7 km from Diskit
Entry: Free to walk on the dunes; camel rides are charged
Timings: Open all day; early morning or late afternoon is best
Time needed: 1.5 to 2 hours

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Turtuk

A Balti Muslim village full of apricot trees, close to the border and opened to domestic tourists in 2010. It is known for its traditional houses, orchards and buckwheat.

Distance: About 95 km from Diskit
Entry: Free to walk around the village
Timings: Open all day
Time needed: Half a day, or an overnight stay

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Panamik hot springs

Natural hot water springs in an old Silk Route village, believed locally to have healing properties. Visitors usually soak their feet.

Distance: About 50 km from Diskit
Time needed: 1 hour

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Samstanling Monastery

A 19th century monastery near Sumur, set among greener fields. It is quieter than Diskit.

Distance: About 30 km from Diskit, near Sumur
Time needed: 1 hour

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Yarab Tso

A small lake held sacred by local people, on the Sumur and Panamik side of the valley. It is a calm, quiet spot.

Distance: On the Sumur-Panamik road, about 30 to 50 km from Diskit
Timings: Open all day
Time needed: 1 hour

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Khardung La

The pass on the road between Leh and Nubra, at 5,359 metres. Stop only briefly, about 15 minutes, because of the thin air.

Distance: About 76 km from Diskit, 40 km from Leh
Entry: Free
Timings: Open in daylight when the road is clear of snow
Time needed: 15 minutes

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Getting there

By bus: Reach Leh by the Manali-Leh or Srinagar-Leh highway, then cross Khardung La to Diskit: about 116 to 120 km, 5 to 6 hours by car and 6 to 7 hours by bus.
By train: There is no railway in Ladakh. The Leh district site lists Jammu Tawi as the railhead, which is several hundred kilometres away by road.
By air: Kushok Bakula Rinpoche Airport in Leh, about 120 km from Diskit. There are about six direct flights a day from Delhi, taking about 1 hour 20 to 30 minutes.
Where to base yourself: Stay in Diskit or Hunder, which are about 7 km apart and have most of the guesthouses and camps; Sumur and Turtuk are quieter alternatives.

Getting around

A daily bus leaves Diskit for Turtuk at 2:30 pm and returns from Turtuk at 6 am; sources give the fare as 80 to 150 rupees.
A daily bus runs from Panamik to Diskit at 7:30 am for about 75 rupees.
Shared jeeps run from Diskit to Turtuk for about 300 rupees per person and take about 3 hours.
A taxi from Diskit bus stand to Hunder costs about 300 rupees; the 7 km can also be walked.
Most visitors keep a taxi hired from Leh: the union rate for a 2-day Nubra return trip is about 13,000 to 15,500 rupees per vehicle, depending on vehicle class.

Often combined with

Places people usually visit on the same trip, and how long it takes to get between them.

Leh: Road over Khardung La, about 4 to 5 hours, about 120 km by road. See the Ladakh: Leh, Nubra and Pangong trip
Pangong Lake: Road along the Shyok, about 5 to 6 hours. See the Ladakh: Leh, Nubra and Pangong trip

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Where to stay

Budget level	Type	Price per night
Budget	Dorm beds, simple guesthouses and homestays in Diskit, Hunder and Sumur	₹500 to ₹2,200
Mid-range	Hotels and tented camps in Hunder, Diskit and Sumur	₹2,200 to ₹4,500
Luxury	Resort hotels and retreats in Hunder and Sumur	₹8,000 to ₹10,500

Food

Small village eateries serve Ladakhi and Tibetan food, and there is a small cafe at Diskit Monastery for tea and simple meals. Most camps and hotels serve meals to their guests. Outside May to September, expect to eat home-cooked meals at your homestay.

Try these

Apricots (fresh and dried, grown across the valley, especially around Turtuk)
Buckwheat dishes (Turtuk is known for growing buckwheat)

Vegetarian food is available.

Daily costs

Budget level	Stay per room	Food per person	Local transport
Budget	₹1,350	₹500	₹300 per person
Mid-range	₹3,200	₹1,000	₹4,000 per vehicle
Luxury	₹9,000	₹2,000	₹5,000 per vehicle

Per day. Travel to and from your city is added in the planner above.

Permits and documents

Indian citizens do not need an Inner Line Permit, but must pay the Ladakh environment fee online at lahdclehpermit.in: 400 rupees per person plus a wildlife fee of 20 rupees per day, with an optional 50 rupees Red Cross contribution. Carry the receipt and a photo ID (Aadhaar, passport, driving licence or voter ID) for the checkposts. Foreign nationals need a Protected Area Permit, arranged through a registered Leh travel agent or the same portal. Siachen base camp is closed to civilians.

Safety

By day: The main risk is altitude sickness. Spend about 48 hours in Leh first, and do not stay more than about 15 minutes at Khardung La. If symptoms get worse, stop going higher and seek medical help.
At night: Villages are quiet after dark and nights are cold even in summer. Avoid driving over the pass at night.
Solo women: No specific online guidance was found. Shared jeeps and buses are widely used by travellers; book stays ahead outside the main season, when few places are open.
Roads: The road crosses Khardung La at 5,359 metres. It can close because of snow, bad weather or rising water, so check conditions in Leh before leaving. Army checkposts can restrict movement near the border depending on conditions.
Emergency numbers: 112 (all emergencies), SNM Hospital, Leh: 01982-252012

Practical

Mobile network: Only postpaid connections work in Ladakh. BSNL postpaid is the most dependable; Jio and Airtel postpaid work in the larger villages such as Diskit and Hunder, with patchy coverage.
ATMs and cash: Sources disagree: one reports a single ATM in Diskit, others say there is none that can be relied on. Carry enough cash from Leh.
Fuel: There is a petrol pump in Diskit. Fill the tank in Leh or Karu before crossing the pass.
Medical: Diskit has a government Community Health Centre (CHC Nubra) for basic care. The nearest full hospital is the government SNM Hospital in Leh, about 120 km away over Khardung La.

Coverage maps: Jio · Airtel · Vi · BSNL. Report a problem

Accessibility

Seniors: Possible after proper rest in Leh, but the journey crosses a pass above 5,300 metres and takes 5 to 6 hours each way. Ask a doctor first if there are heart or breathing problems.
Children: The dunes and camel rides appeal to children, but the altitude and long drive are tiring. Ask a doctor.
Wheelchair users: Diskit Monastery is on a hilltop and the dunes are soft sand, so access is likely to be difficult.

Unless a sight is described as accessible, assume it is not step-free.

Culture and responsible travel

At monasteries wear long trousers and cover your shoulders.
Do not take photographs inside prayer halls or the monastery museum.
Ask before photographing people, especially in Turtuk.
Do not fly drones; this is a border region.
Do not litter and avoid single-use plastic, especially on the Hunder dunes.

What to pack

Photo ID (Aadhaar, passport or driving licence); hotels and permits ask for it
Printed copies of your permit, with a few passport-size photos
Thermals, a down or fleece jacket, gloves and a warm cap, even in summer
Sunglasses, high-SPF sunscreen and lip balm: the sun is harsh at altitude
Ask your doctor before you go about altitude sickness and what to carry for it
A rain jacket or umbrella and quick-dry clothes
A scarf against sand and sun, sunglasses, and a warm layer for desert nights in winter
Enough cash for the whole stay, a power bank and offline maps
Your regular medicines, plus basics for stomach upsets, headaches and cuts

Multi-stop trips that include Nubra Valley

Ladakh: Leh, Nubra and Pangong, 6 nights

At a glance

Union territory: Ladakh
District: Leh
Altitude: About 3,145 m
Gateway: Leh
Best time: May-Sep
Ideal trip: 3 days
Difficulty: Moderate. High altitude: take the first day easy to acclimatise.

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About this page

Checked against online sources in October 2026. Not field-verified. ATMs, fuel and hospitals from OpenStreetMap, October 2026.

Could not be confirmed online:

Entry fees and opening hours for Panamik hot springs, Samstanling Monastery, Yarab Tso and the Maitreya Buddha statue were not found online.
Specific sights and fees inside Turtuk (museums, viewpoints) were not confirmed.
Distances from Diskit to Sumur and Panamik differ between sources (15 to 30 km for Sumur, 20 to 50 km for Panamik); the higher figures are used.
Delhi to Leh bus fare of 1,353 rupees is from an undated article and may be out of date; the bus runs only from about June to September.
Delhi to Leh flight fares: the lowest fare found was about 2,800 rupees and the listed range goes up to about 19,200; the 9,000 rupee luxury figure is an estimate within that range.
Leh to Nubra bus days, times and fares differ between sources (200 to 270 rupees; 6 am to 8 am departure); check at Leh bus stand the day before.
Diskit to Turtuk bus fare is given as 80 rupees by one source and 150 by others.
Shared jeep and Diskit-Hunder taxi fares come from a traveller's account and may be dated.
No meal prices for Nubra were found apart from an older figure of 150 to 200 rupees per meal; the daily food costs are estimates.
No taxi rates for hiring a vehicle within Nubra were found; the mid and luxury daily local transport figures are estimates based on Leh taxi union multi-day rates.
Whether there is a working ATM in Diskit is disputed between sources.
Hospital or health centre in Diskit was not confirmed online.
Local dishes and their prices in Nubra were not confirmed beyond apricots and buckwheat.
Jammu Tawi as nearest railhead is from the district site; the road distance was not confirmed.
Advice for solo women, children and wheelchair users was not found online and is given cautiously.
Winter road status of Khardung La and exact closure dates were not confirmed.

Cover photo: Wikimedia Commons

Sources: Leh district administration - Nubra Valley, Leh District Permit Tracking System (LAHDC Leh), Leh district administration - Hospitals, Discover with Dheeraj - Nubra Valley travel guide, Discover with Dheeraj - Leh to Nubra Valley bus, Discover with Dheeraj - Ladakh permits, Himalayan Routes - Leh Ladakh taxi rates, WanderOn - Guide to Nubra Valley, Travel Coffee - Diskit Monastery, JustWravel - Diskit Monastery guide, Thrillop - Diskit, WhirledAway - Ladakh by public transport, Vargis Khan - Leh to Nubra Valley bus service, Vargis Khan - Delhi to Leh bus service, Tripoto - Ladakh by state transport buses, MakeMyTrip - Nubra Valley hotels, Goibibo - Delhi to Leh flights