Have you ever heard of any road at a height of around 17500 feet? Have you ever taken an ATV Ride in a mountainous region? Without any delay, let’s take you all on another adventurous ride. This time to Nubra Valley from Leh.
In case you don’t know who we are…
We call ourselves Travel Freaks…
After a memorable journey from Jammu to Srinagar to Leh, we had the experience of a lifetime. If you haven’t read our experience, please read it. Returning to our story, we have already shared the necessity of having the inner line permit well in advance. Otherwise, you might not get the permit for your required date.
The day before, we had a superb experience of the local places at Leh. Now, it was time to move to Nubra Valley for further exploring the Ladakh region. It was a bright, sunny day. The temperature was around 16 degrees Celsius, and the distance was just around 110 km, which should ideally take 5 hours to reach, depending on the stoppages one takes. So we started our journey at around 8 o’clock after a sumptuous breakfast. Remember, this was the day when the acclimatization factor played a significant role.
Well, here we go with the first stoppage……..
1. Khardungla Pass
As we started our journey, our vehicle driver requested that we keep ourselves hydrated by drinking water frequently. Soon after departing from our stay at Leh, there was a landslide. Thankfully, the road was cleared quickly and we continued our journey. On the way, we stopped for a few minutes at the Leh Viewpoint, where a huge wooden frame was kept for clicking pictures.
After taking a few snaps, we continued with our journey until we reached the highest motorable road in the world.
Yeah, we hope you got the answer to the first question we asked at the beginning of this blog. The Border Roads Organization constructed this road at a height of 17582 feet. Something we were in awe of when we got down. It was around 10.30 AM. There was a cool breeze that was blowing. Make your head adequately covered at this point, as exposing your head to the cool breeze could make you feel dizzy in no time. Moreover, the air density was way too low.
Tip: Walking slowly and quickly departing from the place is always advisable.
We noticed many visitors were having severe headaches and vomiting tendencies due to lower levels of oxygen at the Khardungla Pass. We took a few snaps as memories before departing from the place and continued with our journey until we stopped at the first point of checking our permit……..
2. North Pullu
It was a half an hour ride from the Khardungla Pass. The break was much needed as we felt like we also had a headache from the Khardungla Pass. As our driver went to get our permits checked, we had a great time sitting by a roadside restaurant with a hot coffee and Maggie. It was a heavenly feeling.
We had a great 45 minutes. A tributary of the Indus River flowed by the side of the restaurant, which made our brief halt more enjoyable. Our journey continued till………
3. Milkha Point, Nubra Valley
The journey from the North Pullu was as picturesque as one could ever imagine. There was a constant transition from one mountain to another, especially the shadow of the cloud over the mountains, which looked beautiful. It was around 1.5 hour’s journey from the North Pullu to the Milkha Point. Specifically, Milkha Point falls in the Nubra Valley region.
The place became quite famous after the shooting of a Bollywood movie, “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag,” released in 2013. Additionally, the place is quite renowned for Gokart racing and ATV rides. We had a great time taking an ATV ride on a white sand dune that felt like being teleported to another planet. This was a unique experience and answer to the second question we asked at the blog’s beginning.
We even noticed flying fox activity taking place in close proximity to the ATV ride. Adventure seekers would love to enjoy that. A half an hour of activity came to an end, and we proceeded towards our stay in……
4. Diskit, Nubra Valley
In another half an hour, we reached our stay at Diskit. It was around 2 o’clock. We were pretty tired despite the journey was not that tiresome. This may be due to the low air density. Our stay was in a rather serene location in Diskit. Honestly, the whole area of Diskit appeared to be serene and calm. We loved the ambience and the backdrop of our stay. There were apple trees within our hotel complex. The manager was too generous, allowing us to pluck from the trees and have it.
We had our lunch soon after and took a small nap before heading to……
5. Diskit Monastery
The monastery was hardly 4 km from our stay. After a brief rest, we started at around 4.30 PM and reached within 5 o’clock. The monastery was one of the oldest in the Nubra Valley region.
The first thing that caught our eyes was the 105-foot Maitreya Buddha statue that could be spotted from a distance. The statue was stunning. Interestingly, we learned that Diskit Monastery was affiliated with the Thiksey Monastery of Leh. Hope you got a glimpse of the Thiksey Monastery in the last blog. If not, please check out and read.
The monastery’s architecture was similar to the ones we saw in Leh. The breathtaking views the place offered were something we might never forget for the rest of our lives. We were stunned to witness such a view of the Nubra Valley region, especially the sand dunes with the mountains.
The locals were also quite friendly for us to interact. Next on the list was…
6. Cultural Dance Performance at Nubra
Here comes one of the most awaited parts of this day trip. As we reached this place, it was a small venue covered with tents. Most of the visitors had already got and grabbed chairs. We also did the same in no time. Then the show started with the performers coming in small groups.
Men and women started their dance performances. The local Ladakh folk songs accompanied this. It was a visually appealing performance. It showcased the rich cultural heritage of Ladakh. The dancers were wearing colourful and vibrant Ladkahi attire.
Tip: Plan in advance to book the tickets and arrive here early to get a good spot.
We stayed there and relaxed for over an hour before returning to our stay by 6:30 PM. On returning, we sat on the terrace enjoying the surrounding night landscape before ending our day by 10 o’clock as we had an early morning departure the next day.
Hope you can get a glimpse of this beautiful Nubra Valley before we take you on an exciting day trip to the border areas. Excited huh!!! Same are we to share our experience.
Till then, do follow us for the next blog….
Wait! We are not going anywhere without this last question……
7. What kind of help are we going to provide?
Let us inform you that we prepare itineraries not only for anywhere in India but also for Asia. We have been travelling since we were toddlers. So here in our blogs and stories, we will give you a glimpse of our journey and help you plan your trip.
Read about our Uzbekistan blogs.
Read about our Kazakhstan blogs.
Read about our Singapore blogs.
Read about our Vietnam blogs.
Read about our Cambodia blogs.
Read about our Bali blogs.
Read about our Kuala Lumpur blog series.
Read about our Sri Lanka blogs.
Read about our Nepal blogs.
Read about our Char Dham blogs.
Read about our Ladakh blogs.
Read about our day trip to Hyderabad.
Read about our Madhya Pradesh blogs.
Read about our Andaman and Nicobar blogs.
Do follow our Instagram handle @mindfulllofvacations and watch for the next destination story of a new place. For any query related to any trip, drop a mail at @mitkau007@gmail.com.
by mitkau