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Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Leh to the Nubra Valley?
About 120 km, over Khardung La, which is about 40 km out of Leh. Allow the morning for it, with stops: on our tours you leave Leh after breakfast and spend the afternoon at the Hunder dunes. The drive comes only after your 48 hours in Leh, which on the Ladakh Tour — 8 days means day three.
Is the Nubra Valley higher or lower than Leh?
Lower. You climb to Khardung La, over 5,000 metres, then descend to a valley floor of a little over 3,100 metres at Diskit, a few hundred metres below Leh. That is why nights in Nubra are often a little milder than in Leh, as the IMD's daily Ladakh reports for Hunder and Leh show. The pass is the cold, windy stretch: keep a warm layer to hand for it.
Where can I ride a Bactrian camel?
On the sand dunes at Hunder, near Diskit, where double-humped Bactrian camels take visitors out across the sand. On each tour listed here, the afternoon you arrive in Nubra is spent among the dunes, but a camel ride is not listed as included, so ask for one when you enquire if you want it.
What is there to see at Diskit?
Its monastery, founded by Changsem Sherab Zangpo, and the Maitreya Buddha statue nearby, unveiled by the Dalai Lama. Incredible India gives the monastery's hours as 7am to 1pm and 2pm to 7pm, so allow for the midday break. Monastery entry fees are not included on our Nubra tours.
Can I visit Turtuk on these tours?
Not in their single night in Nubra. Turtuk lies far down the Shyok valley beyond Hunder; the Leh district describes it as a village that was under Pakistani control until the war of 1971, known for its buckwheat. It is among the Nubra places open to Indian visitors on the Leh permit portal, and a foreign national's permit is valid only for the places it names. A tailor-made trip with a second night in Nubra can include it.
What do I need at the check-posts on the Nubra road?
Your permit and identity documents. Foreign visitors need a protected-area permit covering Khardung La and Nubra, plus several photocopies, as one may be kept at each check-post; North Pullu, beyond the pass, is Nubra's entry point. For Indian passport holders the Inner Line Permit was dropped in 2021; what you carry now is the environment-fee slip, paid online on the Leh district's portal, which warns against fake slips from private agents. Our Nubra tours arrange the permits.
About Nubra Valley Tour Packages
Our private Nubra Valley trips are for travellers ready to cross Khardung La into the cold desert beyond: Diskit Monastery and its giant Maitreya Buddha, the dunes and Bactrian camels at Hunder, and a night in the valley before Pangong Lake. Nubra follows two nights in Leh on the eight-day Ladakh tour and on the ten-day tour with Srinagar. Each is private, tailor-made and quoted in writing first.
Reviewed by Experience My India Editorial Team · Updated 20 Oct 2026
Why go to the Nubra Valley
The Nubra Valley lies about 120 km north of Leh, on the far side of Khardung La, where the Shyok river flows beneath the Karakoram range. The Leh district calls it the orchard of Ladakh, and its old name, Ldumra, means valley of flowers. It is best known for the sand dunes at Hunder, where double-humped Bactrian camels carry visitors, and for Diskit, the valley's main town, with its monastery and a Maitreya Buddha statue more than 30 metres high. Further on are the hot springs at Panamik and the village of Turtuk. Our Nubra Valley travel guide has more.
How many days to give the Nubra Valley
One night, after two in Leh, on each tour listed here. On the Ladakh Tour — 8 days you cross Khardung La on day three, spend the afternoon among the dunes and camels, and drive on to Pangong Lake on day four. On 10 Days Ladakh with Srinagar the same crossing comes on day six, after Srinagar and Leh, and Pangong on day seven. One night allows the dunes and Diskit. Turtuk, far down the valley, or the hot springs at Panamik need a second night, which a tailor-made trip can add.
When to go
Go between May and September. The valley lies lower than Leh, so the cold you meet on the way is mostly at the top of Khardung La, where the Leh district mentions the chilly winds. The tours cross the pass in the morning; keep a warm layer in the car. The district's festival calendar lists a Nubra sports and adventure festival in September. For month-by-month detail, see when to visit Ladakh.
How to reach the Nubra Valley
Only by road, from Leh. The road climbs about 40 km to Khardung La, which is over 5,000 metres high, then drops north into the valley, about 120 km from Leh in all. Ladakh's tourism department advises against crossing Khardung La in your first 48 hours in Leh. Fly to Leh first: its airport, with daily flights from Delhi, is the nearest. If you are driving in from Manali or Srinagar, the same 48 hours in Leh apply before Nubra.
What our Nubra Valley tour packages include
On the Ladakh Tour — 8 days: a private 4x4 and driver, the permits for Nubra, Pangong and Tso Moriri, a local guide in Leh, daily breakfast, and a camp or hotel in Nubra as confirmed at enquiry. On 10 Days Ladakh with Srinagar: a private car or 4x4 and driver, the permits for Nubra and Pangong, and a local guide in Srinagar and Leh. The guides are listed for Leh rather than the valley, so ask if you want one in Nubra. You pay separately for lunches and dinners, monastery entry at Diskit, flights and travel insurance.
How to choose your Nubra Valley tour package
Choose the Ladakh Tour — 8 days if Ladakh is the whole trip and you want Nubra, Pangong and Tso Moriri on three nights in a row away from Leh; it suits fit, patient travellers, and is not recommended for heart or lung conditions without a doctor's advice. Choose 10 Days Ladakh with Srinagar to begin on Dal Lake, with Nubra and Pangong the only Ladakh nights away from Leh. If Nubra is the reason you are going, a tailor-made trip can give it two nights, starting from the Leh, Nubra Valley and Pangong Lake circuit. See also Ladakh tour packages.
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