Located across Khardung La Pass is the charming Nubra Valley sitting pretty at 3,048 meters. Its original name is believed to be Ldumra meaning “Valley of Flowers”. Now also known as Orchard of Ladakh, this beautiful valley is located about 120 km from Leh. This height of about 10,000 ft actually puts it at a lower altitude than even the town of Leh.

Diskit is the capital of Nubra Valley and is also very beautiful. Here, the Shyok River confluences with Nubra River (also known as Siachen River) to form this enchanting valley that separates the famous mountain ranges of Ladakh and Karakoram.

This Nubra 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.

Note
Effective May 2014, Indian citizens are no longer required to obtain any kind of permit (Inner line permit) to visit the valley. Foreigners are however still needed to obtain the protected area permit.

The best months to visit Nubra Valley are April to June and September to October. In the first period, the sun shines bright and keeps the day temperatures warm. For the latter period, a kind of chill sets in Nubra Valley.