Nowadays everybody likes to spend their holidays in a beautiful and peaceful destination. Ladakh, a hill station in Northern India is one of the best destinations in South Asia. Everyone is busy in surfing and selecting the best and suitable Ladakh Tour Package for the vacation. I am about to share a few pages of my personal diary with you which narrates of my splendid Nubra Valley Tour.
Nubra Valley is at lower elevation, it has a mild climate. This climatic condition has created lush vegetation in the valley and the valley is, therefore, called the “Orchard of Ladakh". The valley was part of the Caravan Route between Tibet and China. It has various trekking sites, along the countryside. The valley is also the natural home of the double backed Bactria camel. It is located Trans Leh, beyond the snow clad Khardung La pass.
Last year on 15th July me and my friend Vijay arrived at Leh airport by Jet Airways from Delhi in afternoon and hired taxi to check in Pangong Hotel. We had decided not to book any travelling agency to visit and stay in Nubra Valley and surroundings. One of the hotel employees advised us to search the small posters on the frontwall and advertising spots of travelling agencies, medical stores and restaurants who are looking to share their vehicle with a person or two, and in this way we can enjoy Nubra Valley Tour in lesser amount. Our search resulted positive and we found many advertisements in the neighboring market and changspa area about their requirement e.g. ‘Looking for 3 more person to join a 4 days trek from Lamayuru to Alchi starting on July 20th’or ‘Looking for one people to share a 3 days trek and 1-night jeep tour of Nubra Valley leaving on July 22nd’ etc. But these advertisements don’t suit our desire to stay two nights in the Valley. At last we had to book a jeep which was driven by Abdulla Bhai a nice driver and a gentleman too.
Jeep Safari in Ladakh compels tourists for trekking in Ladakh to the sightseeing destination for a few kilo meters. We have acclimatized in the hotel in Ladakhi atmosphere till the morning of 17th July to prevent ourselves from acute mountain sickness.
We left the Pangong Hotel early in the morning by Jeep with Abdulla. After a few km, jeep was stopped to register the tourists at South Pullu an army check post. After one hour we came to North Pullu, another check post where foreigners had to register themselves. There was only a tea stall to welcome us. Khardung La pass (18,380 feet) lies 40 km north of Leh in the way to Nubra Valley. There were a temple and a monastery in roadside. All motor vehicles crossed the pass slowly and effortlessly within two hours. The world’s highest motor-able Khardung La pass is used by army throughout the year. Within two hours we reached to the peak, it was 8 a.m. and as per our schedule we were right in time.
Snow was everywhere clinging to the mountain-side which we have touched it easily on the peak. We were stunned to feel severing cold and the intensity of the winds there. In spite of that atmosphere Abdulla was feeling no cold when he was in a T-shirt only and we were unable to stand properly because he was acclimatized to weather being a local people.
After traveling down for 20 km, there is a village, known as Khardung (14730 feet). It is cool even in summer season because it is surrounded by mountains. There is a Public Works Department (PWD) rest-house, state Government Livestock Development Center, home-stay accommodation and a primary school.
The village Khalsar (11480 feet) comes after traveling down for 43 km. It is a Buddhist village and has the same facility as Khardung village.
Diskit, Hunder, Sumur, Panamik, Bogdang and Turtuk are the main villages in Nubra Valley. We found Hunder (9900 feet) the most beautiful village of the Valley. It has greenery and fruit trees as such cherry, apricot, walnuts, almonds etc. It has about 1150 Buddhist population with a few Muslims. They invite each other in religious ceremonies and live together peacefully.
It is one of the best areas for trekking in Nubra Valley. Tourists can stay and visit to satisfy their thrust of wonderful sightseeing by trekking to sand dunes, monastery, temple, ruins of palaces and double humped Ladakhi camel (Siberian). Hotel Karma Inn is nestled in the lap of Hunder providing a peaceful and relaxed holiday located just 1 km from the sand dunes of Hunder village in a very serene and peaceful atmosphere amidst poplar and apricot trees in Hunder Village.
Hundar is the last destination for tourists in the western area of Nubra Valley. Driver being a local people, he started to guide us. Under his direction, we started to move towards the Gompa of Hundar. The prayer hall was dark and calm with a huge statue of Buddha within a large glass cabinet of near about 14 feet against the far wall. There were painted murals on other walls and they looked quite unique and freshly painted.
It is said the Hundar was once the capital of Nubra. We can see here number of ruined forts and palaces like the two temples of Boddha statues: white and red, popularly known as Lhakhang Karpo and Lhakhang Marpo respectively. Famous Flower Festival of Nubra Valley is celebrated in the month of June in Hundar. Young generation of the area offer flowers to the statue of Buddha in the Lhakhang Karpo and Lhakhang Marpo respectively.
The Valley consists of two rivers- Nubra and Shayok. The Nubra River flows from the north to north west and Shayok River flows through the other portion of the valley. At the junction of the rivers the valley of the Shayok is about 5 km wide, whereas the Nubra River is about 3 to 4 km.
Diskit (10000 feet) is the head quarter of Nubra Valley and situated at a distance of 110 km from Leh. It touches the border of Pakistan and China. Saser kangri-1, Saser kangri-2 and Saser Kangri-3 located between the upper reaches of the Shayok and the Nubra Rivers are the highest mountains of Ladakh which lies in Nubra Valley. Dosmoche the annual festival of this area is held in the month of February at Diskit monastery.
After watching Gompa, we came back to road. Abdulla was very much acquainted and familiar to that area as being the local people; he pointed to the top of a hillock and said that there were some ruins of a couple of interesting palace and views of Hundar village and the Nubra Valley were breathtaking from the top.
This left us with no choice except to climb to the top. The way was looking terribly difficult from the base but once we started climbing, it wasn’t as bad as we had thought; some portion of journey was difficult and tedious but overall it was manageable. We found the same as the driver had described, we were mesmerized with wonderful views of the valley along the way and that could not feel the pain and tiredness of the climb.
Partially ruined 3 shrines were at the top of the hillock which was quite old and very small. The oil lamps were burning to fade the darkness of the Gompas. Each of them had a lovely and unique statue of Buddha which was surrounded by ancient murals. We were surprised to see that all the Gompas were built along the edge of the hillock which was in teetering conditions. Those were providing the best views of inside and outside of the Gompas.
Our jeep turned towards Diskit where we had to stay in the rest house, it was cheap and best in that area. In morning we started towards the most famous monastery of Nubra Valley.
The Diskit monastery is situated on a hill, just above the flood plains of the Shayok River, on its right bank in the Diskit village (3,144 meters (10,315 ft)) in Nubra Valley. Diskit Monastery is the oldest and largest Buddhist monastery in the Nubra Valley of Ladakh. It belongs to the Gelugpa (Yellow Hat) sect of Tibetan Buddhism. It was founded by Changzem Tserab Zangpo, in the 14th century. It is a sub-gompa of the Thikse gompa.
The monastery has statue of Maitreya Buddha in the prayer hall, a huge drum and several images of fierce guardian deities. An elevated cupola of the monastery depicts a fresco of the Tashilhunpo Monastery of Tibet.
The Monastery administration runs a school, with support from a Non-Government Organization (NGO) known as the "Tibet Support Group", which has computer facilities and teaches science subjects, in English, to Tibetan children of the region.
A popular festival known as Dosmoche or the "Festival of the Scapegoat" is held in the precincts of the monastery in February during the winter season, which is largely attended by people from villages of the Nubra valley since the other regions in Leh are inaccessible during this period due to heavy snow fall.
Recent extensions to the monastery building are in good shape but the Dukhang ("main prayer hall") and Zimcchungh are not in good condition. Paintings have been covered with soot and images are kept in total disorder. The older part of the monastery is said to be in certain degree of decay, as cracks have been observed, and they remain untended.
The official residence of the Chief Lama of Nubra is located at the foot hill where there is also a very large statue of (Maitreya) Buddha. This impressive 32 meter (106 ft) statue on top of a hill below the monastery faces down the Shyok River towards Pakistan.
Diskit is the headquarters of the Nubra Valley and thus has lot of government offices with all basic facilities.
In the evening we move towards Panamic (10900 feet) where we stayed for the night. We had visited hot water spring of the cold area in the morning. Our driver parked the car by the side of the road and pointed to a concrete building, which seemed newly built half-way up the mountain-side; this was where we could find the hot springs that Panamik is famous for!
We walked up to the hot springs but the sight of unpainted, cement buildings by the side of a narrow stream was downright disappointing. We touched the water in the stream and found it to be quite warm to the touch. The springs had caused yellow-colored. Soapy pools everywhere and they definitely didn’t look inviting to bath. On the whole the place was quite boring.
We returned to the Pangong Hotel of Leh with unbeilievable beauty and sweet memories of Nubra Valley Ladakh. After coming back to our hometown we saw an advertisement of a tour and travel company named Destination@doorstep which offered a beautiful package to the same location with a bonus of few other nearby and important places, they had named it beautifully and elegantly as “Sand dune Magic Nuubra Valley” and stating that the tour is for 6 nights. Wish we had seen the scheme before our visit, we could have enjoyed beyond.
