Nubra Valley
Nubra Valley is certainly one of the best places to visit in Ladakh. The Nubra Valley, once on the trading route that connected eastern Tibet with Turkistan via the famous Karakoram Pass, is the most recently opened area of Ladakh. Nubra invites you to a trip back in time into a nearly forgotten 'Shangri La'. With breath taking views and delightfully hospitable inhabitants, it is quite an experience. Not just the scenic slopes of Karakoram range but also the confluence of Shyak and Siachen rivers is what makes Nubra valley an exquisite voyage. The Shyok river, a tributary of Indus River, meets the Nubra or Siachen river to form a large valley that separates the Ladakh and Karakorum Ranges. The ultra-wide landscapes, humongous mountain faces, lovely trails. The major attraction of Nubra Valley is going over highest motorable road, Khardung La Pass. Main attraction in Nubra Valley is Double Hump Camel Safari at Hunder Village. Hunder is the best place to stay and famous for its sand dunes and beautiful landscape. Other places to visit in Nubra valley is Panamik hot water springs and another sacred Yarab Tso lake. Another place is Sumoor Village which has 150 year old Samstanling Gompa and apart from that the village itself is an oasis in the middle of desert.
Another new attraction is Turtuk Village which is 80 kms from Hunder is the last outpost in India after which the Pakistan-controlled Gilgit-Baltistan begins Turtuk is one of the gateways to the Siachen Glacier. Turtuk was opened to tourists in 2009. The village offers views of Beautiful Valley, part of the Shyok Valley. Though a Muslim village, there are a few gompas located on the plateau above the Shyok River and there is an old royal house to see in the village. Turtuk is one of the few places in India where one can witness Balti culture, a different life style of people. Stone houses, Natural refrigerators, stone pressure cooker and many more things.
You can see apricot trees, Apple Trees, Flowers, berries around the entire village with closer views to Karakorum Range. Nubra Valley is a must see place, if you miss this part, then you are almost missing the heart of the Ladakh.