Ladakh: Where Nature's Silence is Eloquent by Priyadarshini Sur

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Travelogues
Ladakh: Where Nature's Silence
is Eloquent – 2
by Priyadarshini Sur

Day 3: 16th May: Nubra Circuit:

The road towards Nubra Valley crosses over the Khardungla (K-top), 39 km from Leh, at an altitude of 18481 ft. It is the highest motorable road in the world. It is officially open round the year. The pass is almost permanently covered in snow and fog and bitterly cold. There is a grubby military camp, the highest temple in the world, a tea stall and a souvenir shop. The road between Leh and Khalsar is reasonable except the road between South Pollu and North Pollu just before and after K-top. Beyond the pass is Khardung village.

The Nubra Valley starts at the village of Khalsar (10,652ft) where there are several tea houses and huge amounts of discarded army equipment. The road then divides just before the village of Lughzen- the left fork going to Hundar and beyond following the Shyok river. The right fork heads north to Panamik and beyond, following the Nubra river.

Nubra means green. The valley is a wonderful area to visit. The main village is Diskit in the southern valley at 10,751 ft and 120 km from Leh. One of the best accommodations available is Olthang Guest House. There is a comfortable lounge area, a sun room and a large garden with car parking and it is open in winter also.

Day 4: 17th May

After having breakfast we headed towards the desert. Between Diskit and Hunder is an area of sand dunes not unlike the Sahara if you ignore the snow capped mountains in the back ground. Here we saw the shaggy double hump Bactrian camel and we enjoyed camel safari (for the first time in my life ….!)

About 7 km from Diskit is Hunder, a pretty village, set among lots of trees and gurgling streams. It is the farthest point where civilians are allowed. We went near a bridge from where Turtuk the border village of India and Pakistan is 50 km. We met two Sikh soldiers who told us that during firing shells drop there. Next we visited the 500 year old Diskit Gompa on a hill above the village. The main village of Diskit has a bazaar comprising of single line of shops , post office and bank.

After lunch at Olthang we started towards the Northern valley of Nubra. Our permit allows us till Panamik. Here I must mention that for visiting Khardungla, Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, Tso moriri and Dha Hanu areas of Ladakh it is mandatory to obtain Protected Area Permit from the Deputy Commissioner’s office at Leh. On the way there is a pretty village Sumur (3096m) three Km from where is the village Tegar. There an excellent accommodation in this picturesque and isolated village Hotel Yarab Tso. We were flabbergasted to find such a pretty accommodation. The hotel is set inside a farm house. After having the welcome tea and lunch with Maggi we visited the last village on this circuit Panamik (3183m). It is a small village famous for its hot springs. It is the first or the last stop along the ancient trade route between Ladakh and Central Asia. Siachen base is 50 km from this village. Do come to this place to appreciate the virgin beauty of this isolated spot. We had to rush back from there as it started drizzling. It is the greenest part of Ladakh.

– Continued

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