Nubra Valley, Indian Union Territory of Ladakh, Inida

Nubra Valley is a subdivision and a tehsil in the Indian union territory of Ladakh. Its inhabited areas form a tri-armed valley cut by the Nubra and Shyok rivers. Its Tibetan name Ldumra means "the valley of flowers". Demands have been raised and BJP has hinted at creation of Nubra as a new district.Diskit, the headquarters of Nubra, is about 150 km north from Leh, the capital of Ladakh. The Shyok River meets the Nubra River (or Siachan River) to form a large valley that separates the Ladakh and Karakoram Ranges. The Shyok river is a tributary of the Indus river. The average altitude of the valley is more than 10,000 feet (3,000 m) above the sea level. The common way to access this valley is to travel over the Khardung La pass from Leh. Foreign nationals are required to get a Protected area permit to visit Nubra. Since 1 April 2017 Indian citizens are also required to get an Inner Line Permit to visit it.

Nubra means "western" in Ladakhi, thus referring to the "western  valley", perhaps distinguishing it from the eastern Shyok river valley, which is thinly  populated. The traditional name of the region is Dumra, meaning the "valley of  flowers"

Alexander Cunningham listed Nubra as one of the five natural and historical divisions of Ladakh. Nubra occupies the northeastern portion of Ladakh, bordering Baltistan and Chinese Turkestan in the north, and the Aksai Chin plateau and Tibet in the east. In Cunningham's conception, Nubra includes all the region drained by the Nubra and Shyok rivers. it is 128 miles long and 72 miles wide, making up an area of 9,200 square miles. It extends south till the Pangong Lake.

In modern nomenclature, the Nubra region is divided into "Diskit Nubra" in the north and the "Darbuk region" in the south, both of which are regarded as tehsils and subdivisions of the Leh district. The Diskit Nubra region includes the Turtuk region that was captured from Pakistan during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and the Siachen Glacier region.

The populated part of Nubra is often described as a "tri-armed valley". The  Nubra River Valley divided into three sections called Yarma, Tśurka and Farka. Like the  rest of the Tibetan Plateau, Nubra is a high altitude cold desert with rare precipitation  and scant vegetation except along river beds. The villages are irrigated and fertile,  producing wheat, barley, peas, mustard and a variety of fruits and nuts, including blood  apples, walnuts, apricots and even a few almond trees. Most of Nubra is inhabited by  Nubra dialect or Nubra Skat speakers. The majority are Buddhists. In the western or  lowest altitude end of Nubra near the Line of Control i.e. the Indo-Pak border, along the  Shyok River, the inhabitants in village turtuk are Balti of Gilgit-Baltistan, who speak  Balti, and are Shia and Sufia Nurbakhshia Muslims.

Siachen Glacier lies to the north of the valley. The Sasser Pass and the famous Karakoram Pass lie to the northwest of the valley and connect Nubra with Uyghur (Mandarin : Xinjiang). Previously there was much trade passing through the area with western China's Xinjiang and Central Asia. The people of Baltistan also used the Nubra valley for passage to Tibet.

Diskit town in the valley have become the congregation centre for people of  the region. Diskit is the headquarters of Nubra and thus has lot of government offices  with basic facilities. It is also connected by road with Leh. Along the Nubra or Siachan  River lie the villages of Sumur, Kyagar (called Tiger Hill by the Indian  Army), Tirith, Panamik, Turtuk and many others. The main road access to Nubra is over  Khardung La pass which is open throughout the year. Its status as the highest motorable  road in the world. An alternative route, opened  in 2008, crosses the Wari La from Sakti, to the east of Khardung La, connecting to the main  Nubra road system via Agham and Khalsar along the Shyok River. There are also  trekkable passes over the Ladakh Range from the Indus Valley at various points. Routes  from Nubra to Baltistan and Yarkand, though historically important, have been closed since  1947 and 1950 respectively.

The Nubra valley was open for tourists up to Hunder (the land of sand dunes) until 2010. The region beyond Hunder gives way to a greener region of Ladakh because of its lower altitude. The village of Turtuk which was unseen by tourists till 2010 is a virgin destination for people who seek peace and an interaction with a tribal community of Ladakh. The local tribe, Balti people, follows its age old customs in their lifestyle and speak a language which is just spoken and not written. For tourists Turtuk offers serene camping sites with environment friendly infrastructure.

Places To Visit In Nubra Valley-

1) Panamik Village: is noted for its hot springs. Between Hundar and Diskit lie several kilometres of sand dunes, and (two-humped) Bactrian camels graze in the neighbouring "forests" of seabuckthorn. Non-locals are not allowed below Hundar village into the Balti area, as it is a border area.

2) Maitreya Buddha: The 32 metre Maitreya Buddha statue is the landmark of Nubra and is maintained by the Diskit Monastery. On the Shyok (pronounced Shayok) River, the main village, Diskit, is home to the dramatically positioned Diskit Monastery which is built in 1420 AD. Hundar was the capital of the erstwhile Nubra kingdom in the 17th century, and is home to the Chamba Gompa.

3) Panamikh: You will love exploring hot water springs, you will like Panamik. Located about 150 kilometers from Leh, in close proximity to Nubra Valley, it is a small sleepy village situated at an altitude of 10,442 feet above sea level.

4 ) Yarab Tso Lake: Yarab Tso Lake is a famous tourist attraction in Nubra Valley, located almost 15 kilometers from Diskit near to Simur village.

5) Diskit Monastery: Diskit Monastery is a major tourist attraction in the Nubra Valley, not just for its incredible location, but for the 106 feet Maitreya Buddha statue which is located just below the monastery.

6) Samstanling Monastery: The Samstanling Monastery is located in Sumur Village in Nubra Valley, en route to Panamik. Samstanling Monastery is a famous tourist attraction in Nubra Valley.

7) Maitreya Buddha: There are many things to fall in love with in Nubra Valley, but one which leaves you fascinated is the 108 feet tall statue of Maitreya Buddha.

8) Hunder Sand Dunes: Nubra Valley in Ladakh holds so many surprises for the visitors. One such surprise awaits you at the Hunder Sand Dunes, located about 10 kilometers from Diskit village.

9) Khardung La Pass: At 5,359 meters, Khardung La is the highest motorable road in the world. A sign which greets visitors upon arriving there proclaims it with a hint of pride. 

10)  Turtuk: For The Best Landscape & Local Culture

11) Ensa Gompa: Overlooking The Snow-Capped Mountains. Across the Nubra or Siachan River at Panamik, is the isolated Ensa Gompa near Warisfistan village.

Their are many other place and Natural sites to exploer in Nubra Valley. 

The valley is also famous for its forest of Hippophae shrub, popularly known as Leh Berry. It is within this shrub forest that one can spot the white-browed tit-warbler. One can also spot the Tibetan lark, Hume's short-toed lark, and Hume's whitethroat. The various water birds like ruddy shelduck, garganey, northern pintail, and mallard can be observed on several small water bodies scattered along the route. Besides these, waders like black-tailed godwit, common sandpiper, common greenshank, common redshank, green sandpiper, and ruff can be spotted in Nubra valley.