Turtuk & the Far Valley Explorer

What we work through with you

1. Your dates and priorities

   Tell us when you want to visit Nubra & Turtuk, Ladakh, who is travelling and what you would change in the outline below.

2. The route and pace

   We discuss the 8D / 7N starting itinerary, your preferred stays and how much you want to fit in. Any changes depend on availability and are agreed in your written plan.

3. Your written quote

   Review the final arrangements, total price, inclusions and payment and cancellation terms before booking. An enquiry does not reserve this trip.

The route we start from

These are the stages published for this trip. A stage can cover part of a day or several days; it is not a separate travel day.

1. Stage 01

   Fly In

   Fly into Leh at 3,500 metres and then do nothing at all, which is the single most important instruction on this trip. Altitude sickness is a real risk here and the cure is a wasted first day. Tea, a short walk at most, and a lot of water.

2. Stage 02

   Leh Circuit

   A gentle local circuit while the body catches up. Thiksey monastery for the morning prayers, which start early and are worth the alarm, Hemis further out, and the Leh market in the afternoon. Nothing above the altitude you slept at.

3. Stage 03

   To Nubra

   North over Khardung La at 5,359 metres and down into Nubra. Hunder has dunes at 3,000 metres with Bactrian camels on them, a leftover of the Silk Road caravans. Sunset on the sand with the Karakoram behind it.

4. Stage 04

   Turtuk

   West along the Shyok towards the Line of Control, past the last checkpoint civilians can cross, to Turtuk. The village was in Pakistan until 1971 and only opened to visitors in 2010: Balti-speaking, Muslim, built of stone and apricot orchards, and unlike anywhere else in India.

5. Stage 05

   Thang & Back

   Up to Thang, the last Indian village before the Line of Control, where a viewpoint looks across at what is now the other side and used to be the rest of the valley. Back down to Turtuk or Nubra afterwards, through orchards where apricots are dried on every flat roof.

6. Stage 06

   To Pangong

   South-east on the Shyok river road to Pangong, which is rough, spectacular and occasionally involves water across the road. The lake is 134 kilometres long, runs into Tibet, and is a blue that photographs badly because nobody believes it. Camp on the shore.

7. Stage 07

   Pangong → Leh

   The blue hour on the lake at dawn, when it is at its most improbable, then back to Leh over Chang La at 5,360 metres, stopping at Druk Padma Karpo school on the way in if there is time.

8. Stage 08

   The Return

   Fly home from Leh, over the Himalaya. Seven nights, one village almost nobody gets to, and a working sense of how far the map goes past where most itineraries stop.

What this trip lists

Use these inclusions and exclusions when reviewing your quote. The displayed price starts from ₹34,999 per person; your written quote confirms the total for your dates and arrangements.

Read this trip’s booking terms →