Day 7 – Leh to Nubra Valley

The next morning wasn’t a very early start and the convoy began to roll post breakfast towards Khardung La which is at a distance of 40 kms from Leh. The total distance to Nubra was 160 kms. As we started driving, the Advance team was already way ahead of us and soon we got an update on the radio that there was snowfall at Khardung La. This was totally the news I waiting for, since I have never experienced snow fall in my life before. The solo drive up to Khardung La was just breathtaking and one of the best drives I have done. My companion, the XUV300 was rock solid as we made the climb up. Its compact dimensions made it very easy to slot into gaps and maneuvering broken roads. We couldn’t spend too much time at the top due to snowfall, so it was a quick photo click and move scenario. However, because of traffic, we did spend some time playing in the snow on the descend from Khardung La.

We stopped over for lunch at a dhaba before heading non stop to Nubra.  We reached ‘Royal Camps’ just before sunset and were welcomed with rain and a hot cuppa chai. The tent was pretty cozy and a stream flowing through the property had a charm of its own. The best part about staying in tent camps is being right in the midst of nature. Evening was spent with chatter over dinner and plans for the next day. We were given two choices, visiting the hot springs or doing off-roading in the sand. No prizes for guessing what we chose. We wrapped up early for the night, reason being Nubra gets electricity only between 7 pm to 11 pm.

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