There are two ways to do Nubra Valley: you can hire a travel agency to plan the trip for you with an itinerary, or you can do it yourself by using local taxis. Bringing your own transport to Nubra Valley is tricky indeed.

An agency itinerary will take in all the sights of the valley, including a visit to the oldest, most pictureque monastery in Diskit; a trip to the sand dunes at Hunder along with an obligatory ride on the Bactrian camel; a trip to the hot-springs at Panamik where the water is said to have healing properties; and a long interesting drive that ends in the Balti territory of Turtuk, the second-to-last village in India before you hit Pakistan. None of this is possible without a private taxi unless you are driving a motorbike from Leh (there are no car or bike hires available in Nubra yet).

Do the trip under your own steam by getting on a local shared taxi from Leh (at a fraction of what you’d pay for a private tour) and then hitch-hiking and/or getting local taxis to ferry you between the various sights.

Whatever you do, keep a day free to explore Sumur. If Stanzin is around, ask him to accompany you on a walk in the village; it was one of the highlights of our trip, a long and pleasantly exhausting walk that wound its way through terraced fields and mud-walled houses, with a stop at his ancestral home (which has one of the oldest Ladakhi kitchens in the area, still preserved beautifully with all its implements and objects intact) and the Stamsanling Gompa, which stands above the village.

For the more athletically inclined, longer hiking and cycling trips can also be organised.