11th July

We started our return journey at 10 o’clock from Diskit. Our plan was to reach Leh, take a break and then leave for Lamayuru, which is on the way to Srinagar. A few kms before Khardung La top, it started drizzling and as we reached the top, drizzle converted into a mild snowfall. The atmosphere was looking hazy, covered with dark clouds. We stopped at the top for a while, bought some souvenirs and then descended towards Leh.

Roads were good and steep. I actually switched off the engine and drove in neutral gear for a stretch of 10-12 km 🙂 The view of Leh city from the top was spectacular.

We reached leh by 2 pm, had lunch, did some more shopping and set out for Lamayuru at 4. First 80 km were very good. Road was excellent, Indus river flowing beside the road, amazing hills of different colours and sun shining in front of us. Actually, it became a little difficult to drive because of the shining sun and river flowing towards our left side. Turns were already blind and the sun was making them worse 🙂

The last 30 kms to Lamayuru were horrible. The road was bad and full of mud. A tourist bus ahead of us, was making it worse. We were almost completely covered with mud when we reached there. It was 7 pm when we reached Lamayuru.

Lamayuru is a small place and famous for a gompa. We got a room in a good guest house and had plenty of rest, much needed for the next day’s long journey.

Day summary: Nubra Valley – Leh – Lamayuru, 7 hrs, 240 km