Turtuk is a small village on the Indo-Pak border. Situated in the Leh district of Jammu and Kashmir, this beautiful village was not an easy spot to reach a few years ago. But these days it is easier to reach Turtuk and enjoy your holidays with stunning view of nature. As you move into the village, there are many home-stays available for the tourists who visit here. The cost varies from Rs.250 – 400 for a single room which includes breakfast and dinner. There are also guest houses available for accommodation. Home-stays like Kashmiri home-stay, Khan home-stay, Sang-sag home-stay provide accommodation at a low and reasonable rate. People of Turtuk cultivates almost all types of vegetables like tomato, chilli, cabbage, wheat, barley and so on. But these can be cultivated only during summer season. It is freezing cold in winter here. Turtuk is actually two villages (Farol – Youl) separated by a stream.
A wooden bridge connects these two villages. There is a Buddhist monastery in Farol. From here you can get a panoramic view of the village and turquoise waters of the Shyok river. There is a waterfall nearby. To see it, you have to climb the difficult and dangerous mountain. The major feature of Turtuk is the sight of apricot trees everywhere. The houses have in-built natural freezers which keep them warm during winter. The Youl has a museum dedicated to Baltic kings. Turtuk is a paradise for those who love star gazing. On a clear cloud free night, one can see many majestical star phenomena from here. Most of the tourists here are foreigners. Indian tourists are more interested in Ladakh’s Nubra valley and Pangong Tso lake which was featured in the popular movie ‘3 Idiots’. Since this is a calm and quiet place, the tourists who come to Turtuk stay for weeks before they decide to leave. Turtuk tourism began only 7 years ago. But the construction of home stays and other buildings are slowly destroying the natural beauty of Turtuk.
