Budget Homestay village · Turtuk
Turtuk Balti homestays
Turtuk is a homestay village: dozens of Balti families in Youl and Farol, the two halves of the village, rent simple rooms with dinner and breakfast. It is the best way to taste Balti food and village life on the Shyok.
Photo: Suryadasika · CC BY-SA 4.0 · CommonsTurtuk opened to tourists only in 2010, and most accommodation is still in family houses. Rooms are plain, often on the upper floor around a courtyard or apricot garden, with carpets, thick quilts and a shared or simple attached bathroom. Hot water usually comes in a bucket. Dinner is eaten with the family or brought to your room: rice, dal, vegetables, sometimes Balti dishes made with buckwheat or apricot.
We do not name single homestays because standards and ownership change. Instead, walk across the footbridge into the village, look at two or three rooms, and agree the price including meals before you put your bags down. Expect conservative norms: modest clothing, no alcohol, and photography of women only with permission.
Why we use it
- Meals cooked by Balti families
- Walk straight out into orchards and lanes
- Money goes directly to village households
Best for
The photo shows Turtuk, not the property itself.
Trips that stay here
Sleep here on a trip
Photo: Saurabh Lall · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Saver
Srinagar road to Leh and Turtuk on a budget
Shared Sumo taxis, state buses and local shared cars
Around the stay
Turtuk
Turtuk is a Balti village on the Shyok river, about 85 km beyond Diskit and some 205 km from Leh. It was under Pakistani control until 1971 and opened to tourists in 2010. Come for stone lanes, apricot orchards and Balti homestays at about 2,900 m, the lowest overnight in Nubra.
Photo: Suryadasika · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Turtuk Balti village walk
A slow walk through both halves of Turtuk: stone lanes, water channels, terraced barley and apricot orchards, the mosqu…
Photo: Suryadasika · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Apricot orchards and a Balti home kitchen
Turtuk is known for its apricots. In summer, walk the orchards, watch fruit drying on rooftops and sit down to a home-c…
Photo: Tahsin Anwar Ali · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
The Shyok gorge drive from Hunder to Turtuk
About 85 km down the Shyok from Hunder to Turtuk, through a narrow gorge where the valley drops and warms. Villages thi…
Questions
About Turtuk Balti homestays
How do I book a homestay in Turtuk?
Most Turtuk homestays do not need booking outside July and August. Arrive by early afternoon, walk into the village and look at a few rooms. Your Leh guesthouse or driver can also phone ahead. Agree the price and meals before you check in.
Do Turtuk homestays have attached bathrooms?
Some do, many do not. Expect simple bathrooms, sometimes shared, with hot water in buckets on request. A few newer guesthouses at the village edge have attached bathrooms and showers at a slightly higher price.
Is food included in Turtuk homestays?
Usually yes: dinner and breakfast are included in the per-person rate. Tell your hosts in advance about any dietary needs. Lunch is available at small cafes in the village. Alcohol is not served, and drinking in public is not appropriate.
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