North Pullu is the second checkpoint on the Khardung La road, on the Nubra side of the pass, and it marks the point where the descent begins to feel like a reward. After the thin air and the broken surfaces of the summit, the road drops into a different country, and the valley below takes shape as a long, pale stripe of green in the brown mountains. The checkpoint itself is small, a few buildings and an army post, but riders tend to remember it because they are usually glad to be heading downhill.
The descent is long, steep and demanding. The road is a ribbon of tight bends cut into slopes of loose rock, and the surface varies from decent tarmac to patches of gravel and washouts where streams cross. The brakes get a thorough workout, so engine braking in a low gear is the sensible approach, and nobody who has been through here forgets the long sections of switchbacks. Rockfall and landslides happen, especially in warmer months when meltwater loosens the slopes. Expect trucks, army convoys and the occasional herd of animals on the tarmac.
Papers are checked here, as at South Pullu, so keep your permit and documents handy. The soldiers will often ask where you are headed and may offer tea if the weather is cold, an old Himalayan courtesy that has survived the modern checkpoints. As you drop, the temperature climbs noticeably, and layers you needed at the top become a burden a few thousand feet lower. Stop somewhere safe to adjust.
Nubra has its own pumps, with Diskit the main supply point, but availability can be patchy at busy times, so start with a full tank from Leh and treat anything beyond it as a bonus. Tea stalls and small cafes appear as you get lower, and the first villages bring the first real food on the far side.
What you notice most as you descend is the change in scale. The big, bare Ladakh peaks give way to willow, poplar and apricot trees, then the sand and braided streams of the Shyok and Nubra rivers. After the stark top of the world, this feels almost gentle, and the sense of relief is as much a part of the experience as the pass itself.