Puga Hot Springs

Puga Hot Springs is a natural geothermal field in the Puga Valley on the Changthang Plateau in eastern Ladakh, near Sumdo village, at an altitude of around 4,400 metres. It is known for sulphur-rich hot springs, steaming vents, mud pools and borax deposits. Considered India's most promising geothermal energy zone, the stark, high-altitude valley with mineral-stained ground and natural hot water pools is a notable natural attraction.

Visitors can expect a remote, high-altitude valley landscape with steaming hot springs, bubbling mud pools, sulphur deposits and mineral formations spread across a barren plain. Small natural pools with hot water emerge from the ground, with visible steam especially in cold weather. The area is largely undeveloped with no built structures, surrounded by arid mountains and open plateau. Visitors can walk around designated areas, observe geothermal activity, and photograph the landscape.

Puga Valley has been identified since the 1970s as India's most promising geothermal field for energy exploration, with surveys by the Geological Survey of India and other agencies. The area is known for borax extraction historically used by local traders and for ongoing geothermal research.

Local Changpa nomadic herders regard the springs as having medicinal properties due to sulphur content and have traditionally used the warm waters. The valley is part of the Changthang pastoral landscape.