Top Ten Most Beautiful Lakes in Tibet

NO. 1  Yamdrok Tso -  The Most Beautiful Water in the World

Situated 100 km southwest of Lhasa with an elevation of 4441 m (14570 ft), Yamdrok Tso (Yamdrok Lake, Tibetan: Yamdrok Yumtso; Chinese:羊卓雍措,羊卓雍错,羊卓雍湖) is one of the three most sacred lakes in Tibet (the other two are Namtso and Manasarovar).

On the old road between Gyantse and Lhasa, coiling Yamdrok-tso Lake can be seen from the summit of the Kamba-la pass (4700m). The lake lies several hundred meters below the road, and in clear weather is a fabulous shade of deep turquoise-blue. Far in the northwest distance is the huge massif of Mt. Nojin Kangtsang (7191m). Nangartse is a small town along the way that has some basic accommodation and a couple of restaurants. A 20-minute drive or a two-hour walk from Nangartse brings you to Samding Monastery, a charming place with scenic views of the surrounding area and the lake. Yamdrok-tso Lake is also the site of Tibet’s largest hydroelectric Power Station.

NO.2  Namtso – Heavenly Lake in Tibet

About 240km northwest of Lhasa, Nam-tso (Heavenly Lake in Tibetan, Chinese:纳木错,又称纳木措,那木措,那木错, 腾格里海, 腾格里湖) is the highest saltwater lake in the world at 4,720m (over 14,000 feet) and one of the most beautiful natural sights in Tibet. It is over 70km long, reaches a width of 30km and is 35m at its deepest point. When the ice melts in late April, the lake is a miraculous shade of turquoise and there are magnificent views of the nearby snowcapped mountains. The wide open spaces, dotted with the tents of local drokpas (nomads), are intoxicating.

Lake Namtso (Namco) is one of the three holiest lakes in Tibet (the other two are Lake Manasarovar and Yamdrok Tso) and an important centre for pilgrimage. The lake plays sanctuary to many species of migrating birds and other local birds. One attraction of a trip to Nam-tso is the opportunity to get a peek at the otherwise inaccessible life of Tibet’s drokpas (nomads), seminomadic herders who make their home in the Changtang, Tibet’s vast and remote northern plateau. Most travelers head for Tashi Dor Monastery (elevation 4718m) in the southeastern corner of the lake. There are some fine walks in the area, as well as a short but pilgrim-packed Kora.

The best season for trekking in Nam Tso Lake is late May to October, however you must be prepared at all times for wet weather, snow and cold winds.

NO. 3  Lake Manasarovar – The Most Sacred Lake in Tibet

Tucked away in the southwest corner of Tibet near Mount Kailash, Lake Manasarovar or Lake Manasa Sarovar (also spelled Mansarovar and Mansarowar, Tibetan: Mapam Yumco or Mapham Yutso; Chinese: 玛旁雍错; 4560m/14,957 ft) is the highest freshwater lake in the world and one of its most beautiful natural sights in Tibet. With its sapphire-blue waters, sandy shoreline and snowcapped-mountain backdrop, Manasarovar is immediatedly appealing, and a welcome change of venue from the often-forbidding terrain of Mt Kailash, Tibet’s holiest peak.

The most venerated of Tibet’s many lakes, Lake Manasa Sarovar is a place of pilgrimage, attracting religious people from India, Nepal, Tibet and the neighboring countries. Manasarovar has been circumambulated by Indian pilgrims since at least 1700 years ago when it was extolled in the sacred Sanskrit literature the Puranas. Legend has it that the mother of the Buddha, Queen Maya, was bathed at Manasarovar by the gods before giving birth to her son. Gandhi requested that his ashes be scattered beside this sacred lake. Just 20km from Mt. Kailash across the Barkha plain, Manasarovar can be circumambulated in four or five days. Five of the original eight monasteries have been partially rebuilt.

Manasarovar is linked to the smaller Rakshastal (known to Tibetans as Lhanagtso) by the channel called Gang-chu. The two bodies of water are associated with the conjoined sun and moon, a powerful symbol of Tantric Buddhism.

The best time to make a tour to Mt. Kailash & Lake Manasarovar region is between mid-May and mid-October. During this time the weather in Mt. Kailash and Lake Manasarovar is generally stable and clear, with warm temperatures during the days and cool nights. July and August are usually warmer, but this is when the monsoon pushes beyond the Himalaya. Swelling the creeks and coating the valleys with greenery and wildflowers.

Mansarovar lake and Mt. Kailas can now be accessed by air as China inaugurated a high-altitude Ngari Gunsa Airport (Ali Kunsha Airport) in western Tibet’s Ngari Prefecture near the two holy places in July 1st, 2010. As Shiquanhe (Ali) is only a one-day bus drive (about 330 km) from the settlement of Darchen situated just north of Lake Mansarovar, facing Mount Kailash. It is expected to benefit pilgrims to these two sites.

NO. 4  Lhanag-tso Lake – The Ghost Lake

Despite its close proximity to Lake Manasarovar–over the road to Purang County, Lake Rakshastal (Lhanag Tso, Tibetan:ལག་ངར་མཚོ་ ; Chinese:拉昂错) does not share the lore of worship with its east neighbor. Named ‘lake of the demon’, Lake Rakshastal is considered to be the residence of Ravana, the ten-headed demon king of Ceylon in Hindu myth. In Buddhism, Lake Manasarovar, which is round like the sun, and Lake Rakshastal, shaped as a crescent, are respectively regarded as ‘brightness’ and ‘darkness’. Its salty water, a stark contrast to the fresh water of Lake Manasarovar, produces no waterweeds or fish and is considered poisonous by locals.

However, despite its notoriety, Lake Rakshastal bears no less beauty than other lakes in Tibet. Originally joined with Lake Manasarovar and later separated by geological movements, it is still connected with Lake Manasarovar by a natural channel, Ganga Chhu. It covers a total area of 70 sq km (27 sq miles), at an altitude of 4,752m (15,590 ft). Though absent of nearby grasslands, the white cobbles, the hills and the island colored with dark red, and the deep blue lake water present another distinctive picture absent from many of the places more frequented by visitors.

NO. 5 Pangong Tso – A Paradise For Migratory Birds

Situated at a height of 4,350 m (13,900 ft) in the Himalayas and spanning like a finger from India into China with two-third of its length in Tibet, Pangong Tso (Pangong Lake, Tso means lake in Ladakhi,Chinese:班公湖,班公错,班公措) is noted for its crystal clear blue-brackish water which keeps playing tricks on your eyes changing colors in seven distinct shades of blue, green, purple, truquoise and violet depending on the angle of your view.

Lake Pangong (Palgon) is home to a variety of migratory birds including brown-headed gulls, cygnets, yellow ducks, bar-headed geese and black-necked siberian cranes. The pangong lake can be reached from Leh, the capital city of Ladakh in India or from Shiquanhe (Ali), the capital of Ngari prefecture in western Tibet. The trip from Lhasa to Shiquanhe has been much easier with the opening of Ngari Gunsa Airport on July 1, 2010, the journey has been shortened from three or four days by car to only 100 minutes by air.

NO. 6  Draksum-tso – an alpine lake with a fairy-tale island monastery

The beautiful alphine lake Draksum-tso (Basum Tso,Pasum-tso, Chinese:巴松错,八松错)  is located in Kongpo Gyamda County in eastern Tibet’s Nyingchi Prefecture, 400 kilometers away from Lhasa. It is the sacred lake of Nyingmapa (Red, tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, monks wear red hats) as well as the largest fresh water barrier lake in the eastern part of Tibet.

The holy lake, more Swiss Alps than Tibetan plateau,is beautified by its surrounding landscapes from forested mountains to snow capped peaks.The site has strong connections to Gesar of Ling, the semi-mythical ruler of the Kham region and Guru Rinpoche, the Indian sage, both of whom are said to have resided at the lake.

The highlight of the Basum lake is the Tsozong Gongba Monastery (Chinese:错宗工巴寺), a small sacred chapel of the Nyingma sited on a photogenic Tashi island just off the southern shore. The Zhaxi island is an organic fusion of dozens of types of flora and a springkle of holy sights.

NO.7 Rawok Tso Lake – The Little Swiss of Tibet

A perfect blend of the Swiss Alps snow peaks and the streams in Jiuzaigou (a photogenic town in central China), Rawok Tso (Ranwu, Ranwok tso, Chinese:然乌湖,然乌错) is the largest lake in southeast of Tibet’s Nyingchi Prefecture.

The Ranwu Lake is surrounded by the Gangrigabu Mountain in the southwest, the Azhagongla Glacier in the south and the Bosula Peak in the northeast, with the famous Lagu glacier extending to the lake from the north. The melted snow and ice supply the lake and rivers such as Yalu Tsangpo. Many of the peaks surrounding the lake are over 5, 000 meters high and thus permanently locked with glaciers. The foot of these peaks, however, is green with pines and cypresses. The browsing herds of cattle and sheep, the barley paddy, bean and cabbage field form an oil painting that can be seen no elsewhere.

NO.8  Tangra Yumco – The holy lake of the Bon believers

The holy lake of the Bon believers, Lake Tangra Yumco (Dangra Yumtso, Chinese:当惹雍错) is located in the Wenbu District in northern Tibet. It lies at the bottom of a deeply sunken basin, surrounded by mountains on three sides. On the eastern bank of the lake stand red cliffs and the seven peaks of the Darguo Mountains.Beside the lake there is a monastery, Yubon Monastery, built in the scarp cave. It is said that Yubon Monastery is the oldest one in Bon Religion.

NO.9 Lhamo La-tso – The Oracle (Vision) Lake in Tibet

Lhamo La-tso (Lhamo Latso, Lamu Lacuo, Lamuna Lake, Tibetan:ལྷ་མོའི་བླ་མཚོ།, Chinese:拉姆拉错,拉母那错), the small oval ‘Oracle Lake’ around 115km northeast of Tsetang in central Tibet, is where senior Tibetan monks go for visions to assist in the discovery of reincarnations of the Dalai Lamas. Other pilgrims also come to seek visions. It is considered to be the most holiest lake in Tibet. It is also known as “The Life-Spirit-Lake of the Goddess”, the goddess being Palden Lhamo, the principal Protectress of Tibet. The gateway to Lhamo Latso is the dramatic, but mostly ruined, Chokorgye Monastery, wedged between three mountains.

NO.10 Siling-tso – “Devil Lake” where the arch devil lives

Siling Tso - The Devil Lake in Tibet

Siling Tso (Siling co, Chinese:色林错) Lake is the second largest saltlake in Tibet, after the Namtso Lake.

Siling is an arch devil who used to live in Duilongdeqing County, west of Lhasa. He greedily devoured thousands of lives everyday including both human beings and animals.One day, the Padmasambhava found Siling and asked him to stay in the lake forever and confess. From then on, people called the lake “Siling-tso” which means the “Siling Devil Lake.”

Tibet Top Attractions Guide

For travelers, Tibet (Tibetan: བོད་; Chinese: 西藏; Pinyin: Xī Zàng) is without doubt one of the most remarkable places to visit in Asia. It offers fabulous monastery sights, breathtaking high-altitude treks, stunning views of the world’s highest mountains and one of the most likeable peoples you will ever meet. There’s Gyantse, in the Nyang-chu Valley, famed for the largest chörten (stupa) in Tibet, and hiking in Yarlung Valley, widely considered the cradle of Tibetan civilization. Base yourself in Tsetang and marvel at the monkey cave in Gangpo Ri or walk the monastery kora (pilgrim path). Your trip will take you past glittering mountain turquoise lakes and over high passes draped with prayer flags. Find a quiet spot in a prayer hall full of chanting monks, hike past the ruins of remote hermitages or make an epic overland trip along some of the world’s wildest roads. The scope for adventure is limitless.

For many people, Tibet is a uniquely spiritual place. Those moments of peace, fleeting and precious, when everything seems to be in its proper place, seem to come more frequently in Tibet, whether inspired by the devotion apparent in the face of a pilgrim or the dwarfing scale of a beautiful landscape. Tibet can truly claim to be on a higher plain.

Lhasa, Capital of Tibet, is home to sacred Jokhang Temple and Potala Palace.

• Lhasa

(Tibetan: ལྷ་ས་; Chinese: 拉萨)

The name Lhasa is thought to come from the Tibetan words Lha (sacred) and Sa (earth). Lhasa is the capital of Tibet. At 3,700m (11,000 feet), even the fittest traveler may find breathing tough in the beginning. Lhasa is home to the historical center of Tibetan Buddhism, the Potala Palace.

The Potala Palace, the highest ancient palace in the world, was home to ten successive Dalai Lamas.

The Potala Palace

(Budala Gong, Tibetan: པོ་ཏ་ལ; Chinese: 布达拉宫)

Commissioned by Dalai Lama V (17th c.), the Potala was built around the fortress of King Songtsen Gampo, which had stood on Mount Mapori  for a millennium. “Potala” refers to a mountain in south India, the abode of Tibet’s patron deity, Avalokiteshvara (Chenresik). Both the ancient kings and the Dalai Lamas are said to be manifestations of this bodhisattva, feminized in the Chinese Buddhist pantheon as Guanyin, the goddess of mercy. A monastery, a palace, and a prison, it symbolizes the fusion of secular and religious power in Tibet.

An architectural wonder even by modern standards, the palace rises 13 storeys from 130m-high Marpo Ri (Red Hill) and contains more than a thousand rooms.

The Jokhang, Tibet's holiest temple

The Jokhang Temple (Dazhao Si)

(Tibetan: ཇོ་ཁང་; Chinese: 大昭寺; pinyin: Dàzhāosì), also called the Jokang, Jokhang Temple, Jokhang Monastery or Tsuklakang (gTsug lag khang)

The Jokhang, also known in Tibetan as the Tsuglhakhang, is the most revered religious structure in Tibet. Thick with the smell of yak butter, echoing with the murmur of mantras and bustling with awed pilgrims, the Jokhang is an unrivalled Tibetan experience.

• The Three Great Gelugpa Monasteries

Three great monasteries near Lhasa are considered to be important centers of the Yellow Hat sect and pillars of the theocratic state: Drepung, Sera and Ganden.

The Shoton Festival at Drepung begins with the dramatic unfurling of a giant thangka banner of the Buddha

Drepung  Monastery (Zhebang Si)

(Tibetan: འབྲས་སྤུངས་; Chinese: 哲蚌寺)

Founded in 1416 by Tsongkapa’s disciple Jamyang Choeje, Drepung (literally “Rice Heap”) was once Tibet’s largest and most influential monastery, with over 10,000 monks, a number which now stands at a paltry 700.

Drepung is especially known as the site of the annual Shoton Festival, with its dramatic unfurling of a giant thangka painting on the hillside.

Ganden Monastery is one of the most sacred places of Tibetan Buddhism.

Ganden Monastery (Gandan Si)

(Tibetan: དགའ་ལྡན་; Chinese: 甘丹寺)

Dramatically perched on a mountain east of Lhasa, to the south of the Kyi Chu, Ganden Monastery was built in 1409 by Tsongkapa. Drawing on support from monks of the older schools, as well as laypeople, the school rapidly expanded, with disciples opening Drepung and Sera monasteries in 1416 and 1419 respectively. Mongol support during the 17th century eventually assured their status as the preeminent school of Tibetan Buddhism, and more than 3,000 monks lived here prior to 1950.

Sera Monastery, 5km north of central Lhasa, was built in 1419 by a pupil of Tsongkhapa

Sera Monastery (Sela Si)

( Tibetan: སེ་ར་; Chinese:  色拉寺)

This major Geluk monastery was founded in the early 15th century by Sakya Yeshe, a disciple of Tsongkapa. A pilgrimage circuit of the complex passes the colleges Sera Me Tratsang, Ngakpa Tratsang, and Sera Je Tratsang before reaching Tsokchen, the huge assembly hall (ca. 18th c.), which houses an image of Sakya Yeshe. The path continues up to Sera Utse, a hermitage that predates the monastery, a stiff 1 1/2-hour hike up the mountain. Most visitors are drawn to Sera by the lively debates held in the Sera Je Tratsang Courtyard Monday to Saturday from 3 to 5pm.

At 6,714m (22,028 feet) high, Mt. Kailash is a holy mountain not only for Buddhist pilgrims but for Hindus alike.

• Mount Kailash

(Tibetan: གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ, Kangrinboqê or Gang Rinpoche or Kang Rinpoche; simplified Chinese: 冈仁波齐峰, Pinyin: Gāng rén bō qí fēng)

Worshiped by the followers of no less than four religions — Tibetan Buddhists, Bonpos, Hindus, and Jains — Mount Kailash (Gangdise) draws pilgrims from the Tibetan world and beyond. For Tibetan Buddhists, it is Mount Meru, the center of the universe, and many aim to circumambulate the mountain 108 times, thus attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime. For Hindu pilgrims, who are allowed to cross the border at Purang (Pulan), it is the abode of Shiva, one of the three supreme gods. The beauty of the 6,714m (22,028-ft.) peak, jutting up from the surrounding arid plain, is astounding, and the sight of Lake Manasarovar under a full moon is enough to have even the most cynical visitor believing in supernatural possibilities.

Lake Mansarovar and Tibetan Himalayas

• Lake Manasarovar

(also spelled Mansarovar and Mansarowar ; Tibetan: མ་ཕམ་གཡུ་མཚོ ; Mapham Yutso or Mapam Yumco / Mapam Yum Co / Mapham Yu Tso; Chinese: 玛旁雍错) or Manasa Sarovar/Lake Manas.

Lake Manasarovar  is the highest freshwater lake in the world (4,560m/14,957 ft.), located at the foot of Mount Kailash in Tibet. It is the holiest lake in Asia and an important pilgrimage destination for Hindus and Buddhists alike. Here you can enjoy unparalleled views of the Himalayas across turquoise waters which freeze over in winter, visit monasteries carved from the naked rock of the lakeshore, and even attempt the 90km (56-mile) circuit of the lake. Hor Qu (Huo’er Qu), 39km (24 miles) southeast of Darchen, is the most common jumping-off point for Lake Manasarovar.

Mount Everest (Mt. Qomolangma) is the highest mountain in the world with a height of 8,848.13 meters above sea level.

• Mount Everest

The Tibetan name for Mount Everest is Chomolungma or Qomolangma (ཇོ་མོ་གླིང་མ, which means “Saint Mother”), and the Chinese transliteration is Zhūmùlǎngmǎ Fēng (simplified Chinese: 珠穆朗玛峰; traditional Chinese: 珠穆朗瑪峰).

Mount Everest, Qumonlangma – needs no introduction. It is the highest mountain in the world at 8,848m (29,029 feet). Those who don’t have the time (or money or madness) to climb Everest, can get fantastic views from Rongphu monastery, the highest monastery in the world, located at the base.

Nam-tso Lake is the largest lake in Tibet

• Namtso Lake

(aka Lake Nam, Tibetan: གནམ་མཚོ་; Mongolian: Tengri Nor; “Heavenly Lake”, Chinese: 纳木错, 蒙古语: 腾格里海)

Namtso Lake is the largest lake in Tibet and the second-largest saltwater lake in China. It is the highest saltwater lake in the world at 4,720m (over 14,000 feet). Tibetans consider it to be a sacred lake. Every year, thousands of disciples come to the lake for a pilgrimage. The best time to visit Namtso Lake is from May to October, and every May and June in the Tibetan calendar (July 21 to September 22), disciples of the Tibetan Buddhism come to the lake to pray.

Gyantse is famed for the Gyantse Kumbum, the largest chörten in Tibet.

• Gyantse

(Gyangze, Jiangzi; Tibetan: རྒྱལ་རྩེ་; Chinese: 江孜)

The two most famous sights in the town of Gyantse are the Kumbum chörten part of the Pelkhor Choede Monastery and the Gyantse Dzong.

Pelkhor Choede Monastery

(Baiju Si, aka Palcho Monastery or Palkhor Tschode Monastery, Chinese: 白居寺)

The nine-story Gyantse Kumbum , the largest chörten (A reliquary or stūpa) in Tibet, towers to a height of 42m (140 ft.). The first five floors are four-sided, while the upper floors are circular, forming a huge three-dimensional mandala. Kumbum means “the hundred thousand images,” and while the actual number of Buddhist images is around one-third of that estimate, even the most dedicated pilgrim won’t have time to properly inspect all the chapels. They house the finest art preserved in Tibet.

The stiff 20-minute climb to the top of the Gyantse Dzong is worth the effort for the great lookouts.

Gyantse Dzong

(Jiangzi Zong Shan, Chinese: 江孜宗山)

Towering above the settlement, this awesome fortress (ca. 13th c.) immediately catches your eye as you approach Gyantse. It’s a stiff hike up, but views of Pelkhor Choede, the ancient alleyways, and the jagged surrounding peaks are breathtaking.

• Shigatse

(Rikaze,Xigazê, Tibetan: གཞིས་ཀ་རྩེ་; Chinese: 日喀则)

Shigatse, second largest city in Tibet, is home to the Panchen Lama who resides in Tashilumpo Monastery.

The residence of the Panchen Lama, Tashilhunpo is perhaps Tibet's best-preserved and most spectacular monastery.

Tashilhunpo Monastery (Tashilumpo Monastery, Zhashilunbu Si)

(Tibetan: བཀྲ་ཤིས་ལྷུན་པོ་; Chinese: 扎什伦布寺)

Tashilhunpo is one of the few monasteries in Tibet that weathered the stormy seas of the Cultural Revolution relatively unscathed. It is a real pleasure to explore the busy cobbled lanes twisting around the ancient buildings – the monastery is essentially a walled town in its own right.

The monastery’s standing rocketed when the fifth Dalai Lama declared his teacher – then abbot of Tashilhunpo – to be a manifestation of Öpagme (Amitabha; a deification of the Buddha’s faculty of perfected cognition and perception). Thus Tashilhunpo became the seat of an important lineage: the Panchen Lamas. Panchen means ‘great scholar’ and the title was traditionally bestowed on abbots of Tashilhunpo.

Yangbajain is famous for its hot springs

• Yambajan

(also spelled Yangbajain or Yangbajing;  Tibetan: ཡངས་པ་ཅན;  Chinese: 羊八井)

Yambajan, famous for its hot springs, is located about 90 km northwest of Lhasa at the foot of  Nyaingentanglha Mountain.

• Location Map of Top Attractions in Tibet