Pangong Tso
Interesting facts
- The name Pangong Tso originally applied only to the westernmost of five linked sub-lakes; the Tibetan parts were known as Nyak Tso and Rum Tso.
- In Tibetan the whole chain is often called Tsomo Nganglha Ringpo, a name variously translated, including as long-necked swan lake.
- The lake once drained into the Shyok River, a tributary of the Indus, until natural damming closed the outlet and left it without an exit.
- Old shorelines above the present water level, marked by a five-metre layer of mud and sand, show the lake has shrunk in recent geological time.
- The western end is roughly sixteen times saltier than the eastern end, where the water is only slightly mineralised but strongly alkaline.
- The lake covers about 604 square kilometres and is ringed by the Changchenmo, Pangong and Kailash ranges.
- Rocky spurs running down from the Changchenmo Range into the water form a series of headlands known locally as fingers.
- Because of its salinity no plants grow in the deeper water, though fish such as the Kunar snowtrout live in its Tibetan reaches.
- Black-necked cranes that breed at nearby Chushul use the lake shore as a feeding ground.
- A marathon is run across the frozen surface of the lake each February, at well over 4,000 metres above sea level.
Why it is worth it
Pangong Tso is a long, narrow lake at about 4,300 metres on the border between western Tibet and Ladakh, one of the highest large lakes in the world. It stretches some 134 kilometres from end to end but is never more than about 5 kilometres wide, bending across the landscape like a boomerang laid between bare brown mountains. About two-thirds of its length lies on the Chinese-administered side and the rest on the Indian side.
What makes it unforgettable is colour. Under the thin, bright air of the plateau the water shifts from turquoise near the shore to deep ultramarine in the middle and to grey and green when clouds pass, against bare slopes of ochre and rust. The lake lies in a closed basin with no outlet, separated from the Indus by a low ridge, and its water changes along its length: the eastern end is nearly fresh, the western end markedly brackish. Despite the salt, the whole lake freezes over in winter.
For such a harsh place it is surprisingly alive. Pangong Tso is an important breeding ground for migratory birds, among them bar-headed geese and ruddy shelducks, and the surrounding mountains shelter Tibetan gazelles, argali wild sheep and snow leopards.
On the Indian side the lake has become one of the celebrated sights of Ladakh, reached over one of the highest road passes in the world; visitors gather at hamlets such as Lukung and Spangmik to watch the colours change through the day. The sense of scale — a lake running out of sight toward the horizon, with nothing but mountains around it — is what stays.
Getting there
Leh is about 119 km away in a straight line; Leh Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport (IXL) is about 121 km away. On the Indian side the road from Leh runs about 150–160 km over the Chang La pass, at about 5,390 metres, to Lukung and Spangmik on the shore, a drive of five to eight hours. On the Chinese side the nearest town is Gar, about 183 km away, served by Ngari Gunsa Airport (NGQ), about 216 km away.
On these lists
From the encyclopaedia
Pangong Tso or Pangong Lake is an endorheic lake spanning eastern Ladakh in India and Ngari Prefecture in Tibet. Situated at an elevation of 14,200 ft (4,300 m), it occupies an area of approximately 604 km2 (233 sq mi). It stretches for 134 km (83 mi) and is 5 km (3.1 mi) wide at its broadest point. It is located in a landlocked basin and is separated from the Indus River basin by an elevated ridge. The water is saline, and the lake freezes during winter.
Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
33.70472, 78.75000per Wikidata