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Tsomoriri is, in my opinion the most beautiful of all the 3 big lakes in Ladakh. So a trip there well worth the effort, especially if you make it a circular route and come back via the TsoKar lake and Taglang La.
The distance between Leh and Tsomoriri lake (Korzok village) is around 220km and it can be covered on a bicycle in 3-4 days. A major chunk of the route (~150km from Leh to Mahe bridge checkpost) follows the Indus river and road climbs gently (with a few up/down sections ofcourse) from 3300m in Leh to about 4100m at the Mahe bridge. 800m change in elevation over a span of 150km is not much of an issue.
From Mahe bridge the road climbs to the rustic Sumdo village (~25km away), located downstream from the Puga hot springs. From Sumdo the road climbs up to a 5000m pass, goes around the beautiful Tso Kyagar lake and then finally descends down to the Tsomoriri lake. This strech of road from Sumdo to the Tso moriri lake is probably one of the most beautiful streches of road you'll encounter in Ladakh. Especially the grasslands surrounding the Tso Kyagar lake.
Here are a few possible stopping points along the route, with the distance from Leh mentioned
1.Upshi (50km) Â - Lunch stop
2.Himya (80km) - Possible halt. There is a restaurant here but no guest houses. Homestays were hard to find but you can camp by the road.
3.Chumathang (120km) - 2-3 restaurants and a Hotel.
4.Mahe Bridge (150km) - Tea stall
5.Sumdo Village (175km) - No restaurants or guest houses. But you can stay at the SOS childrens school.
6.Korzok village (220km) - Many homestays and camping spots by the lake.
On the way back, the road forks near the Sumdo village. Here you have the option of either going back to Leh via the same way you came or turn left and go to the Tso kar lake (~50km away). The stretch between Sumdo and TsoKar is possibly one of the roughest and most isolated in Ladakh with very little traffic and it goes over the 4950m PoloGongla pass, which is my favorite name for a pass yet.
While going toward Tsokar watch out for the Kiang (Himalayan Wild Ass), you'll be able to see big herds grazing by the lake.
At the Tsokar village there is a guest house and if it happens to be closed you can talk to the Lama at the monastery and he will provide you accomodation and food.
The area surrounding Tsokar lake is rich with wildlife and birds and you can easily spend a couple of days exploring it. Once you are done.. you can proceed towards Debring and join the Manali Leh highway which would take you over the Taglang La pass and to Leh.
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A Changpa nomad with his flock of sheep on the shores of the Tsomoriri lake.
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Snow capped mountains surrounding the Tsomoriri lake.
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Sheep grazing on the shores of the Tsomoriri Lake
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Sheep grazing on the shores of the Tsomoriri Lake
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What sets the Tsokar lake apart from the other two, Pangong and Tsomoriri, lakes is that landscape here is composed of many different elements which are all beautiful in their own right but combine together to provide a visual extravaganza which cannot be matched anywhere else in Ladakh. We have the wetlands with numerous streams flowing through them, lust grasslands, dry salt flats and strange tiny multi-colored hillocks most probably created by the salt deposits. And also the lake itself, vast, deceptively close but actually quite far away (atleast a couple of kilometers away from the village).
Read more here. |
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What sets the Tsokar lake apart from the other two, Pangong and Tsomoriri, lakes is that landscape here is composed of many different elements which are all beautiful in their own right but combine together to provide a visual extravaganza which cannot be matched anywhere else in Ladakh. We have the wetlands with numerous streams flowing through them, lust grasslands, dry salt flats and strange tiny multi-colored hillocks most probably created by the salt deposits. And also the lake itself, vast, deceptively close but actually quite far away (atleast a couple of kilometers away from the village).
Read more here. |
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The TsoKar ('White Lake') is one of the three high altitude salt water lakes in Ladakh. It is located at an altitude of 4660m/15280ft in the Changthang region of South Eastern Ladakh. The reason why it is called the 'White Lake' ('Kar' - White, 'Tso' - Lake) is obvious when one visits the lake and sees all the white salt deposits all over the lake shores
Read more here. |
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A herd of Kiang (Tibetan wild ass) grazing near the Tsokar lake
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A typical ladakhi house at the Sumdo village overlooking the route to the Tsokar lake via the Pologongla pass.
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The TsoKar ('White Lake') is one of the three high altitude salt water lakes in Ladakh. It is located at an altitude of 4660m/15280ft in the Changthang region of South Eastern Ladakh. The reason why it is called the 'White Lake' ('Kar' - White, 'Tso' - Lake) is obvious when one visits the lake and sees all the white salt deposits all over the lake shores.
Read more here. |
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These kids belong to nomadic families. While the family are away busy grazing their flocks in the high altitude grasslands these kids stay in the boarding school and study. At sumdo village there is a school run by the SOS organization. Travelers can stay there for free, but a small donation is appreciated.
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At sumdo village there is a school run by the SOS organization. Travelers can stay there for a small donation fee.
"Sumdo, along with Thukje, is most of the most rustic villages i've come across in Ladakh. It is located in the Rupshu valley high on the Changthang Plateau. The villages here are nomadic ChangPa people who rear their precious pashmina goats in the high altitude grassland slopes of the mountains surrounding them. The look of the village and of its people is more Tibetan than Ladakhi. And the village definitely has a wild feel to it. So imagine my pleasant surprise to discover that there are not one, but boarding schools here. The one in Sumdo is run by the international SOS charity organization. And 5km down the road in Puga, there is another boarding school run by the local government. While their parents are up in the mountains seeking one lush pasture after other, their kids stay back in the schools and study. The motto of these schools is "Come to Learn. Go to Serve". Very meaningful." From story :Â The story behind the portraits : A few memorable moments from Ladakh |
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"The next morning, i was by the stream again taking a few pictures and i met Karma. He was a chirpy little boy studying at the SOS school in the village. He was eager to show off the few english words he knew. The usual, "What is your name ?", "Where are you coming from ?" routine. Once he exhausted all his sentences, we kept the conversation flowing by playing the 'name that object in english' game.
Soon our encounter turned in to photo shoot with Karma eager to pose for the camera. He then took me to his home and there i met the girl from the day before. Her name was Sonam and unlike her brother, she did not know a word of english or even hindi." From story :Â Sonam And Karma, Two Siblings With Two Different Destinies. |
