6 Lakes You Must Explore When Visiting Ladakh

Tso or Lakes are must visit on your trip to Ladakh. There are some of the most beautiful lakes in Ladakh. With mountains and snow surrounding them it makes them a must visit site for photography and camping. These lakes have some geographical differences though. There are four types of lakes preset in the North region.

- Glacial lakes: Formed in and around glaciers
- Structural lakes: formed by movements in earth’s crust (e.g. Nainital lake in Nainital)
- Remnant lakes: originally structural but represent the remnants of vast lakes (e.g., Tso Moriri, Tso Kar, Pangong Tso and Dal Lake in Kashmir),
- Naturally dammed lakes i.e., temporary water bodies formed along with the river courses due to deposition of rocks or debris e.g. Gohna Tal in Uttarakhand.

# Pangong Tso

Lying in the eastern region of Ladakh, Pangong Tso is the biggest Lake in Ladakh. It is 134 km wide and covers 604 sqkm. 60% of this lake area lies in the disputed region of Tibet. It has high salinity because of which it has almost minimal to no life forms inside. But it acts as the main breeding area for a lot of species of birds.

It is an endorheic lake, which means its water doesn’t meet any sea or other water body. It was formed millions of years ago when the Indian continental plate collided with the Eurasian continental plate. It was originally a sea, which got reduced to a sea lock after the collision. That’s the main reason why the lake has such high salt levels. The lake completely freezes during the winter season.

# Tso Moriri

Lying in the southern direction of Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri lies in the South-Western region of the Ladakh. It is the second-largest lake in Ladakh. It lies on the Changthang Plateau. It is 26 Km long and about 4 km wide. Because of high alkaline content in the water, it has very low levels of algae in it, which makes the lake transparent and very beautiful to watch. It is also an endorheic lake that initially had outflows but got blocked out completely in the southern region. It is a wetland sanctuary. Many unique flora and fauna species exist in the area. Tso Moriri is very much worth visiting because of the transparent waters and beautiful surrounding area of Changthang Plateau.

# Tso Kar

Lying about three hours from Leh, it lies in the Rupshu Plateau. It lies in the Southern region of Ladakh. It is a small lake that has about 8 sqkm areas. It is a salt lake that is known for its fluctuating size. Because of the high salinity of the lake, it was until recent times, remain a main source of salt for the Nomad tribes that lived near the lake. They exported the salt to Tibet and other regions.

# Startspauk

Lying south to Tso Kar, it is an Inland lake. Tso Kar along with Startspauk lake has an area of 9 sqkm. It is like a basin to Tso Kar. The banks of this lake are rich in flora and fauna as the non-saline water entering the Tso Kar lake passes through this lake. It is fed by spring and snow water in the Himalayas.

# Chandra Tal

Lying south to Leh, Chandratal lake lies 185 Km from Leh. It is the origin of the Chandra River. It is a very popular trekking spot. Chandra lake is on Samudra Plateau. It is 1 km long and about ½ km in width. The best time to visit Chandratal lake is from June third week to November the first week because of the road conditions of Manali Leh Highway. It is not properly in Ladakh but one can visit the Chandra tal while visiting the Ladakh.

# Suraj Tal

Suraj Tal lake lies close to Chandra Tal Lake. It is the origin of the Bhaga river, which meets Chandra river eventually forming the Chenab river. It is about 4 Km wide. The water in Suraj Tal lake is fed by springs originating in the Baralacha-la pass. It is also a popular trekking destination. Suraj Tal is the Third highest lake in India. It is not properly in Ladakh but one can visit the Suraj Tal while visiting the Ladakh.