An Enlightening Road Trip to Tso Moriri lake: Mountain Lake of Ladakh, India

Saffron, green, blue and white are the colours of India on the palette of God. With those colours he paints the fierce red hues of the sunsets and the sunrises in the Thar, the bright gold of the mustard meadows of Punjab, the soft snow of the Himalayas, the velvety cotton fields of the Deccan, the azure waters of the Ganga and Kaveri, the lush forests of the Sundarbans and the soul of a country so diverse in beauty and yet so united in wonder. Even the thirsty desert of Thar and the cold, barren harshness of Ladakh has a haunting beauty in its colours. But never has the desolate mountains of Himalayas and the fruitful water of its glaciers come together as the Tso Moriri Lake, the grey and the blue aching with beauty, like the distant cry of a melancholy songbird.

As far as the eye can see, spread the azure vastness of the Tso Moriri lake. Rough purple and grey mountains clad in snow and clouds, rise on all sides of the lake, protecting it, nurturing it. The Tso Moriri Lake is therefore also called the Mountain Lake. Tall, green barley dances in the cold mountain breeze forming the boundary line of the Tso Moriri lake, separating it from the village of Korzok- nature from mankind. It is this separation, this isolation of the Tso Moriri lake that bequeaths it beauty, true beauty of the unrelenting force of nature that is liberating and passionate.  And in this beauty lies the soothing balm of the soul, the peace of the mind- the green, grey and blue of nature and life.

The Tso Moriri Lake, locally known as the lha mo bla matsho is located in the Changthang Plateau of Ladakh. Situated at an elevation of 4522 m above sea level, it is the largest of the high altitude lakes in the Trans Himalayan region entirely within India and also entirely within Ladakh. Springs murmuring with the snow melt whispers of the neighbouring Himalayas nourish the fresh, slightly alkaline water of the Tso Moriri lake. The village of Karzok, the last inhabited village before Tso Moriri Lake is the only year round habitation of the village where Buddhist pilgrims meditate even in the harsh winters of Ladakh in the 400 years old Korzok Monastery. Tso Moriri Lake was designated as a Ramsar Wetland Conservation Reserve in 2002 and is the highest Ramsar site in the world. Northeast of Tso Moriri Lake is the Tso Kar Lake, a twin of Tso Moriri Lake , nicknamed as the Lake of Joy. The Ladakhi believe that the lakes were once connected and consider both the lakes sacred.

The beautiful landscape of Tso Moriri Lake is home to a large number of diverse but rare and endangered species like the Tibetan wild ass, bare headed goose, the great crested grebe, the Brahmin duck and the brown headed gull. Fortunately, from 2014 the Tourism Department of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir has stated that Indian citizens do not need an Inner Line Permit to visit the lake, which was previously required by all tourists. However, it is still required by foreign tourists due the Tso Moriri lake’s proximity to the Line of Actual Control- the Indo Tibetan border and can be acquired from Leh.

The route from Leh to Tso Moriri Lake is a journey through the enchanting valleys of Ladakh, through the mesmerizing Himalayas, with tiny villages dotted between the mountains, Ladakhi women weaving shawls, shepherds grazing yak and mountain goats and life moving on slowly at the pace of seasons with the snow and the sun.

The most accessible route from Leh to Tso Moriri Lake is travelling from Upshi via Chumathang to Korzok.