Namtso Travel Guide — the heavenly lake of Tibet - 4,718 metres of turquoise water, the Tashi Peninsula and the snow wall of Nyenchen Tanglha
Namtso - 'the Heavenly Lake' in Tibetan, 'Tengri Nor' in Mongolian - is the world's highest saltwater lake and China's second largest, spread across 1,920 square kilometres at 4,718 m between Damxung County (Lhasa) and Baingoin County (Nagqu), with the 7,162-m Nyenchen Tanglha snow range on its southern shore. Pilgrims have circled the lake clockwise for centuries - the kora in the Tibetan Year of the Sheep is said to equal 100,000 ordinary circuits - and travellers come for the turquoise water, the tent camps of the Tashi Peninsula, the 5,200-m Lagen Pass and one of the finest sunrises on the plateau. The lake freezes overnight on the fifteenth day of the twelfth Tibetan month and melts back on the fifteenth day of the fourth; between those dates the ice plain is a different world. This guide carries the ticket prices, shared-van fares, tent prices and phones from the field guide, so you can plan the 1-2 day trip yourself or have our team arrange it end to end.
