Introduction

Tsomoriri Lake is also referred as the “Mountain Lake” located at an altitude of 14,863 ft (4,522m) in the Changthang Plateau of the Himalayans. The Lake is 26 km long and 5km wide. Unlink the Pangong Tso Lake the Tsomoriri Lake is a freshwater lake and support a great flora and Fauna and hence also known for Photographers paradise. The famous movie “3 idiots” was initially planned to shoot at this lake but considering the wild life around the shoot was shifted to Pangong Tso Lake and hence is less popular. The Lake is at a distance of 228km from leh and need about 8 to 10 hrs of travel to reach the viewpoint.

HOW TO REACH

The Tsomoriri Lake can be reached from multiple routes from Leh or from Pangong Tso Lake.

From Leh via Chumathang (215 km)

This is the most common route to Tso Moriri that most people take to visit. The total distance is about 230km and will take about 7 – 8 Hrs. This is the most recommended route as the road conditions are far better than other routes.

The route along with distance between the subsequent places is as follows:

Leh – Karu (36 Km) – Upshi (13 Km) – Kumdok (19 Km) – Kere (53 Km) – Chumathang (34 Km) – Mahe (22 Km) – Sumdo (10 Km) – Korzok or Tso Moriri(53 Km) making it a total of 240 Km

From Leh via Tanglang La (235 km)

This is one of the most adventure roads leading to Tsomoriri Lake. This is one of the scenic routes to Tsomoriri from Leh. Since this is the lengthiest it is obviously the most time consuming as well. It would take at least 8 – 9 hours to reach Tsomoriri lake. Before you reach the mountain lake, you can visit another pristine lake – Tsokar lake and Karzok lake. Both the lakes are smaller in size when compared to Pangong and Tsomoriri lake but it attracts a lot of migration birds.

The route map along with subsequent distance is below which can help you take stops and plan your day accordingly.

Leh – Shey (13 km) – Karu (21 km) – Upshi (13 km) – Rumtse (43 km)– Tanglang La (32 km)– Debring (15 km) – Tso Kar (31 km) – Puga (31 km) – Sumdo (7km) – Kyagar Tso (23 km) – Karzok (20km)

From Pangong Tso Lake via Chushul (222 km)

You can go to Tso Moriri from Pangong Tso directly via the remote and ever beautiful Changthang region. The drive between Pangong Tso and Tso Moriri is one of the most beautiful drives in Ladakh region. Non –Indian nationals are not allowed to go beyond Man – Merak Villages as permits are not issued to them for this route. The route along with distance between the subsequent places is as follows:

Spangmik (Pangong Tso) – Man (9 Km) – Merak (12 Km)– Kakstet (4 Km) – Chusul (24 Km) – Tsaga La (33 Km) – Tsaga Village (20 Km) – Loma (23 Km) – Nyoma (22 Km) – Mahe (25 Km) – Sumdo (10 Km) – Tso Moriri / Korzok (53 Km) making it a total of 235 Km.

BEST TIME TO VIIST

The best time to visit Tsomoriri Lake to admire the beauty of the lake is between May to September any due between 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. The lake is very beautiful on a sunny day. Since the lake, it about 250km from Leh or Pangong tso Lake we suggest to leave early in the day. The cost of a two-day trip with stay at pangong Tso Lake would cost around Rs 12,500 – 18,000 based on the route in which you travel.