Pangong tso

A saltwater lake at 14,000 ft, high up in the Himalayas, dividing India and China.

By Trotternama

February 6^th, 2019

Pangong Tso, Tibetan for "high grassland lake", also referred to as Pangong Lake, is an endorheic lake in the Himalayas situated at a height of about 4,350 m (14,270 ft). It is 134 km long and extends from India to China. Approximately 60% of the length of the lake lies in China which means that the Indo-China border passes somewhere right through the middle of the lake.

Makes for a pretty intriguing political landscape if you ask me.

Ladakh had always been on my mind as I grew into my adolescent years. My first tryst with the Himalayas was tracing the route of the Ganges all the way from Dehradoon to the Gangotri glacier. An 18 day trip at the age of 16. The trek from Gangotri to Gomukh with a night over at Bhujbasa is firmly etched in my mind as if it was yesterday. What that trip spawned was a lifelong love for the Himalayas.

Then came the books. Stories about elite climbers. About K2 and Everest. Reinhold Messner and Jon Krakeur.

So when I got the opportunity to go to Ladakah, Pangong was firmly in my radar. Reaching Leh from Delhi by air had been the easy part. Pangong was located in the Changthang region of eastern Ladakh, about six hours drive southeast of Leh. The route crossed the Ladakh Range where the high point of the drive is the Chang-La pass at a dizzying 17,586 feet (5,360 meters) above sea level. My idea was to drive down ChangLa and then bivouac to see both Pangong and TsoMoriri if the weather permitted.

Pangong along with Tso-Moriri are two of the highest and most outstanding mountain lakes you can see anywhere in the world. Their natural beauty is indescribable until you have witnessed them in flesh. Lakes with emerald waters as blue as the sky, situated right at the top of the world.

Desolate, distant and removed from every kind of reality of the urban city life I am used to. I visited both in the summer of 2011.

Now my dream is to go there during winter and spend time with the indigenous Rupshu nomadic tribes of Ladakh as they embark on their winter migration in sub zero temperatures of -30C.

Hopefully, one day! Gives me something to look forward to in the years to come.

As I entered the mountain range from Leh , I could see the heavy presence of Indian military almost everywhere. The mountain roads are maintained by the army and they do a good job with some of the funniest road signs anywhere in the world. Given India's history of armed conflict with both China and Pakistan coupled with the scourge of cross border terrorism, Indian army welcomed me almost at every step. Military encampments, heavy duty military patrol trucks and military convoys whizzed past as I made my steady climb to the pass at ChangLa.

Because of it's geopolitical sensitivity, special permits were required to make the trip. I had obtained my ILP (Inner Line Permit) from the Tourist Information Center near Jammu and Kashmir Bank in Leh's main bazaar. The process had been easy and luckily I did not have to wait for that long.

Indians are required to have an Inner Line Permit (ILP) for Pangong Lake, while foreigners (except for Bhutanese citizens) must have a Protected Area Permit (PAP). These permits are now being issued online here.

It took me about 7 hours to reach Pangong, with a one hour stop for lunch at ChangLa, where I had tea with some Indian soldiers on duty. Took some pictures as well and had that amazing gastronomic delight of eating the mountain version of Maggi Noodles (made the Indian way) with some heavenly tea made of Yak's milk.

If you haven't tried it yet, try it. You won't feel sorry! There was some snow on the road, but the weather was holding good with clear blue skies. However, as the noon sun dipped, the cloud cover came back and by 2.30 pm it became quite dark with a steady wind and a grim grey cover across the entire landscape. I won't exaggerate but it can feel a bit empty and desolate. I could truly understand the meaning of the phrase "In the middle of nowhere" as the car took the hairpin bends steadily, gravel crunching beneath the wheels, with steady wisps of clouds entering through the windows.

Chilly, damp and dark.

But if there is beauty in desolation, then this was it. An immense expanse of land, dusty in places and yet covered with snow, devoid of any vegetation , sandwiched between massive mountains on both sides. I was truly all alone, with all the time in the world to contemplate my essence of being within this vast, empty, open void. Time could stand still and all I could hear was the sound of the wind and dust swirling through the valley.

What hit me the most when I saw Pangong for the first time, was how blue the water was. An ephemeral mix of turquoise and prussian blue which kept changing through the day as the weather and lights changed.

This was the infinity pool that nature had designed. You just cannot recreate it even with a billion dollars in architectural wizardry.

Even thought it was summer it was bitingly cold but in a dry sort of way. In 7 hours day I had gone up from 11,000 ft (Leh) to ChangLa (17,590 ft) and back to Pangong Tso (14,270ft). Acclimation had not yet set in and I could feel the breathlessness. Everything was a bit laboured. A bit slow. AMS was a reality and while I was not full blown into AMS, I had to be careful.

For the first night, I decided to go up till Merak. The most rustic of all the villages in Pangong where tourists can oath a tent. A quick search and I found a small habitat with a campsite by the lake. They would provide a blanket and heater inside the tent with a basic vegetarian dinner for the night. I had no appetite to eat anything. All I wanted was to stash my gear, take my lenses out and take some pictures.

I pitched a tent at Merak, but there are a bunch of hamlets you can choose to stay at. With tourism picking up, there are accommodations in at least three to four villages which circle the banks of the lake.

So by 4 pm I was sitting by the blue waters of the lake, numb with cold, laboured in breathing but with this sense of extreme happiness that I can't quite explain.

Lukung village, at the head of Pangong Lake, is the entry point and the only village with a view of the whole stretch of the lake. The next village, Spangmik, is the most developed village at Pangong. Most tourists end up here, because of better infrastructure. Most the these villages have luxury tented accommodations where the tents are pitched right by the banks of the lake and provide a staple portion of breakfast and dinner with warm woollens to sleep at night. The last of the luxury tented camps are at Maan village, beyond Spangmik, which is quieter and less crowded.

However, if you truly want to experience the Ladakhi way of life, venture deeper into a small village called Merak. Most of the homestays here are owned by Ladakhis who speak Balti. There is no proper infrastructure but it is probably the most authentic way to experience the culture of this place.

The skies became opulent as dusk fell. Being an amateur photographer I was in love with all the myriad colours. It was like this hidden paradise. The blue skies gave way to crimson streaks which then made way for a muted black and blue mix of eerie silence as night set in.

I was feeling a bit rested, so I took a long walk along the lake trying to find vantage spots to get some half decent pictures. What I saw, I was not skilled enough to capture through my lenses. Like any other excited shutterbug, I took time lapses, set up a system to capture star-trails and basically soaked in the environment as much as I could. Night would too come and it would be pitch dark, but in the Himalayas you could see some light as late as 9 pm at night.

If you plan a visit, please carry a tripod and you can keep filming time lapses, motion lapses, long exposure and even star trails to your hearts content.

ND filters can also be quite effective in capturing different light patterns. Given the rarity of the air and lack of molecular dust, vision is clear and wide angle lenses are a joy.

They talk about fresh mountain air. Well, in all my travels the Himalayas is probably where I found the air to be the rarest and the freshest. Alps come close too!! That night was cold though.

I couldn't eat much for dinner, partly because I was mildly sick. The Diamox acted as a placebo and I tried sleeping at first, but then I looked out of the tent and saw this beautiful dark blue body of water. Calm, serene and yet so mysterious. Everything was deathly quiet. The only sound I could hear was the sound of my breathing, the gravel beneath my shoes and the wind as it meandered it's way with an icy chill through the valley.

I had not smoked the entire day. Now sitting by the lake on a chair bundled inside a blanket, I took a drag cautiously and watched the stars and that dark blue expanse of water blending together into one horizon.

I stayed sitting on that chair for a long time. No music. No books. No sound. A blanket of darkness and a dark blue light under a brightly lit canopy of stars that looked close enough to touch with my hand. I cannot explain the visual impact. No camera can capture it. Only the mind can remember it.

I did eventually fall asleep and the night was uneventful. When I woke up I saw the most gorgeous sunny sky, I could have hoped for.

Everywhere, it was a riot of blue.

Pangong is entirely salt water and is mostly formed from glacial water melting and depositing in this unique basin. Swimming is a tad too adventurous (read not recommended if you don't want to freeze immediately) even in the summer, while in winter it is a 130 kilometre frozen water body between India and China (quite popular with tourists who visit just to walk on the frozen ice). Being an endorheic lake situated at higher altitudes of the Himalayas it is not part of any river basin and so there is no chance of salts outflow from this lake. This reason is sufficient to make any kind of water body brackish.

Estimates say that Pangong is about 300ft deep but no fishes or water animals live in this lake. There are only some crustaceans, which are however quite popular with the birds and the gulls.

Yes, that will surprise you. The sheer number birds you will see by the lake on any given day.

SO how do you get here and where do you stay?

Flight: Anywhere to New Delhi International Airport (IGI). From IGI you can take a 40 minute flight directly to Leh . Just be careful -- many people get hit with AMS the moment they step out of the flight. It is quite common, given the altitude of Leh Airport is 10,000 feet. So just be cautious and mentally prepared.

Getting there: Acclimatise for a day or two in Leh. Get your permits done, go to the local markets, drink Yak milk. It's all great experience. Try the local food. From Leh to Pinging it takes about 5- 7 hours depending on weather and road condition. Easiest way is to hire a chartered Taxi (4X4 SUV) which would cost about INR 10,000 (USD140 for a two way trip). Pro tip: Try to get a local Ladakhi as a driver, since they are the kings of the mountain road and if you are stuck in a blizzard or a landslide you will thank their skill, resilience and resourcefulness.

However, if you are the adventurous kind you can always grab a motorcycle. In this part of the world I would strongly recommend an Enfield Bullet. They are available for hire.

Pro tip: On way definitely get down at Chang La (17,000 feet) on the top of the pass and go to the military kitchens to have steaming hot local tea, made with Yak milk along with a bowl of noodles.

Staying and accommodation: Lot's of choices depending on what you prefer. It is safe, but I would still recommend travelling in a group/ team if you are visiting for the first time. Army is generally very helpful with tourists.

Lukung Village: Pangong Inn
Spangmik : Camp Redstart/ Mystic Pangong
Mann Village: Pangong Hermitage/ Pangong Serai/ Pangong Travel Camp
Merak Village: Peaceful Homestay

Costs : Vary by season but mostly are between INR 2000/ night ($28/ night) (e.g. at Merak) to INR 5000/night or $70/night (at Spangmik) to INR 18,000/night ($253/night) at Pangong Hermitage.