Skip to main content
WindhorseTour
Shortlist (0) China travel guide Blog FAQ About us Contact us
info@windhorsetour.com +86-28-85593923
  • Home
  • Tailor-made tour Tailor-made
  • Tibet tours Tibet tours
    All Tibet group tours
    All Tibet private tours

    Destination

    • Lhasa
    • Central Tibet
    • Mount Everest Base Camp
    • Mount Kailash & Far Western Tibet
    • Eastern Tibet Nyingchi
    • Sichuan/Yunnan to Tibet overland
    • Nepal Extention
    • Sichuan Tibetan Kham
    • Train Journey to Tibet

    Theme

    • Culture and Heritage
    • Family focused
    • Festival
    • Natural scenery
    • Overland
    • Photography
    • Train travel
    • Trekking & Biking
    • Winter getaways
  • China tours China tours
    All China private tours

    Destination

    • Beijing
    • Xi’an
    • Shanghai
    • Guilin & Yangshuo
    • Datong & Pingyao
    • Yunnan
    • Xiamen
    • Yangtze River Cruises
    • Chengdu
    • Tibet
    • China Multi-city tours
    • Mount Huangshan
    • Zhangjiajie
    • Jiuzhaigou National Park
    • Guizhou
    • Qinghai
    • Hangzhou
    • Luoyang
    • Nanjing
    • Hong Kong

    Theme

    • Culture and Heritage
    • Family focused
    • Festival
    • Natural scenery
    • Overland
    • Photography
    • Train travel
    • Trekking & Biking
    • Winter getaways
    • 1st Time travel to China
    • Panda
    • Yangtze cruise
  • Sichuan tours Sichuan
    All Sichuan private tours

    Destination

    • Mount Emei & Leshan
    • Jiuzhaigou & Huanglong
    • Daocheng Yading
    • Sichuan Tibetan Kham
    • Panda Breeding Centers
    • Chengdu
    • South Sichuan

    Theme

    • Culture and Heritage
    • Family focused
    • Festival
    • Natural scenery
    • Overland
    • Photography
    • Trekking & Biking
    • Panda
  • Silk Road tours Silk Road
    All Silk Road private tours

    Destination

    • Zhangye Rainbow Mountain
    • Dunhuang
    • Turpan
    • Kashgar
    • Badain Jaran Desert
    • Kanas Lake
    • Silk Road Tibet
    • Silk Road China
    • Kuqa
    • Hotan
    • Yining Grassland
    • Jiayuguan
    • Tianshui

    Theme

    • Culture and Heritage
    • Natural scenery
    • Overland
    • Photography
    • Trekking & Biking
    • Panda
  • Travel guide Travel guide
    All travel advice

    Tibet travel advice

    • The Ultimate Guide on How to Visit Tibet in 2020
    • Best time to visit Tibet
    • 50 Things To Do in Tibet, Top Tibet Tourist Attractions
    • A Complete Travel Guide to Mount Kailash and Kora Trekking
    • How to avoid high-altitude sickness in Tibet

    China travel advice

    • Guide on How to Travel China, Tips, Popular Destinations [Updated 2020]
    • The Best Times to visit China: By season and by month
    • Planning a Trip to China with 10-Step Guide
    • Top 20 photography destinations in China
    • Top 30 Attractions in China
More
Latest Corona Virus travel information
Home > China travel guide > China attractions > Tibet > Yamdrok Tso Lake

Yamdrok Tso Lake

Introduction of the Yamdrok

Yamdrok-Tso Lake lies at Nangartse County, located about 100 kilometers to the southwest of Lhasa. It has an area of ​​675km² and an elevation of 4,441 meters above sea level. Yamdrok-Tso Lake is one of the three sacred lakes in Tibet, Tibetan means "Turquoise Lake". It looks like a coral branch, so it is also called "Upper Coral Lake" in Tibetan.

Yamdrok-Tso Lake is a plateau dammed lake. It was formed about 100 million years ago due to glacial debris flow blocking the river channel. Its shape is very irregular, with many bifurcations, the lake bank is meandering, and there are three small lakes. The mountainous area in the lake is suddenly redundant. There are 21 small islands distributed in the lake, each with its own independent water surface.

Tibetans adore Yamdrok-Tso Lake and regard she is not only the incarnation of the dragon girl but also the female god of protection in the Tsang Region. At the same time, Yamdrok-Tso Lake is also the residence of the protector god, so it has multiple functions and divine power and is known as one of the "three holy lakes" on the Tibetan plateau.

Mt Nojin Kangtsang and Yamdrok Tso Lake

Best season to visit Yamdrok Tso Lake

Every year from June to October is the best time to visit Yamdrok-Tso Lake. At different moments of sunshine, the Yamdrok-Tso Lake will show different levels and extremely rich blue. The water source of the Yamdrok-Tso Lake comes from the snow water around the NyainqenTanglha Mountains. The inflow of snow water and natural evaporation reach one. A peculiar dynamic balance, the lake water changes with the light, changing into a complex of the color blue. 

Yamdrok Lake

The sight to see in Yamdrok Tso Lake

From the summit of the Kampala pass [4794m], visitors will have the first glimpse of Yamdrok-Tso and spectacular views of the Holy Mount Nyenchen Khangsar in distance. It is a turquoise-colored lake, the unforgettable vista of the turquoise lake-water, and the amazing spectacle of Mountains. 

Then you will travel down the long road along the lakeside, make a stop at the lakeshore, you will be amazed and lost in this sacred lake scenery. In addition, there are many stone piles set up by the lake for prayers. The Tibetans believe that the stone is spiritual. When passing by the stone pile, it is necessary to turn around the stone clockwise, and then put another stone to pray.

Yamdrok-Tso Lake is the closest holy lake from the capital city Lhasa, many travelers would make a day trip here for limited travel days. During the day excursion to Yamdrok Tso lake, travelers can choose either visit a local family at the lakeside which becomes a very popular program; or visit Samding Monastery which is located on the top of a steep mountain in the southwest of  Yamdrok-Tso Lake with an altitude of 4,423 meters. It is associated with the Bodong and Shangpa Kagyu schools of Tibetan Buddhism. It’s a monastery where monks and nuns live together. It is the abbot of Tibet ’s only female living Buddha, Dorje Palm, who was reincarnated and passed down to the 12th generations.

For Tibetans, it is the home to wrathful deities. Devout Tibetan pilgrims circumambulate the lake in around seven days. Most Western travelers are content with a glimpse of the lake from the Kamba-la and views from the town of Nangartse, where you can stay at night.

Yamdrok Lake

Natural Resources

Yamdrok-Tso Lake has picturesque scenery, just like being in a paradise on earth. It is a unique natural scenic area integrating plateau lakes, snow mountains, islands, pastures, hot springs, wildlife, temples, and other landscapes. Surrounded by perennial snow mountain ice peaks, the highest reaches are more than 7000 meters above sea level. The lake, the snow peak, and the blue sky are integrated, making people forget to return.

The Yamdrok-Tso is also a rich natural "fish bank". There are many planktons in the lake and rich bait. Every summer, the fish swam from the deep water to the shallow water for food and spawning. Tibetans don't eat fish, and it has become a paradise for fish. The fish reserves can reach more than 800 million kilograms, which is known as the "Tibetan Fish Bank".

There are 21 small islands around Yamdrok, where various migratory birds live, making this the largest waterbird habitat and wild bird paradise in Tibet. In addition, there are many wild animals around the lake and the islands. There are snow pigs on the surrounding mountains at an altitude of 5000 meters, and occasionally wild sheep and foxes are encountered on the grass fields. Certainly, you will find the yaks raised by Tibetans by the lake, they are regular guests here.

Yamdrok Lake scenery

Useful travel tips

  • The admission fee of Yamdrok-Tso Lake is 120 CNY/ per person.
  • The opening hour is from 08:00am -18:30pm.
  • Taking a picture with the yaks requires paying a fee to local Tibetans. Be sure to negotiate the price before taking pictures.
  • The best location for photography is Kampala Pass.

Related tours

Yamdrok Tso Lake and Mt. Nojin Kangtsang Tour
Lhasa to Yamdrok Tso Lake Tour Route
First glimpse of Yamdrok Tso Lake from Kambala Pass

1 day Lhasa - Yamdrok Tso Lake tour

Lhasa
1 day
∙ Private ∙
This short tour will take you to Yamdrok Lake, which is one of (3) Holy Lakes in Tibet, but only 2 hours' drive from Lhasa. At the Lake side you will visit Samding monastery, and one of the local Tibetan families to touch the real Tibetan life.
Add to shortlist
From ¥ 1,000
View tour >
Feed pandas at Dujiangyan Panda volunteering work
Chengdu Panda Volunteering Tour Route
panda volunteering work happy tourist
dujiangyan panda volunteering work includes cleaning panda rooms
feeding panda during the panda volunteering work
dujiangyan panda volunteering work includes carrying bamboo and preparing food
panda volunteering work at Dujiangyan Panda Center - preparing food

1 day Chengdu Panda Tour - Volunteering at Dujiangyan (Wolong) Panda Base

Chengdu
1 day
∙ Private ∙
Family focused
Have a Chengdu Panda Tour and enjoy the panda volunteering experience to get up close to the pride of China. Visit Pandas in China and help care for, enjoy interacting with adult panda, see the pandas' daily life in Chengdu.
Add to shortlist
From ¥ 1,350
¥ 1,250
View tour >
Tibet Everest Base Camp Tour Route
Potala Palace night view
Drepung-monastery Thangka painting
Lake Yamdrok Tso
Farming along way to EBC from Shigatse
Sunrise of Everest

8 days Group tour to Mt. Everest Base Camp

Lhasa
⇀ Lhasa
...
Lhasa ⇀ Gyantse ⇀ Shigatse ⇀ Mount Everest ⇀ Shigatse ⇀ Lhasa
8 days
∙
Group, maximum of 12 person(s)
∙
Overland
Start your lifetime adventure with a small group tour to Everest, explore Tibet's snow land, the exotic culture and natural landscapes. Be charmed by the mysterious area and ultimately by challenged by a trek to Mount Everest Base Camp.
Add to shortlist
From ¥ 5,650
View tour >
Leshan Mount Emei Tour Route

2 days Leshan Giant Buddha and Mount Emei tour

Chengdu
⇀ Chengdu
...
Chengdu ⇀ Mount Emei ⇀ Leshan ⇀ Chengdu
2 days
∙ Private ∙
Culture and Heritage
A classic trip to Leshan and Mount Emei only takes 2 days. Leshan Grand Buddha is the biggest sitting Buddha in the world and Mount Emei is one of the four Buddhist Mountains in China.
Add to shortlist
From ¥ 1,870
¥ 1,700
View tour >
Admin data
 

Related attractions

Namtso
Shu Brocade Museum - Chengdu
Wangjiang Park - Chengdu
Wenshu Monastery - Chengdu
Thatched cottage of Dufu - Chengdu

Contact us

  • +86-28-85593923
  • info@windhorsetour.com

Discover

    • Tibet group tours
    • Tibet tours
    • China tours
    • Sichuan tours
    • Silk Road tours
    • Create your tailor-made tour

Company

  • About us
  • Blog
  • China travel guide
  • FAQ
  • Terms of use and Privacy statement

Customer Reviews

© 2006 - 2022 WindhorseTour.com - All rights reserved