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Documentary photograph by Haogang0325, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.Source / rightsWikimedia Commons · explicit-license

Nagarzê County

West · Tibet

Yamdrok, the Turquoise Scattering Lake

One of the three great sacred lakes of Tibet, a web of turquoise water at 4,400 metres

Yamdrok is not one lake but a scattering of arms and channels threaded between brown ridges: from the pass above, the water reads turquoise against snow ridges on the far horizon.

  • turquoise water
  • coral-shaped shoreline
  • snow passes
Spring

Ice-out and first herders

Spring melts the shore ice and the first yak herds return to the lakeshore meadows.

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030 · travel note

Yamdrok, the Turquoise Scattering Lake

City anchorNagarzê County

Best time
May to June and September to October combine stable weather with the lake at its deepest colour.
Stay
A day loop from Lhasa; two days with a lakeside night

A way throughDrive the old road over Kamba La pass, stop at the top viewpoint, then descend to the shore villages.

On the wayTours and hired cars run the loop daily; the pass road is fully paved but gains altitude fast.

With respectThe lake is sacred: do not swim, and treat shoreline prayer sites and mani stones as you would temple interiors.

The turquoise arms of Yamdrok Lake threaded between brown ridges with snow peaks on the horizon.Real scene

Seasonal experience

The pass road from Lhasa side

Stop at the top viewpoint, then drop to the shore

Drive the old road over Kamba La pass, stop where the prayer flags knot the guardrails, and look down on the whole scattering of water before descending to lakeside villages for lunch.

Why now
Pilgrims circle the lake on foot over several days; engineers once planned to drain it for hydropower, and the plan was shelved — the lake stayed whole.
Time needed
A day loop from Lhasa; two days with a lakeside night
Plan before you go
The pass crossing is rapid altitude gain: carry water, go slow, and let anyone feeling unwell descend the same day.
Photo: Haogang0325 / Wikimedia Commons
Official tourismShannan City People’s Government