Namtso Lake

Namtso Lake Overview

Chinese Name: 纳木错湖 English IPA: Namtso Lake Location: Between Damxung County in Lhasa and Baingoin County in Nagqu, Tibet Population (city): Language: Zip code: Tel code: Time zone:

Located between the Damxung County(当雄县) in Lhasa City and Baingoin County(班戈县) in Nagqu Prefecture, Namtso Lake is the highest saltwater lake in the world and the largest lake in Tibet, with an altitude of 4718 meters. “Namtso” means holy lake and the holy land of pilgrims in Tibetan language. With peaceful and excellent scenery, Namtso Lake is a great place to wander around, and tourists can enjoy the sunrises in the quiet morning and sunsets at dusk as well.

Highlights of Namtso Lake

▪ Excellent Scenery:With the stunning scenery of Namtso Lake, tourists can not only enjoy the attractive view of lake with turquoise water, but also experience the beauty and mystery of surrounding hills. 

▪ Hiking: Walking over the lake’s frozen surface at the end of winter is a holy activity for devout Buddhists, even though it’s not allowed by Chinese government at present. Standing on the lakeshore of Tashi Peninsula(扎西半岛) seems like standing in the center of the lake while you are hiking.

▪ Photography Tour: The sunrises and sunsets of Namtso are breathtaking and stunning. There are different views you can enjoy in the quiet morning or at dusk. The Yingbin Stone, Good and Evil Hole are some great locations to shoot the lake scenery. And the hill top of Tashi Peninsula is a high point to shoot the beautiful sunrise and sunset of Namtso Lake. 

▪ Pilgrim Tour: For travelers, Namtso is the ideal place for photography, while for Tibetans, it is a scared and magical lake for pilgrimage. Every year, a large number of pilgrims make a Kora around Namtso Lake.

Hot Destinations in Namtso Lake

Other Destinations in Lhasa

Namtso Lake Attractions

Namtso Lake is one of the popular attractions in Tibet, which can provide tourists of stunning lake views in Tibet. Tourists can enjoy the excellent scenery while photographing and hiking around the lake. The main attractions around Namtso Lake include Yingbin stone(Also called as Gods of Gate or couple stone of Namtso, which is the perfect foreground for photography), Gassho stone(Also called parents stone, which is the incarnation of Nyainqentanglha Range and Namtso Lake according to a legend), Good and Evil Hole(a warning bell [...]

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Namtso Lake Tours

Namtso Lake tours are usually in relation to other Lhasa highlight attractions like Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Drepung Monastery, Barkhor street and the like. Namtso Lake is the Heavenly lake which is one of the three holy lakes of Tibet and also the highest salt lake. To spend a night at lake shore is fantastic. Situated at about 5000 meters high, Namtso lake is actually the lake in the sky, lying on the highest plateau in the world. [...]

Climate & When to Go

Namtso is located 250 kilometers north of Lhasa, known as "Heavenly Lake", attracting a large number of tourists every year. Most tourists will spend a day visiting Namtso, but for those who enjoy hiking and enjoying the beauty of the night sky, they will spend one or more nights by the lake. At 4718 meters above sea level, the weather and climate at Namtso Lake are very different from Lhasa. The lake is surrounded by snow all year round with harsh [...]

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Transportation

Namtso lake is located at the junction of Lhasa and the Nagqu, more than 240 kilometers from Lhasa, and the south of the Lake is Nyainqentanglha Range, Transhimalaya in its north. The other sides are vast plateau hilly region, which makes it a huge mirror lying on the grassland in the northern part of Tibet. How to Get in Namtso Lake Without any available airport, railway station or bus station at Namtso and nearby, driving is the only transportation [...]

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Festivals and Activities

Most Tibetan festivals are full of the color of  religion. In addition to annual large-scale worship rituals to Buddha and Buddhist masters, Tibetan people will also hold a series of festivities associated with religious life and agricultural production consisting of religious festivals and folk ones. There are almost a hundred festivals in a year, some of which even last for ten days. Festivals in the Areas Around Namtso Lake Located at the junction of Lhasa and Nagqu, Namtso Lake has [...]

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Travel Tips

Namtso Lake travel tips provide some considerations when traveling at Namtso Lake, which can help you to prepare a trip. General Numbers in Tibet Fire: 119 Police: 110 Ambulance: 120 Weather Broadcast: 121  Area code of Lhasa: 0891 Area code of Nagqu: 0896 Consumer Complaint: 12315 Local Phone Number Inquiries: 114 Tourist complaint Center: 0891-6833476 Long-distance Phone Number Inquiries: 113 Read More: Useful Numbers for Travelers in Tibet Features of Namtso Lake Namtso is located 250 kilometers north of Lhasa, known as "Heavenly Lake", attracting a large number of tourists every year. [...]

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Useful Maps

Namtso Lake is a mountain lake on the border between Damxung County of Lhasa city and Baingoin County of Nagqu Prefecture in the Tibet Autonomous Region, China, approximately 240 kilometers from Lhasa. About 60% of Namtso lake is located in Baingoin County of Nagqu, and 40% in Damxung County of Lhasa City. To help you have a better understanding of Namtso Lake, we provide you different Namtso Lake maps including Namtso Lake transportation map, Namtso Lake tourist attractions map, Namtso Lake [...]

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Namtso Lake Accommodation

Namtso Lake is widely regarded as a must-see tourist destination in Lhasa, where you can enjoy magnificent sunrise, sunset and starry sky. Travelers are usually recommended to spend a night by the lake, therefore, guesthouses at Namtso Lake are popular. Otherwise, you can also stay overnight in the county seat of Damxung County or Baingoin County, which are not too far from Namtso Lake. Guesthouses at Namtso Lake Name Address Description Shenhu Namtso Hotel神湖纳木错客栈 Tashi Dor Island With relatively good decorations and large scales, Shenhu [...]

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