Pangong Lake

Pangong Lake stretches 134 kilometres from the Ladakh Union Territory into Tibet, sitting at 4,350 metres in a high-altitude basin that, on the clearest days, shifts between at least six distinct shades of blue and green across its surface in a single afternoon.

The lake's colour has a physical explanation — depth, calcium carbonate content of the surrounding rock, angle of incident light, altitude of the sky above — and an experiential reality that the explanation does not fully capture. You spend a significant part of the day watching water that appears to be actively deciding what colour to be and revising its decision hourly.

The access to Pangong — 160 kilometres from Leh on a road that passes through the Chang La at 5,360 metres — takes approximately five hours in good conditions. The road is unpaved for much of its length and requires the kind of vehicle whose suspension is not the first concern. The effort is what the landscape requires: Pangong's inaccessibility is the condition of its preservation.

Places to Visit in Pangong Lake

• Pangong Tso viewpoints
• Spangmik village
• Chushul Valley

Things to Do in Pangong Lake

• Lakeside camping
• Sunrise and sunset photography
• Changthang plateau drive