Lhasa Yamdrok Lake Road Trip (Tips, Photos & Maps)

Plan your Lhasa tour? A side road trip to Yamdrok Lake is highly recommended. So to speak, Yamdrok Lake is a must for your first time visit in Tibet. Yamdrok Lake ( or Yamdrok-Tso Lake and Yamdrok Yumtso Lake ) is one of the three holy lakes in Tibet.

Tibet Tourist Map

Yamdrok-Tso Lake is 130km long from east to west and 70km wide from north to south with a total perimeter of 250km and the surface area of 638 square km, average depth of 20-40 meters. It is the largest lake at the north foot of the Himalayas.

Yamdrok Yumtso Lake is a kind of low salt lake formed by the snow melted water from the snow capped mountains nearby. The lake looks like a holy sapphire. Under the clear azure sky, the clean water of the lake is as smooth as the surface of fine blue jade. Yamdrok Lake is said to be be the female Guardian of Buddhism in Tibet. Every year, many local Tibetans and visitors from Lhasa and from other places would come here for pilgrimage or sightseeing.

Yamdrok Lake is situated within Langkazi County (Nangartse) of the Shannan Region of Tibet on the way between Lhasa and Gyantse – 110km southwest of Lhasa and 140 east of Gyantse.

The Parking Lot for Viewing Yamdrok Lake is located 110km southwest of Lhasa (Google)

If you start from Lhasa to visit Yamdrok Lake, you have to climb over Kampala Pass (5000m) where you have a bird’s eye view of the amazing lake. The lake lies several hundred meters below the road or the pass. Under clear weather the lake is a fabulous shade of deep turquoise. Far in the distance is the huge snow mountain – Mt.Nojin Kangsang (7194).

If you set off from Gyantse to view Yamdrok Lake, you have to climb over Karola Pass (5042m). Karola Pass is the divided line between Gyantse County and Langkazi County. (Nangartse).

Approaching the Kampala Pass (5000m)

Driving through the Pass
Parking cars and buses on the parking lot near the Pass or the road and viewing the lake

Birds’ Eye View of Yamdrok Lake from the parking lot or the road near Kampala Pass (5000m)

Birds’ Eye View of Yamdrok Lake from the parking lot or the road near Kampala Pass (5000m)

All the tourists get off at the car parking lot ( Yanghu Scenic Area Parking Lot). People walk to the edge overlooking Yamdrok Lake to view the lake and for photogenic opportunities.

Basiacally people walk around the Yanghu Scenic Area Parking Lot for a good angle to see and take photos of the lake.

Yanghu Scenic Area Parking Lot is the main area to view the lake.
On the right side of the lake
People take pictures with the huge carved roack with the Chinese charactors – Yamdrok Lake –
Visitors are taking photos with the yak
You may take a picture with a Tibetan mastiff
Overlooking Yamdrok Lake from the parking area near the the Kampala Pass (5000m)

Hassle-free Lhasa Guided Tours

If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours, here are some options for guided tours to Lhasa:

Lhasa Tour
Lhasa Tibet Group Tour
Lhasa Tibet Private Tour
Beijing Lhasa Tour
Lhasa China Tour

Further Readings

Best Time to Visit Lhasa
Top 10 Attractions in Lhasa
Lhasa Tourist Traps, Tourist Scams Lhasa
Where to stay in Lhasa
Makye Ame Lhasa Restaurant – Your Kitchen in Lhasa
Lhasa Airport, Lhasa Gonggar Airport
Xian Lhasa Flight Experience, Xian Lhasa Flight
Lhasa Railway Station Transportation, Taxi, Public Bus
Get around in Lhasa with Pedicab or Trishaw
lhasa Taxi
Best Places to Take Picture of Potala Palace Lhasa

4-Wheel Drive Trip from Lhasa to Ranwu
Tips for Visiting Drak Yerpa (Tips, Photos & Map)
The Pilgrim Kora in Lhasa, Lhasa Pilgrim circuits
How to Visit Sera Monastery in Lhasa
Beijing Road in Lhasa
Lhasa River in the City of Lhasa (Tips, Photos & Map)
Lhasa Great Mosque, the Mosques in Lhasa
Lhasa Yamdrok-Tso Lake Road Trip

Any questions, just drop a line.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.