Yamdrok Yumtso Lake

The Sacred Lake Yamdrok Yumtso (4441m), means “ the lake of Turquoise”,   situated around 100 km to the south of Lhasa. The paved road from Lhasa to Gyantse  ascends to  Kamba-la (4700m)  pass. From the summit of Kamba-la,  a stunning vista view appears before you:  one side of the mountain is the bending  of  Yurlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra River)  valley and the other side is the  Yamdrok lake, a freshwater lake which lies few hundreds meters below the road and the snow capped mountain  Nojin Kangsang (7191m) in a distance.  This lake ( 638 km² in area, 30m average depth and 60m at its deepest ) appears fabulous shade of deep turquoise in a clear day.

 

Yamdrok Yumtso lake is one of the 4 most sacred and greatest lakes in Tibet along with Namtso Lake, Lake Manasarovar and Lhamo Lhatso Lake. It is an important site for pilgrimage, especially in a year of Sheep in Tibetan Calendar, hundreds of pilgrims all of Tibet will visit the holy lakes and make circumambulations around these holy lakes.

 

For travelers,  After short stop at the summit of Kamba – la,  you can also make a stop next to the lake shore and walk along the shore.  For those who are interested in trekking in Tibet, the lake offers great trekking opportunities as well. There are few trekking routes around the lake which goes from 4 days up to 7 days.