Yamdrok Lake

Yamdrok Lake, also called Yamdrok Yumtso, is a lake with two long arms of water, making it look like a scorpion from the sky. This shape means you can never see its shape from around it. From Gyantse, you can see one arm, and follow it until it disappears around a bend in the shore which makes it difficult to estimate the size of the lake.

The Yamdrok Lake is one of the three largest sacred lakes of Tibet. As with all places sacred and holy in Tibet, you can walk around the entire lake, taking around seven days. This is probably a good indication as any of the size of Yamdrok Lake. The lake is considered sacred and the water has special powers: according to locals, it can make the old young again, it can improve intelligence in children and etc. The lake is surrounded by many snow-capped mountains and is fed by numerous small streams.

It takes around thirty minutes to get down around the pass to Yamdrok Yumtso, but the views are truly magnificent. At times there is a lot of fog, but it changes by the minute, so wait around and you will see the extraordinary color and shape of this unique lake. Be aware that since the road was paved it is now fairly crowded with tourists during the summer months. Take a few minutes in addition to photo taking to sit and gaze upon this creation. It is truly breathtaking.