The journey to Pangong Tso starts from Nubra Valley. We had a lovely day among the sand dunes of Nubra.
Desert vegetation around Khalsar in Ladakh
Drive from Nubra to Pangong Lake
The drive from Nubra to Pangong takes you through a wide varied landscape. The Shyok river stays with us for most part of the ride.
The Shyok River flowing through the Nubra Valley
Once the river leaves us and goes on its own way near Durbuk, the road too becomes quite bad. In fact, at certain points, it was almost impossible to make out where the road was.
As we approach Durbok, we leave the Shyok river and move into a extremely tough road conditions
After a few hours we reached the Changthang Cold Desert Wildlife Sanctuary. This is the only place where you can see some vegetation. I caought some Pashmina goats grazing happily in the meadows
Pashmina Goats grazing near a stream on the way to Pangong Lake
This little guy almost head butted me… he was probably taking care of the herd.
Pashmina Goat
You can also find some horses lazying around in the cool breeze.
Horses grazing over a meadow near Tangtse on the way to Pangong Lake
The roads near the santuary are well maintaned. The landscape also changes to a more pleasant view.
The mountains around Durbok in Ladakh
And then we see the first views of the Pangong Lake.
The first views of Pangong Lake
Pangong Viewpoint
We were staying in Spangmik village, but we first hit the popular viewing point, so we stopped there for a few minutes. It was around 2 pm and it was perfect to capture the beautiful lake in the brilliant light.
Pangong Tso
We moved around the edge of the huge lake taking shots of the crystal clear waters of the lake.
Pangong Tso
You can find Yaks available for rides if you want one.
Yak near Pangong Tso
You can see the changing colors of the water in the lake. It is greening towards the edges and more blue as you move your eyes towards the center.
Pangong Tso
After capturing some really amazing photos of the lake we moved on towards Spangmik village.
Spangmik village near Pangong Tso
On the way we took more pictures of the mesmerizing lake.
Pangong Tso
Just before reaching the village, we passed an area with wide open space in front of the lake. Tsering, our chauffeur informed us that he will be taking us there in the evening, which is another wonderful place to enjoy the breathtaking scenery.
Pangong Tso
By 3 pm we had reached our lodgings at Spangmik.
Tents at Pangong Tso
It was May and still the mountains tops were covered in Snow.
Kangju Kangri mountains around Pangong Tso
After refreshing ourselves, we were ready for the second round. As promised Tsering took us to this lovely viewpoint from where you could capture the lake in its full beauty.
Pangong Tso
Mani modeled for me as I captured some amazing potraits. It was only 4 pm but the breeze had picked up and it was lethally cold. I was somewhat safe in my blazer, but Mani was having a tough time in the cold.
Ranita at Pangong Tso
I quickly captured a shot of us before the cold really started to hurt.
Walking along the shores of Pangong lake
With the Sun behind the mountains, the lake had turned into a deep blue color.
Pangong Tso
Shivering from cold, we hurried back to our tents. The tents lie at the edge of the banks. After a warm tea, we walked around in the evening.
Prayer Stones at Pangong Tso
The strong chilly breeze drove us inside the comfort of the tent. The night was extremely cold and even though I want to capture the stars over Pangong Tso, my body was too cold to come out.
In hind-sight, I should have stayed back for a day, but with a tight schedule, we had to move back to Leh the next day.
Next Morning…
The light is extremely bright in the mornings, so carry your eye shades.
Pangong Tso
We passed the lovey viewpoint we stopped at the day before for a few minute, but the light was too strong to capture good photos.
Pangong Tso
By 10 pm we are back on the road to Leh.
Driving in Ladakh
Disclaimer: The information presented in this article is based on the time I visited the premises. Note that there might be changes in the prices of merchandise and admission fees that might have occurred after this article was published. At times the facility might also be closed for repairs or for variety of other reasons. Kindly contact the facility or facilities mentioned in this article directly before visiting.
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Credits: The historical information presented herein is gathered mostly from local guides that were re-inforced via historical writings.
