Tsomoriri-One of the highest Lakes of the World

The first destination which we will cover is one of the splendid, marvelous, fantastic, fabulous scenery of what we call Indian Beauty. We are talking about one of the world's highest Lakes, Tsomoriri Lake.

Tsomoriri Lake officially called Tsomoriri Wetland Conservation Reserve is in Changthang in Ladakh, India. It is a high altitude lake with an altitude of 4,595 m (15,080 ft) and is the largest of the High Altitude Lakes in the Trans-himalayan bio geographic region, entirely within India. Tsomoriri is surrounded by Ladakh in the North, Tibet in the East, and Zanskar in the west. The Changthang plateau is the geographical setting with snow peaks that provides the source of water for the Lake. Accessibility to the Tsomoriri Lake is limited to summer season only.

Tsokar means salty lake in local language and salt was extracted from this lake in earlier times, till the end of 1959, for consumption by the local people. Hence Lake was named Tsomoriri. As per a classification of the Himalayan Lakes done on the basis of their origin, there are four groups and Tsomoriri falls under the third group of “Remnant Lakes". The classification of the Himalayan Lakes is as follows:

(i)Glacial lakes which are formed in and around glaciers
(ii) Structural lakes, formed by folds or faults due to movements in earth’s crust (e.g. Nainital lake in Uttaranchal)
(iii) Remnant lakes which were originally structural but represent the remnants of vast lakes (e.g., Tsomoriri, Tso Kar, Pangong Tso in Ladakh, and Dal Lake in Kashmir)and
(iv) Natural dammed lakes i.e., temporary water bodies formed along the river courses due to deposition of rocks or debris e.g. Gohna Tal in Garhwal, Uttaranchal.

The Changthang plateau in the eastern Ladakh represents a land scape view of low productive Ecosystems which protects unique floral and fauna species.The area is an extension of the western Tibetan plateau and supports diverse but low populations of several globally threatened mammals. The Tsomoriri Lake's basin could also be categorized as an endorheic or closed basin since it is a closed drainage basin that retains water and allows no outflow to other bodies of water such as rivers or oceans.

The Tsomoriri Lake is surrounded by the elevated valley of Rupshu with hills rising to 6,000 m (20,000 ft). “Changpas", the nomadic migratory shepherds of yak, sheep, goat, and horses of Tibetan origin and who are engaged in trade and work on caravans in Ladakh region, are the main inhabitants of the area. Changpa herders use the land of this valley as grazing ground and for cultivation.

The Korzok Monastery, on the western bank of the lake is 400 years old and attracts tourists and Buddhist pilgrims. Tourism during May – September attracts large number of foreign and local tourists even though tented accommodation is the facility available, apart from a small PWD guest house close to the Lake.

The Tsomoriri Lake, draining a catchment area of 120 sq km (46 sq mi)is enclosed by rolling hills of the Tibetan cold desert on the western side with steep hills and by the Pare Chu, which flows on the southern side. Another wetland, the Nuro Sumdo (with a catchment area of 20 km2/7.7 sq mi), lies between Tsomoriri in the north, and the Pare Chu in the south, a bog which drains into the Pare Chu.

Several small mountain streams feed the Tsomoriri Lake notably through pasture land at Peldo Le. The lake is fed by springs and snow melt and has a maximum depth of 40 m (130 ft). Aridity and cold desert conditions prevail in the lake region; with summer temperature varying from 0° to 30°C (32°-86°F) and winter temperature recording −10° and −40°C (14° to -40°F). Geologically the lake is in the the Cambrian/Pre-Cambrian terrain.

Thirty-four species of birds including 14 species of water birds are found here,of which the vulnerable species are:

• Black-necked Cranes,
• Bar-headed Geese,
• Brown-headed Gulls,
• Great Crested Grebe,
• Ferruginous Pochard,
• Black-necked Grebe Podiceps,
• nigricollis,
• Tibetan gazelle,
• Procapra picticaudata,
• Goa antelope,
• Ovis ammon hogdsoni and
• Lynx

The Mammalian fauna found on Tsomoriri include:

• Nayan Ovis ammon hodgsoni,
• Bharal- Himalayan blue sheep,
• Tibetan Ass,
• Great Tibetan Sheep,
• One species of marmot - Marmota himalayana,
• One species of hare - Lepus oistolus,
• One species of vole - Alticola roylei,
• Three species of mouse hares - Ochotona macrotis, Ochotona curzoniae or Tibetan Sand Fox and Scincella ladacensi species

The Large carnivores fauna found are:the Snow Leopard - Uncia uncial, the Tibetan Grey Wolf - Canilupus chanku.

The vegetation in the area comprises of Characteristic Caragana and Astragalus species, Potamogeton species, Several species of Carex, Primula (low growing herb), and edicularis (parasite plant), Common species of Juncus thomsonii and Leontopodium species, Phytoplankton species of Oocystis with density of 900 cells/L to a depth of 25 m (82 ft), Specimens of the diatom Cyclotella and Pastures for domestic livestock.

The Tsomoriri Lake is well famous briefly because of:

• The faunal collection is unique and has a large variety with endemic and vulnerable species
• The herbivore species are also endemic to the region
• The lake plays a fundamental role as breeding grounds and key staging posts on migration routes for several water birds belonging to six families, which is distinctive of wetland diversity and productivity.

The overall plan of your holiday form Leh – Tso Moriri is below. Kindly refer to it while making your arrangements:

Route: Leh – Upshi – Chumathang – Mahe Bridge – Tso Moriri – Korzok – Mahe Bridge – Tso Kar

Distance: 295 kms

Route Opens: Mid May to late October (depending on the weather)

Getting there
Apart from taking your own car, bike or a motorcycle to Tso Moriri, you can also hire a motorcycle or a taxi from Leh or take a bus. There is a regular bus service run by J & K SRTC to the village of Korzok and occasionally there are buses operated by travel agents for large groups. However there are no buses available for Tso Kar.

You can get a seat in local taxis, which are normally run in the same manner as a local bus or you can hire one yourself.

Motorcycle enthusiasts who are unable to take their motorcycles to Leh can get one for rent. One can find numerous bike rental shops at the old post office road or you can ask your hotel to arrange one for you.

The Journey
There are a few variations to the above listed circuit, one can go to Tso Moriri or do the entire Tso Moriri – Tso Kar circuit and come back to Leh via the same route or via the Manali – Leh highway or head to Manali from Tso Kar itself.

Leh – Upshi (55 kms): Although you will be traveling for only 215 kms, it is best to start early from Leh. From Leh one needs to take the Leh – Manali highway till the town of Upshi.

Upshi – Chumathang (95 kms): From the roundabout at Upshi take the left turn and a few hundred meters down the road is the check post where you need to submit your permits. For better part of the journey you will have the Indus River for company and tarmac is in good condition for most part, barring few landslide prone stretches.

Chumathang itself has little to offer to a visitor apart from a few restaurants, a Gompa and hot water springs. A quick lunch stop would suffice for most, while a night here would be recommended for travelers with a lot of time at hand.

Chumathang – Tso Moriri (Korzok) (60kms): From Chumathang it is a relatively easy drive till Sumdo, few kms after which it is best not to use the road since it is too bumpy, instead either make your own track by driving/riding off road or use one of the numerous tracks left by passing vehicles. The last 30kms are a pain, but a boon for those who love off road riding/driving, the track here is a mix of sandy and dirt trails littered with small stones. However the view one gets at the end of it makes it all worth it.

Even though Tso Moriri is smaller than Pangong Tso and fewer people come here, it is more beautiful in some ways due to the fact that area surrounding Tso Moriri is a wild life reserve and one can see Tibetan wild ass (Kiang), marmots, red foxes and quite a few migratory birds. For accommodation and eateries take the right turn from the main entrance of Tso Moriri wild life sanctuary and continue for few kilometers to reach the village of Korzok a.k.a. Karzok.

Tso Moriri (Korzok) – Tso Kar (80 kms): From Korzok back track till the Mahe Bridge and from there take the diversion to reach Tso Kar. Road from Mahe Bridge is in bad condition, but a boon for off road junkies.

It is believed that Tso Kar was once connected to Tso Moriri, even though Tso Kar is a salt water lake while Tso Moriri is fresh water. The area surrounding Tso Kar is protected and forms the Tso Kar wild life sanctuary.

Return Journey
From Tso Kar you can return to Leh via Tso Kar – Moore Plains – Tanglang La – Upshi route (155 kms) or by backtracking to Mahe Bridge and then continuing on the Chumathang – Upshi – Leh route (205 kms).

You can also go to Manali by taking the More Plains – Pang – Sarchu – Darcha – Manali route (380 kms).

Restricted Area: Tso Moriri is a restricted area and to visit it you need permits which are easily obtainable from the DC office in Leh and can be procured by either submitting the application yourself or through a travel agent. The permits are issued for a maximum period of three weeks, in case you are visiting other restricted areas like Nubra Valley and Pangong Tso you need to mention them in the permit as well.

Make at least 4 photocopies of the permit per region, since you would need to submit them at various check posts.

Accommodations

Chumathang: Chumathang has more accommodation options to offer than Korzok or Tso Kar; it has a few guest houses and even a resort!

Korzok: There are few accommodation options in Korzok since Tso Moriri isn’t as famous as Pangong Tso. However there is a hotel here along with guest houses that Chang-pa Nomads run from their houses. There is also a collection of tents and one can even pitch their own tents at designated spots.

Tso Kar: There are tented accommodations available near Tso Kar; one can also pitch their own tent in designated spots.

Amenities
There are no internet cafes or phone booths beyond Leh.

Petrol Pump: Carry enough petrol for the return journey to Leh or till Tandi, since there are no petrol pumps beyond Leh. Although one can find contraband petrol/diesel at Chumathang, Pang and Sarchu, it is recommended to carry enough petrol to see you through this trip comfortably.