Pangong Lake
An eighty-mile salt lake at 14,270 feet, changing blue through the day.
Duration
10 hrs – 24 hrs
Difficulty
●●●●●
Best time
June to September
Open
Every day
Entry price
To confirm
Pangong lake is a hundred and thirty-four kilometres long at four thousand three hundred and fifty metres, and two thirds of it lie in Chinese territory — the line of control runs down the middle. It is a sensitive military zone, which explains the permits.
It is saline and freezes over entirely in winter despite that. Its colour shifts through the day, from deep blue to turquoise to grey, with the angle of the sun and the depth — the water is very clear and the sandy bottom reflects differently by incidence.
Getting there
Two hundred and twenty kilometres east of Leh, five to six hours by road over the Chang La pass at five thousand three hundred and sixty metres.
What the price covers
a compulsory paid inner line permit for foreigners; transport is extra
Rules on site
An inner line permit is compulsory and applied for in Leh with your passport. Do not go up to the lake before three days acclimatising in Leh: the road crosses a pass at five thousand three hundred and sixty metres, and high-altitude pulmonary oedema is a real risk.