Namtso Lake is located in Nagqu, the prefecture-level city of Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), and between Damxung County to the east and Baingoin County to the west. It is 231km north of Lhasa, the capital city of TAR, 239 km south of Nagqu Town, the government resident of Nagqu City, and 76 km west of the closest town Damxung.
Namtso Lake is 70 kilometers in length (from east to west) and 30 kilometers in width (from north to south). With a coverage of 1920 sq.km., Namtso Lake used to be the largest lake in TAR and the second largest salt lake of China, after the Qinghai Lake. In 2014, Tibet's previous second largest, Siling Lake, got broadened from a flood. After that, the coverage of Siling Lake exceeded that of Namtso Lake.
Same as Yamdrok Lake and Lake Manasarovar, Namtso Lake is one of the three great sacred lakes for Tibetan Buddhists, attracting the devout pilgrims traveling from even the most remote regions to worship, trek or prostrate around the lake. Namtso Lake is also one of Tibet's most visited attractions because of its stunning natural beauty.
It takes at least a good five-hour drive to arrive at Namtso Lake from Lhasa. And considering a round trip between Lhasa and Namtso Lake in one day, you'll have to stay in the vehicle for most of the daytime and have a limited 1.5 to 2 hours to do sightseeing or walking, which is pretty a shame. If you can schedule a two-day trip to Namtso Lake, you can have more hours at the lake, see the amazing sunset and head back to Lhasa the next morning.
Before the April, 2019, tourists can stay overnight on the Tashi Peninsula in the Namtso Lake Scenic Spot. After that, the policy aimed at protecting the ecological environment, announced that all accommodations and restaurants should withdraw; and camping at the lakeshores is also no longer possible. Though it might be a disappointing news for those who long for starry night watching at the lakeshore, for a healthier future of this pretty lake, we can still appreciate the starry view by watching videos filmed before online.
Namtso Lake
Namtso Lake is in the transition zone between the sub-humid and the semi-arid climate zones. The seasons at Namtso Lake region are broken into two distinct seasons: the wet season and the dry season. The wet season is from June to October, and the dry season is between November to May. Namtso Lake region is also characterized by its windiness. Gales are concentrated in the period of from December to May. And in a day, they mostly happen in the afternoon and at dusk. As most travelers arrive at the lake no sooner than noon, that means wind chill is inevitable and to keep the body appropriately warm is very important.
With an altitude of 4,718 meters, Namtso Lake has a much lower temperature than Lhasa (3,750 meters). Heavy snow is another prominent feature of the region. It can result in risky road conditions and low visuality and leads to cancelation of your Namtso trip because of the road closure. October is when snows start to occur frequently and the lake surface gets partially frozen and normally won't thaw completely until May.
Based on weather and availability, we do not recommend travelers to visit Namtso Lake during the period of October to April.
| Weather/Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average High℃ | -1 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 8 | 3 | 1 |
| Average Low℃ | -16 | -15 | -11 | -6 | -1 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 2 | -5 | -12 | -15 |
| Wind | 18km/h | 17km/h | 16km/h | 14km/h | 12km/h | 11km/h | 10km/h | 9km/h | 10km/h | 11km/h | 13km/h | 16km/h |
| Humidity | 21% | 23% | 25% | 33% | 42% | 44% | 57% | 61% | 53% | 36% | 27% | 20% |
| Precipitation | 0.7mm | 1.4mm | 2.5mm | 9.3mm | 31.6mm | 53mm | 107mm | 110mm | 44mm | 12mm | 1.3mm | 0.mm |
Note: The data is collected from Xainza County, Nagqu City, which is located to the west of Namtso Lake.
We advise travelers to schedule their visits to Namtso Lake in the snow free period (or period of smaller frequency of snow fall), which is from May to September. In addition, the late April is usually ok for a Namtso trip, but we won't say it is the prime time. These months are good thanks to the temperate weather and good road conditions. July and August are the rainiest months in this region; but with the average precipitation of 108mm, we won't consider rain fall as a severe weather here at Namtso Lake.
November-April (not suitable): These months have the average high temperature being only single digit. Among them, the coldest month is January. During this period, the Namtso Lake Scenic Spots are likely to be closed to tourists.
May (good to go): The lake surface almost thaws completely in May. This is believed as the first month of Namtso trip.
June to September (great time): Compared with May, the temperature raises by a good 5 degrees Celsius in June. Then the warm temperature will run through July, August and September. It is the times of a year when the grassland near the lake gets green, wildflowers bloom passionately and a wide array of water birds can be spotted on the islets.
October (can give it a try): It is still doable to visit Namtso Lake. But please do check the weather in advance, especially if you plan to visit the lake in the late part of October.
Namtso Lake in March
Apart from doing sightseeing to take in the view of the magnificent ocean-like Namtso Lake, you can do more. There are many birds dwelling in this region. Most of them are resident birds rather than migratory birds. The most common bird species in Namtso Lake region include Brown-headed Gull, Bar-headed Goose, Ruddy Shelduck, Common Tern, etc. Black-necked Crane also resides in the wetland of Namtso Lake region.
You can do short-distance trekking around Tashi Peninsular. The challenging trekking route that circles the whole lake is 280 km in length. Tibetan pilgrims normally spend 7 to 10 days finishing the merit-doing kora. For those who have no previous plateau trekking experience, or who opt for a more relaxing pace, a 15-day trip is recommended.
Namtso Lake is an ideal spot to conduct environmental monitoring and to research the environment changes on the whole Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. It is a natural laboratory as it is home to a wide variety of natural mediums such as glacier, tundra, seasonal snow cover, lake, meadow, wetland, and so on.
Starry Night at Namtso Lake
About Altitude Sickness: Traveling at a place with an altitude about 5,000 meters, altitude sickness (or mountain sickness) should have your attention. If you unfortunately get a cold before your planned Namtso trip, please put off your trip until you're 100% well or cancel it. Because if you go to Namtso Lake with a sick body, you'll definitely get worse because of the high altitude, and can even get life-risking Pulmonary edema.If you find yourself with syndromes of altitude sickness when you're already at Namtso Lake, you can do as the following:
1) Seek help: you should tell your tour guide or your travel partner in the first place, so they can take care of you and help with contacting medical assistance;
2) The nearest hospital, Damxung People's Hospital, is about 100 km away from the scenic spot gate, which can provide first-hand assistance but is in very basic condition. As Damxung is on the route from Namtso Lake to Lhasa, if the patient is in severe situation, the best way is to take him/her to the hospital in Lhasa.
Info on Damxung People's Hospital:
Address: No. 147 East Dangquhe Road, Damxung County, Lhasa City（The address in Chinese: 拉萨市当曲河东路147号）
Telephone No.: 0891-6112153 or 0891-6112284
Info on People's Hospital of Tibet Autonomous Region:
Address: No. 18 North Linkuo Road, Chengguan District, Lhasa City（The address in Chinese: 拉萨市城关区林廓北路18号）
Telephone No.: 0891-6371462 or 0891-6371322 or 0891-6371626
Tibet Tours you may be interested in:
6 Days Lhasa & Namtso Tour
8 Days Tibet City & Namtso Tour
10 Days Everest plus Namtso Lake Tour
