Lhamo La-tso

Lhamo La-tso is one of the holy lakes in Tibet. While due to the far distance away from the downtown area, Lhamo La-tso is known by fewer people. Like a gorgeous pearl hidden in the deep valley, Lhamo La-tso is endowed with many legendary stories. In the Tibetan language, Lhamo means Goddess and fairy, and La means lake. Therefore it is also known as “Holy Goddess Lake”.

With a high altitude above 400 meters, Lhamo La-tso is surrounded by high grand mountains in Gyaca County. The distance between the county and the lake is about 65 kilometers. The area of the Lhamo La-tso Lake is about 2 square kilometers, and the shape of the lake is like a horse’s hoof.

According to traditional Tibetan Buddhism, Lhamo La-tso is endowed with magic power, which can indicate the reincarnation of the Living Buddha. Buddhism believers hold the view that they can see their past lives showing on the surface of the lake. That’s why you can see a great number of pilgrims around the lake.

It always takes eight hours for travelers to get to Lhamo La-tso from Lhasa. Your car can only be driven at the parking lot at a certain high altitude of about 5,000 meters. After parking the car, you have to ascend to a little hill about 350 meters high, as a specific observation point. Never belittle the 350 meters high based on the altitude of 5,000m. Actually, it is very hard for normal travelers to take a small step due to the lower oxygen content. The road condition is very poor, and this narrow and slippy road was shaped by the weathering of mountains. Besides that, the angle of the slope is about sixty or seventy. Therefore, it is a great challenge for travelers to conquer this tough road with the influence of high altitude sickness. Please be careful as it's a possibility that you may fall from the mountain. Usually, travelers take 30 min to 1 hour to get to the top of the hill.

Although the holy Lhamo La-tso is thought highly of by Tibetan Buddhists, especially those who are looking for the reincarnation of the Living Buddha. But due to the high altitude, remote location, inconvenient transportation, etc, Lhamo La-tso keeps a mysterious veil from the public. Only a few travelers reach this holy site.

When you stand in front of this holy lake, you will know that every effort on the way is worthwhile. With the mild wind breezing on your face, bright sunlight scattering on the water's surface, and white snow mountains surrounding by, Lhamo La-tso allures every traveler’s heart.

The best time for travelers to visit Lhamo La-tso is from May to October. You’d better avoid getting to the Lhamo La-tso in winter in case the road may be blocked by the heavy snow.