Lhanagtso Lake

Lhanagtso is a mysterious and attractive lake in Ali, Tibet. Known as the Ghost Lake, Lhanagtso means poisonous black lake in Tibetan. It is located in Baga Township, northeast of Pulan County, 55 kilometers away from Pulan County and 360 kilometers away from Shiquanhe town of Ali Region. At an altitude of 4,574 meters, it is a saltwater lake near the Lake Manasarovar. Its water is not drinkable for people and animals, which is probably the origin of the name Ghost Lake. ‍
 

Facts of Lhanagtso

Lake Rakshastal or Lhanagtso(拉昂错) is lying close to the west of Lake Manasarovar and Mt. Kailash. Its salty water, a stark contrast to the fresh water of Lake Manasarovar, produces no waterweeds or fish. Named "lake of the demon", it is considered to be the residence of Ravana, the ten-headed demon king of Ceylon in Hindu myth. However, despite its notoriety, Lake Rakshastal bears no less beauty than other lakes in Tibet.

The Satluj River originates at Rakshastal northwestern tip. Despite its close proximity to Lake Manasarovar, Lake Rakshastal does not share the lore of worship with its east neighbor. According to Hindu mythology, this lake was created by the demon King Ravana for the express purpose of garnering superpowers through acts of devotion and meditation to the Lord Shiva who was presiding on Mt. Kailash. It was upon the banks of a special island in this lake that he would make daily offering with one of his ten heads as a sacrifice to please the Lord Shiva. Finally, on the tenth day, Lord Shiva was moved enough by his devotion and granted Ravana his wish to obtain superpowers. This lake is set as a contrast to the holy god-created Lake Manasarovar.

However, despite its notoriety, Lake Rakshastal bears no less beauty than other lakes in Tibet. Originally joined with Lake Manasarovar and later separated by geological movements, it is still connected with Lake Manasarovar by a natural channel, Ganga Chhu. It covers a total area of 70 square kilometers, at an altitude of 4,752 metres (15,591 ft). Though absent of nearby grasslands, the white cobbles, the hills and the island are colored with dark red, and the deep blue lake water present another distinctive picture absent from many of the places more frequented by visitors.

Lhanagtso and Lake Manasarovar

Lhanagtso is located near the Lake Manasarovar. Covering an area of 289 square kilometers, Lhanagtso is 4,573 meters above sea level. The east, west and south sides are influenced by the dark rocks in the surrounding mountains, and the water color of the Lhanagtso is darker than that of Lake Manasarovar. 

Lhanagtso is known as Ghost Lake and Lake Manasarovar is regarded as Holy Lake. In fact, the holy lake and the ghost lake were originally a lake. Due to climate change, the lake retreated and the water level dropped, and it was separated by a narrow hill. The scenery in Lhanag-tso Lake is extremely beautiful, and the blue lake reflects the holy Namunani Snow Peak. The golden sand dunes around make Lhanagtso Lake look like a sapphire inlaid in golden satin.

Depth of the Lhanagtso

In 1906, after measuring the water depth of Lake Manasarovar, Swedish geographers tried to measure the depth of Lhanagtso, but only the northern end of the lake was measured, and its depth is still a mystery. Due to the climate change of years, Lake Lhanagtso can no longer flow out and becomes an inland lake. In the past hundred years, Lhanagtso is experiencing the process of lake shrinkage, lake water level decline and lake salinity increase, but it is still a magnificent lake, especially as an object of scientific investigation or tourism, which plays a very important role in understanding modern climate changes.
 

Best Time to Visit Lhanagtso

Best Time to visit Lhanagtso is June to October. Ali region is plateau monsoon climate, and November to May is the windy season. The average temperature in the whole region is low, with the highest temperature of 26℃ and the lowest of 30℃ below zero. The annual average temperature is 19℃, and the temperature difference between day and night is very large. In summer, the temperature is above 10℃ during the day and drops below 0℃ at night. You must take enough warm clothes when traveling here.
 

Nearby Attraction

Lake Manasarovar

Lake Manasarovar is just located near the Lhanagtso. Lake Manasarovar, Namtso and Yamdrok are the three holy lakes in Tibet. Lake Manasarovar is one of the most famous lakes in Asia and the world.

Lake Manasarovar is located in the north of Namunani Snow Peak, 20 kilometers southeast of Mount Kailash. With an altitude of 4,588 meters and an area of 412 square kilometers, Lake Manasarovar is the deepest freshwater lake in the world, whose deepest point can reach 70 meters. When the weather is fine, the lake is blue, and the white clouds and snow mountains are reflected in the lake, which are pure and breathtaking. And you can also see the mountains around the lake in the distance. The best place to watch Lake Manasarovar is the Jiwu Temple in the west bank of the Lake Manasarovar.