{India} Overnight at 15,000ft @Pangong Tso

When you hear people say they’re visiting India, it’s likely that New Delhi will come to mind. However, did you know that just 1 hour (by flight) north of Delhi, you will find Leh, a district in the region of Ladakh, in the state of Jammu and Kashmir (the northernmost state of India). There is a travel advisory against traveling to Jammu and Kashmir but it specifically excludes the region of Ladakh.

Since we were in India at the end of May (think 112 ^oF/45 ^oC), we figured an escape from the heat would be a welcome addition to the itinerary. We did some research and learnt about Leh – it is situated at a height of about 11,500ft (3,508m) above sea level and has an average temperature of about 60 – 70 ^oF at this time of the year! Just what we needed – a break from the scorching heat of New Delhi.

On one of the days of our week-long trip to Leh, we visited Pangong Tso (or Pangong Lake; Tso is Ladakhi for lake) and camped overnight. What’s interesting about this part of our trip is that Pangong Tso is located at about 14,270ft (4,305m)! That makes for really thin air and low oxygen, which poses a challenge to some. Another interesting fact about Pangong Tso is that it is a salt water lake in the Himalayas and does not flow into the ocean (it’s called an endorheic lake) and extends from India to Tibet. Only 1/3 of the lake lies in India, the rest is in Tibet!

THE JOURNEY

I’d love to say that a visit to Pangong Lake is a must for everyone but I’d be lying if I said that. I’d describe the 100 miles (160km) journey to Pangong Lake from Leh by jeep as a “rough ride”! Overland Escape (our tour agent) helped us organize our “Overnight at Pangong” trip. A permit is needed to visit the lake, also taken care of by Overland Escape. Our driver arrived on time and we departed Leh at 9:30am in the morning. The start of the ride was over paved albeit dusty roads which made for a rather smooth drive. We were lulled into a sense of peace and tranquility as we looked outside at the sparse, open land that is decorated by snow capped mountain peaks and clear blue skies. We then began ascending a steep mountain road and this is when we realized the smooth ride was just a tease!

We were on a winding, one-lane rocky mountain road that catered to two-way traffic which included cargo trucks, army trucks, bikes, automobiles and people!

We were on a winding, one-lane, sometimes unpaved, sometimes paved, rocky, dirt road that hugged the sides of the stony mountains! The road was shared by army trucks, cargo trucks, jeeps, cars, bikes, pedestrians and workers filling in holes in the road! All this two-way traffic on a narrow one lane dirt road with rocky mountain on one side and a steep hundreds-of-feet drop on the other. Our jeep would often have to stop and “scoot over” the side of the street to let oncoming traffic by.

The ride through the unpaved parts of the road became one of the scariest, most bumpy rides I’ve ever had in my life! My head would come close to the roof or window of the jeep every second or so. You should’ve seen the horror on my face – I was SURE I was going to have a concussion by the end of this trip! I kept thinking to myself – people with neck & back injuries would find this to be a rather uncomfortable ride!

This went on for about 3 hours at which point, we arrived at our first stop, Chang La Pass (17, 585 ft), the third highest mountain passes in the world. The high altitude and lack of oxygen made us a little disoriented. Thankful for the break, we stepped out of the car and were greeted by breathtaking landscape covered in blindingly white snow! We were so disoriented, we actually forgot to take pictures!!! Here, we stopped by the one “restaurant” that served food and drinks. We ordered “special maggi” (which is basically instant noodles with some vegetables), a “regular maggi” (instant noodles without anything else) and two drinks. It cost us 65 rupees (~$1.50). It was simple but provided enough warmth and tummy fuel for us to go on!

SAFETY FIRST

An interesting part of the journey was reading the many signs on the road that remind anyone passing by that safety is top priority. Here are examples of some of the safety reminders we found intriguing:

1. No one is chasing you!
2. Drive, don’t fly.
3. This is a highway, not a runway!
4. Speed thrills and kills.
5. Alertness avoids accidents.
6. Life is a journey, complete it.
7. Daredevil? Not here, please.
8. Hurry and worry goes together.
9. Drink whisky, drive risky.
10. No hurry, no worry.
11. Be gentle with my bend.
12. Better late than never.
13. I am curvaceous, slow down.
14. Speed is like a knife to a life.
15. If you sleep, your family will weep.
16. Lower your gear, curve is near.
17. If married, divorce speed.

WE MADE IT TO PANGONG TSO!

After another 2 hours through more mountain road, valleys and the occasional small town with greenery, a sheet of intense blue water appeared out of nowhere – it was the Pangong Tso! After “checking in” to our camp (we stayed at Martsemik Camp at Eco Huts), we sat at the banks of the lake. We sat there appreciating the beauty of the lake, cameras forgotten for that moment. After all the dry, pale brown, stony mountain scenery that have surrounded us throughout the journey, this view was just surreal! It was breathtakingly beautiful, almost seemed unreal at times! Everywhere we turned, it was a different shade of blue, different scene and different backdrop! Enjoy…

Yak can be seen grazing the pastures near Pangong Lake

We sat on the banks, gazing at the lake, taking in the beauty of the sight!

Sitting on the banks of the lake, this is what I was looking at…

Seagulls were aplenty!

1/3 of this lake belongs to India, the rest belongs to Tibet!

These tents are restaurants.

PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Our photos above were taken using our Nikon D700 DSLR with the Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 Wide Angle lens.

WHAT WAS IT LIKE, STAYING OVERNIGHT AT PANGONG TSO?

We both had a bit of a headache when we first arrived, due to the high altitude and lack of oxygen. It went away after a while. At night, it was cold! We both went to bed with at least 3 layers of clothing each. The winds were rather strong, so you could hear the flapping of the tent against the wind throughout the night. Since the sun sets behind the mountains, you’ll only get to see sunrise over the lake. We wanted to wake up in time for sunrise but was a little too groggy in the morning to be able to drag ourselves out of bed!

Our home for the night!

Our tent for the night

Our beds for the night

Our bathroom for the night!

In the morning, even though our camp served breakfast (they served vegetarian Indian dinner the night before), we decided to wander off and explore some of the “restaurant” tents in the area and have breakfast there instead. When we saw “Omlit with chapati”, we were delighted! You see, we’ve been eating vegetarian Indian food since the day we arrived in Leh and have not had egg the past week! Seeing that they had “Omlit” (aka omelet) made us rather happy! We had omelet and maggi for breakfast!

We have not had egg since the day we arrived in Leh! Seeing that they had “omlit with chapati” (e.g. Omelet) made us very happy!

This is the tent that served the “omlit with chapati”

The lady that made our breakfast in her simple kitchen. She didn’t speak much english, so we couldn’t communicate a whole lot.

REMEMBER:

1. Just one hour by flight, north of New Delhi, is the city of Leh (region of Ladakh in the state of Jammu and Kashmir).
2. The travel advisory against visiting Jammu and Kashmir specifically excludes Ladakh.
3. Pangong Tso is located near the Indo-China border. Less than 1/3 of the lake lies in India, the other 2/3 stretches into Tibet.
4. It took about 5 hour drive to get to Pangong Tso from Leh through the winding, rocky, mountain roads.
5. The ride got rather bumpy most of the time – I don’t recommend it for people with neck and back injuries. If you have these conditions, I’d recommend that you inform your driver so he drives slower to reduce the bumpiness!
6. You don’t have to camp overnight. You have the option of driving back after spending an hour or two at the lake.
7. We chose to camp overnight – it was an awesome experience for us because we’ve never slept overnight at such high altitudes before. It’s also great to stay overnight because it gives you time to recover from any potential headaches and then enjoy the lake later in the day or the next morning.
8. There are several “camp” sites that you can choose from.
9. It’s best that you hire a tour agent to organize your trip to Pangong Tso – you’d need a VERY experienced driver to get you there! We did not see any clear signage to point out the directions! I would not recommend renting a car and trying to drive there yourself!
10. A permit is required (military checkpoints on the way) so make sure your tour agent helps you with the permit.
11. There are several agents available in the town of Leh itself, so if you didn’t book any activities before arriving, it’s OK because you can walk into any of the agents in the city and get a trip set up.
12. We went with Overland Escape.
13. PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Our photos above were taken using our Nikon D700 DSLR with the Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 Wide Angle lens.
14. Altitude Sickness is a real threat to people visiting Leh and its viccinity because of its high altitude. Vistet (of http://vistet.wordpress.com) shared some great pointers to preventing AMS (thank you, Vistet!). In Vistet’s words: “A few quick notes on altitude sickness : since the typical run for Pangong Tso from goes outside safety guidelines ( http://korta.nu/5c3a ) it’s important to get at least three nights at Leh´s altitude first. And lastly , as a frequent guest in Ladakh and having been forced to deal with AMS in others a number of times : the myth of of heavy water intake as protection against altitude sickness is exasperating , illogical ( more fluids in does not equal less edema ) and potentially dangerous – see for example The Himalayan Rescue Association site on this , or the Institute for Altitude Medicine in Telluride.”