Beautiful Lakes of India

Lake No. 1. Pangong Tso in Ladakh

By far the most pretty Lake of India. This place is not just a beautiful site to see but also is an experience to hold for lifetime. Situated at a height of about 4,350 m. It is 134 km long and extends from India to the Tibetan Autonomous Region, China. Approximately 60% of the length of the lake lies within the Tibetan. So its like standing at the border where the hills on the other side of the lake are in China. Reaching this place through the narrow rocky roads itself is an experience. The Lake changes its shades from blues to greens depending on the position of the sun and clouds.  After Sunset this place becomes a freezer with chilled wind slapping you. The Night Sky is just amazing full of stars and clear view of galaxies. Also this is the only salt water lake in India.

How To Reach - Fly down to Leh or Plan a Road Trip from Manali or Srinagar if you love the hills. The drive to Pangong is for 6-7 hours from Leh City. Its advisable to leave early in the morning as the sun goes behind the hills by 3-4. The 12- 3 period is the best time to experience the varied colors of the lake

Where To Stay - There are many campsites in Pangong which provide proper Swiss Tents and temperature controll rooms. The place is very windy so its not recommended to pitch your own tents anywhere.

How Many Days - One Night 2 days is enough to enjoy the beautiful lake. You can stay longer if you have additional days in hand. Overall full Ladakh trip takes 7-8 Days on road if you follow- Chandigard- Manali- Leh- Nubra- Leh - Pangong Tso- Leh - Kargil - Srinagar.  Each day is full of fun and surprises.

Lake No.2 - Nigeen Lake, Srinagar

Srinagar is a City known for the Beautiful Lakes , Gardens and Natural Environment. The more famous one is Dal lake where people rent house boats and there is a full market that operates on Shikaras (boats) . The more pretty late is Nigeen Lake sometimes considered a part of the Dal lake and is connected to it via a narrow strait. It is also connected to the Khushal Sar and Gil Sar lakes. Its a lake where the locals do water farming ... Flowers and fruits are grown here as its a eutrophic lake. The water is crystal clear here and you can see your own reflection in this. As this is a little unexplored lake there are lesser house boats here and you can enjoy the natural beauty. Do hire a shikara and go for shopping on the waterfront market.

How To Reach - You can take a Direct Flight to Srinagar or reach here by Train. The Local Taxis will take you easily to Dal Lake. To enjoy Nigeen Lake you need to book a Houseboat on this Lake. The locals will guide you how to reach the houseboat as they are parked in far of places from main road

Where To Stay- Staying on a houseboat is a definate must. You can pick from stay at Dal Lake or Nigeen Lake. Shikaras takes you on a ride on both the lakes along with the market area

How Many Days- Two Nights 3 Days is good to experience the beautiful city of Srinagar. There are many pretty gardens, the food is amazing and living on the water is heavenly and peaceful.

Lake No. 3- Chandrataal Lake, Himachal Pradesh

another Lake in the Hills which is more of a experience than a pretty place. Its a much smaller lake. You can walk around the whole lake in less than an hour. To reach this lake there is a small trek for about half an hour. Also the government has restrictions on camping near the lake so the campsite is a little far from the lake starting point. This infact is a very good move to keep the Natural Beauty of the lake intact. You wont find a single vendor around the lake either. Its really pretty and a walk around the lake is a must as the color changes from ever angle. This place is also veryy cold and windy even in afternoon so make sure you are in atleast 3 layers of cloths.

How To Reach - It depends if you are doing a vacation in Manali or doing a road trip across Spiti Valley. As a part of Spiti Valley Circuit this place is 2 hours away from Kaza. You can also visit this place from Manali, its a 4-5 hour journey. You need to cross Rotank Pass for it so its open only in the months of July - November

Where To Stay- There is an allocated area for Campsites by the government. The best camp of these is Devachan Camps, Chandrataal. Around this camp there are 3-4 more. They have limited capacity so its recommended to book in advance.

How Many Day- One Night 2 days is good for this place as you will be visiting the lake only once. You can club the trip with visit to other places of Spiti Valley or with a stay in Manali

Lake No. 4- Nako Lake, Himachal Pradesh

This one is a very small lake but very pretty, changing its color throughout the day. Nako is a small village in the Spiti Valley. Its about 2 hours away from Tabo Monestry. Its a definately must visit and an overnight stay at Nako. The tiny village has a lot to teach you. There is a small monestry up the hill as well which has a huge gong that tells the time for the village. The entire feel of this village is unique and the food is just amazing. The Lake is in the middle of the village and is frozen for half the year. The locals have preserved its beauty very well and no one takes their cattle for a bath there.

How to Reach - You can either take the route from Shimla- Kalpa- Chitkul - Nako or go from Manali - Kaza- Tabo- Nako. We went from Shimla and stayed our 4th night in Nako. You have to go by road only. Either self drive or HP buses

Where to Stay - Lake View Hotel & Restaurant in Nako is a good place to stay. There are many homestays too and the the locals are very sweet here.

How Many Days - 1 night stopover is good to explore the whole village. If you are looking for peace then you should definitely extend the stay in Nako.

Lake No.5 - Tsomgo Lake, Sikkim

A nice a pretty lake nested in the middle of Lush Green mountains of Sikkim. This lakes in the route of Nathula Pass, about One and Half hour away from Gangtok. We went in the middle of Rains and this lake was filled with Clouds. You could feel the mist around you and could barely see the whole lake. Still the experience of one a kind to see the clouds meet the water. Its a small lake only and a little commercialized as its close to Gangtok. But its not difficult to find a corner for yourself and enjoy some peaceful moment alone to see the clouds gliding over water.

How To Reach- There are various options from Siliguri for a roar trip to Gangtok. Taxis, Buses, Toy train, etc. From Gantok to the lake and Nathula pass there are special permit jeeps available that needs ro be booked.

Where To Stay- Gangtok is a famous tourist destination with multiple options of Bed and breakfasts, hotels and resorts

How Many Days - 2 to 3 days stays is good for Gangtok as its a central location to cover the whole of Sikkim.

Lake No. 6 - Agasthya Lake, Badami

Badami is known for the Caves and Historic Jain Temples. But this place also has a beautiful Lake in the middle of giant boulders. Its a very small lake yet very pretty. The locals consider it as a part of the temple and hence its a Holi Lake. This place is around 3 hours away from Hampi and its a definate Must Visit. The temple structures and form are way more historical than Hampi.

How To Reach - You can hire a Cab from Hampi to reach Badami. If you are visiting only Badami then you can do a road trip from Hubli too. Hubli is well connected by both Train and Flight.

Where To Stay- Its technically a day trip to visit Badami. So you can stay in Hubli itself or in Hampi. Badami is a very small town and doesn't have many overnight stay options

How Many Days - Its a one full day trip. Leave early in the morning from hampi or hubli and cover the badami caves and this lake together along with two more such interesting sites which is a part of the package

Lake No. 7- Ooty Lake

Right in the middle of the beautiful hill station is this  beautiful lake. Although Ooty is a commercial hill station it has some things unique to it...like the chocolates made by the locals... The lake is really huge with many resorts offering a lake view stay. There is a boating club too where you can either opt for a rowing boat or a motor boat... Its very peaceful to go around boating on this lake. There are many more attractions in Ooty like the Zoo, Deer Park, Adventure Arenas like the cycling track.

How To Reach - Nearest city is Coimbatore from where you can take a cab. Its a 2.30 hour journey. If you are fond of Road trips then you can drive down from Bangalore too. Its a 8 hour journey but a very pretty ride.

Where To Stay- Many options in Ooty for a beautiful stay. There is Club Mahindra Resort, County Club Resort, etc and many fun options like Zostel if you care going alone

How Many Days- 3 to 4 Nights is a must in Ooty. Its a beautiful place for a quick holiday specially in the Winters when the pine trees paint the whole place beautiful.

Lake No. 8- Lake Pichola and Fateh Sagar Lake, Udaipur

A city known as the City of Lakes is like a must visit if you exploring the Lakes of India... Lake Pichola is extremely pretty with a huge fort and temple bordering this lake. It is also famous for housing a resort right in the middle of the Lake. Udaipur is highly commercial now due to which it has lost its initial beauty but I had visited this place for the first time in 2012... You could visit the Lake Palace freely then and also enjoy the pretty sunsets at the lake without any rules. With the onset of tourist a lot of restrictions are imposed now. Still its worth a visit to enjoy some heritage and nature in one go.

How To Reach - Udaipur is well connected by Road, Rail and Flights... From Mumbai you can take a train to Ahmedabad and go by bus or cab to Udaipur. Its a 4 hours journey. Or opt for a special train tht started recently to Udaipur direct ( once or twice a week only)

Where To Stay- Many options for stay available here as well. Right from small bed and breakfasts to luxury resorts. Do opt for a lake view Resort rather than palacial stay

How Many Days- 3 Days 2 Nights is ideal for Udaipur. The local food, specially marwadi thali is a must have. Do visit the Vintage and Classic Car Museum that depicts the richness India hade one upon a time.

Lake No. 9- Umiam Lake, Shillong

Even before you enter the beautiful Meghalaya, the first sight is of this Lake...right at the entrance of Shillong city. Now if you start a trip with such a welcome then imagine the rest of the State... There is a nice walking street made to enjoy the view of the Lake. You can go dow to boat as well if you wish. In the month of October and November there are pretty cherry blossoms trees on the road that enhances the beauty of this lake.

How to Reach - Nearest airport is in Gauhati ...it is just a 3 hour drive from Gauhati for Shillong. Many buses, cabs, Taxis are available at the Airport itself to reach Shillong.

Where To Stay - Shillong has many options of hotels, bed and breakfasts and resorts...the bed and breakfast options works best as this place is soo pretty you will not want to stay indoors

How Many Days- Typically Meghalaya needs atleast 6 days out of which 3 nights are in Shillong as Shillong is the hub for all other places.

Lake No. 10 - Kaas Lake, Maharashtra

Kaas Plateau is known for its diversity in Flowers...every year in the spring months this place is blooming with millions of tiny flowers making it the most colourful place. A short trek away from the Kaas plateau is the Kaas Lake which is tucked nicely between the lush green hills. Many who visit Kaas just see the flowers and go back... Visit to this lake to relax for a bit is highly recommended...It takes only 20-25 mins to walk down the hill to reach this Lake.

How To Reach - From Mumbai you need to drive down to Kaas Pathar. It is very close to Satara and takes about 7 hours to drive there. As this is a conservation site you need to register at the parking lot and the local buses ferry you to the Kaas plateau.

How Many Days- One day trip is good for kaas but for tht you need to leave at night from Mumbai. Reach Kaas early morning and enjoy before the sun is too bright

Where to Stay- If you want to make it a full weekend trip, you can stay overnight in Satara or Mahabaleshwar or Panchgani and drive from there to kaas lake. It's just one hour drive from Mahabaleshwar.

Lake No. 11- Dhom Lake, Near Panchgani, Maharashtra

All Mumbaikars love Panchgani...Its the best hilstation to visit in Winters, especially if you love strawberries... However this time when i visited Panchgani I tried the lesser known gems of this place like a beautiful Art gallery, A house that runs on  Organic and sustainable lifestyle and this offbeat dam that no tourist visits. It a little sout of Panchgani so u can make a visit here either before reaching panchgani or while heading back. Its a very small detour of about half n hour. Its really quite and serene here... Though we wanted to go to another end of the lake we ended up at the dam that gives you a full view if the lake. The best part was it started raining and we enjoyed even more

How To Reach- Its a 8 hour road trip to reach Panchgani, so if you leave early morning, you can reach by 2-3 in the afternoon. Just before panchgani is a town called wai where you need to take the detour for Dhom Dam. It takes only 30 mins from Panchgani too.

Where to Stay- The Zostel Stay at Panchgani is one if the best. In rains its like living in the clouds. It offers the best view of thd Valley

How Many Days- 2 Nights 3 Days is good for Panchgani as its a long drive to reach here. Also there are many places to visit like Mapro factory, cheese factory, Irani cafes, Parsi food places, etc etc...the list is really long. Red brick house is also a must visit 

Lake No. 12 - Pawna Lake, Lonavala

Closest to Mumbai, Lonavala is like a must visit every year for some reason or the other. A little ahead of the main Lonavala hill station is Pawna Lake. It is the perfect place to set camp and enjoy a night under the stars... You can also do a short trek to the Tung Fort if you wish some adventure. Make sure you go with food as there are no restaurants nearby.

How to Reach - 3 hour drive from Mumbai... From Lonavala main market it is one hour away. Its even ahead of the the famous tiger point of Lonavala

How Many Days - One night two days is good to chill in this place. Of you are exhausted of city life then can stay 2 nights too

Where to Stay- Club Mahindra Tungi Resort is an amazing place to stay that offers the perfect view of Pawna Lake with n infiniti pool too... Or you can go camping at the lakeside.

Lake No. 13 - Nanital Lake, Uttarakhand

A very pretty Lake of Uttarakhand, but unfortunately highly commercialized. Bhimtal and Naukuchiatal are also nearby which are equally commercial now. I am sure everyone who visits Uttarakhand plans a stay here. I had visited this place in 2004 and even then it was very famous and the mall road was full of Tourists. This place is famous for its handmade candles and some temples. It is not recommended to stay in Nanital itself as its not peaceful, look for options in Bhimtal or Naukuchital for a little offbeat stay.

How to Reach- Its a six to seven hour drive from Delhi to reach Nanital, one of the nearest hill stations. Bhimtal is an hour away from Nanital. It is recommended to hire a car and go or self drive. There are many buses that take an overnight journey to Nanital too.

How Many Days- 3 to 4 days is a must to stay in Nanital. You can also club the trip with Jim Corbett National park and enjoy for a week.

Lake No 14- Man Sagar Lake, Jaipur

Named after Man Singh of Jaipur, the Man Sagar Lake is a picturesque lake with the Jal Mahal at its center. It has a nice walking street around it where artefacts, handicrafts and street food are sold. The lake is way prettier when seen at at night than in the day. If you are staying in Jaipur, a drive to this lake at night is a must! 

How to Reach- You can Reach Jaipur by Train, Flight, Road, etc. Hire any Ola, Uber to go to this Lake..Spend an evening in the lakeside.
You can also hitch a ride on the tuk-tuks or foot peddled rickshaws!

How Many Days- You need 3-4 days to cover whole of Jaipur. This lake is  part of the city tour.

Where To Stay- From luxuriously lavish palaces to Hostels and cozy homestays Jaipur has it all. The best amongst the palaces is Rambagh Palace in the heart of the city to the zostel or bed and breakfast available all around Jaipur which are way economical. You can also try the good nightlife, if you stay in the main city like Jaipur Adda.

PS: A visit to the famous bapu bazar is a must for shopping, to try the matka lassi and the spicy Indian chaat.
For the non-vegetarians, the famous Jaipur Laal maas (Lamb marinated in spices and cooked in a spicy red curry) is a must try.

Lake No. 15- Nakki Lake, Mount Abu

A nice and quiet hill station in Rajasthan. Mount Abu is only 4 hours away from Ahmedabad and 3 hours away from Udaipur. It is a peaceful place to unwind for a weekend. Nakki lake is right in the middle of the hill station. It is famous for a rock structure near the lake which is in the shape of a toad. The view of the lake from this toad rock is amazing. You can also enjoy boating at this lake as it is a commercial hill station bustling with tourist.

How To Reach- You can either go via Ahmedabad or Udaipur. It has to be a road trip from there. There are buses that go from both places too.

How Many Days- 2-3 Days are enough to enjoy Mount Abu...There are many cafes and restaurants to enjoy good food.

Where To Stay- Mount Abu has many hotels and resorts which offer rooms with a lake view.