When Travelers plan their first visit in Ladakh, they usually plan for Pangong and Nubra for obvious reasons, both are Tourist friendly But if you want to explore the raw, untouched, silent Beauty- Go for Tso Moriri.
Tso moriri is a beautiful lake with an altitude of 4,522 m ( 14836 ft.) (Yes, Higher than Pangong Lake ).It is one of the largest high altitudes lakes in India in the Trans-Himalayan bio-geographic region. The Lake is about 16 miles ( 26 km) in length and 3- 5 Km wide.
Day one - We have booked a shared taxi for our Tso moriri visit. The taxi fare was 2500 rs per person ( the Fare in Leh- Ladakh is fixed, no Bargaining available). At 8 in the morning, we were all set, along with our 3 fellow travelers to visit beautiful Lake we always wanted to see.
Not many tourists visit Tso moriri- so the village was silent, lots of options were available for stay. We decided to stay in Camps ( Price - 1500 per person including food ) and left for the Lake Because it was already 5:30 and sunset is about to happen.
Do you all ever felt that the lake, sea, river looks nearer from our eyes but when you start moving you realize that you were very wrong - we felt this way
Day 2 - we woke up early, sat outside to see the lake view, and the sunrise. We haven't carry an extra pair of clothes because we were pretty sure we will not change our clothes or take a bath ( as per our experience in Pangong ). We freshened up, had our yummiest breakfast and ready to visit the village, we met some more locals clicked few pictures with them and we were all set to go back to Leh with our Angel bhaiya.
The Time we reached, its already getting dark and there was no one near to the lake. We have decided to spend some time, see the mesmerizing view and then head back to camp.
While you are single and traveling, you always wish to meet a smart Guy/Girl or maybe some good friends during the trip but nothing like this happened with us. Let me tell you more about our fellow travelers, there was a couple from Italy ( age of 45) and a crazy uncle from Delhi ( much annoying ) and yes our Driver Bhaiya- Stazin.
Annoying Uncle had a Digi camera and he started taking pictures as soon as we started our Journey, The UNSTOPPABLE Uncle told us Nonstop stories. ( I forgot to mention, I was traveling with my best travel Partner "Anjali", we both met in a bag-packing trip to Himachal and became friends immediately ) . The Journey was full of landscapes ( this is the best part about Ladakh, everywhere there is a landscape).
When we were about to reach Tso moriri, there was a small lake which comes first "Kyagar Tso"( See the picture below, which we loved the most ).
At 5 pm we have reached the village, we asked our Driver bhaiya to drop annoying uncle first and then we will look for our camps or someplace to Stay, Driver bhaiya was so nice and he didn't like the uncle too. :P
We thought that the lake is near to our campsite but it was not true. there was no exact way to go there, it was open field, completely muddy and water was flowing in between.
As soon as we started our journey back to camp, we suddenly realize one thing. There is no direct route to reach our camps. It was dark, the place was muddy and we hardly can see our way. It was scary. We Tried to Find our way all of a sudden we saw someone waving. Here comes our Angel Bhaiya ( Driver Bhaiya ). He was looking for us.
He said, " I thought you both may be lost your way and it's already dark it's my responsibility to make you both feel safe". Later he Continued "Don't feel that you both are alone I will be near to this place and you can call me anytime, Don't sleep with a scary thought. You both are completely safe here" That moment we changed his name to Angel Bhaiya - His words made us feel secure.
Local people also prepared tasty food for us, we got a hot water bottle, some warm blankets, heater, etc. Everyone cared for us like family.
While coming back we had stopped in may point.
1. We stopped at Tsokar Lake in midway - not much to see coz when we reached Tsokar, There is no Lake ( i mean no water only Land )
2. We stopped at Taglang La Pass, there were few army guys who were posing at that pass. It was fun to watch them.
3. We stopped at Thiskay Monastery ( Annoying Uncle recommendation ) but we loved that, the monastery was beautiful and very very peaceful.
Location - Tsomori Lake is 240 Kms from Leh and there are two routes to visit this place.
You can reach Tso Moriri from Leh by road via Upshi – Chumathang – Mahe route. Tso Moriri Lake is also connected from Pangong lake directly by Chusul – Tsaga La – Loma – Mahe route.
You can also travel to Tso Moriri lake from Manali Leh Highway via Tso Kar – Puga – Sumdo route. The diversion point to Tso Moriri from Manali Leh Highway is Debring just before Tanglang La pass.
You cannot make a day trip from Leh to Tso Moriri lake as it will be very hectic and not worth it. Hence, you should plan for a two day trip to Tso Moriri from Leh.
Where to Stay - You cannot find accommodation on the banks of the lake because it is restricted to pitch the camps there being a Ramsar site wetland reserve and sanctuary for migratory birds. You can pitch the tents near the other tented colonies pitched just before Korzok village or find accommodation in Korzok village.
Phone connectivity - You will not find any phone or mobile signals at Tso Moriri Lake. The only postpaid connections work in Leh Ladakh and BSNL have the widest coverage followed by Airtel and Reliance Jio.