Ranwu Lake

Ranwu Lake is located in Basu County, Qamdo Prefecture. It is a barrier lake formed after the landslide or the blocking of the river by the debris flow. It is famous for it is near by the Sichuan-Tibet Highway.

Ranwu Lake – Legend

Ranwu Lake covers an area of 22 square kilometers and is about 3850 meters above the sea level. It is the largest lake in eastern Tibet. Ranwu Lake means a lake with piles of bodies in Tibetan. There is a legend goes that there was a buffalo in the lake and an ox on the lakeshore. Both of them were dead after a strength competition between them. Their bodies turned to two mountains and Ranwu Lake arose between the two mountains.

Ranwu Lake is surrounded by mountains covered with snow. These mountains supply water for Ranwu Lake. The lake has been an important source of Parlung Zangbo River – an important tributary of Yarlung Zangbo River.

Ranwu Lake – Tourism Resources

There is a large meadow on the lakeshore of Ranwu Lake. It forms an amazing natural picture with the clean water and the snow-capped mountains. The lake stretches more than 10 kilometers toward the west and shrinks into a narrow river valley. The color of the water changes with the season and presents different landscapes. There are numerous rocks and small islands act as decorations of Ranwu Lake. Tourists would feel like in a dreamlike spot and would be slaves of the beautiful landscapes.

Walk along the Parlung Zangbo River, there is a small village called Wa Village, about ten kilometers away from Ranwu Town. The constructions in the village are of typical architectural style of the southeast Tibet. These buildings were constructed with wood, even the roofs were covered with wood. This village is a good place for photographing since there is plateful Tibetan atmosphere. It is the very place where you could catch one the real characteristics of Tibet.

Ranwu Lake – Religion Culture

Located at the connecting area of Tibet, Sichuan, Yunnan and Qinghai provinces, Ranwu Lake integrated various religion cultures. Qamdo Prefecture has been the transmission area of the religions in Tibet and was praised as holy area.

Both in the religious etiquettes and religious architectures, Qamdo Prefecture played important role in Tibetan religion. There are four main sects of Tibetan Buddhism in Qamdo Prefecture. Besides, the original religion in Tibet – Tibetan Bon, Catholicism and Islam are also transmitted in this area.