Zhari Namtso Lake

Zhari Namtso Lake is the famous State-level wetland of China, located in the northeast part of Choqyen County of Ngari Prefecture of Tibet. It is about 12 kilometers far from Choqyen County and about 500 kilometers far from administrative town of Ngari - Shiquan River Town. And of course, Shiquan River is one of the wonderful highlights of Ngari tour itself. Well, you will easily find Zhari Namtso Lake among the group of peaks of Gangdisê Mountain Range. As you may know, it is the largest water lake of Ngari but also the third large one of Tibet. The acreage of Zhari Namtso Lkae is 1023 square kilometers and the lake altitude is 4613 meters high above the sea level. It stretches about 54 kilometers long from the east to the west, and approximately 20 kilometers wide.

If Zhari Namtso Lake is one of your destinations of Tibet tour plan, you can go via Choqyen County and trek along the east of the valley and then you will find a huge tectonic basin that formed by the plateau uplift change. That is Zhari Namtso Lake. About thousands of years ago, the horrible earthshaking volcanic eruption happened here, which the stratum consists of the ash, lava flow and tephra formed the floating pattern after the Himalayan orogeny. There is an isolated peak named Mono Peak about 5174 meters high and 500 meters above the lake level, standing in front of the north of Zhari Namtso Lake. It is formed by the undersea black limestone about 2-3 hundred million years ago. You are kindly suggested to climb over the top of this peak and you will great enjoy the overlook of Zhari Namtso Lake from here. The magnificent scene will surprise you a lot.

With the wide lake acreage, Zhari Namtso Lake is loved by local Tibetan people because there is a good pasture around. The climate is gentle and the grass flourishes well. If you are lucky enough, you can take great photographs of crowded Tibetan antelopes, Kiang and other wildlife galloping on the endless field around Zhari Namtso Lake. As it is closed for a long time, the water degree of mineralization of Zhari Namtso Lake is high to 13.9 g/l. It is a water lake, hence the aquatic organism is less.