The white salt lake of the nomads
Tso Kar is the 'white lake' — its shores crusted with salt the Changpa once traded across the Himalaya. Now a Ramsar wetland, it pairs stark basin scenery with Ladakh's best accessible wildlife: kiangs sparring on the flats, black-necked cranes in the marshes, and golden light that photographers cross continents for.
Plan my Tso Kar Lake tripWhite margins ring the basin beneath the Thugje hills.
Wild ass roam the flats in the largest numbers in Ladakh.
Cranes, grebes and ruddy shelducks in the brackish marshes.
The vast Morey plains en route are an experience in themselves.
June–September, often combined with Tso Moriri on a Changthang circuit.
Leh → Khardung La → Pangong (day trips)
Leh → Alchi → Nubra → Pangong → Leh
Leh → Nubra → Leh → Pangong → Leh