Tso Moriri-A lake has a much more mild effect with beauty unmatched, quiet romantic too – not to forget it’s less visited compared to Pangong Tso and hence you’ll find this place more memorable if you are a peace nature lover!
5 reasons why you must visit Tso Moriri(Lake):
- If peace and beauty are the pair you are looking for; you are at the right place!-Less crowded, more beautiful, and more memorable than the lakes in the vicinity.
- The lake changes its color throughout the day, season after season-You won’t get tired watching this unparalleled miracle! It’s worth spending a day or two sitting beside the lake, watching it change colors.
- (Dusk Time)Tso Moriri is at an altitude(15000 ft) higher than Pangong Tso and is more beautiful because this is a wildlife conservation area -you may encounter Tibetan wild ass, marmots, and several migratory birds-so many reasons to turn on your DSLR or your mobile cam-Right!
- Tsomoriri, lapped and nestled in the Changthang area, is the largest of the High Altitude Lakes(HAL)in the Trans-Himalayan biogeographic region.
Location: Tso Moriri or Moriri Lake is 220 km southeast of Leh, about 6 hours drive by a private or shared car and 8-9 hours by state-run buses.
Tourist Attraction on the spot:
Tso Moriri is a place I can’t forget – it’s so scenic and beautiful that you can’t forget! The beautiful reflection of orange sky and gold kissed snow caps on the still Tso Moriri is a view not to be missed. There’s wildlife too so you may be lucky to see some birds by the lakeside and some marmots! A 2-day stay at Tso Moriri is recommended.
Tourist Attraction in Vicinity:
You can visit Hunder, Pangong Tso, Hanle, Khardungla, and Turtuk within a radius of 400 km.
Distance Charts:(From Tso Moriri)
- Leh (220 km)
- Chandigarh:(695 km)
- Delhi:(935 km)
- Kargil:(435 km)
- Padum:(665 km)
- Keylong:(335 km)
- Kaza:(520 km)
- Manali:(405 km)
- Shimla :(645 km)
- Jammu :(800 km)
- Srinagar:(790 km)
How to Reach Tso Moriri(Ex Leh):
Road Routes:
Leh-Shey-Thiksey-Hemis-Upshi-Kiari-Chumathang-Karzok-Tso Moriri Lake viewpoint
IMPORTANT NOTE FROM MY EXPERIENCE:
1) Travel by shared car and spend some time in Tso Moriri. Traveling by Bus makes you bound to return by the next day to Leh (as Bus runs once a week on this route ), and you can’t enjoy it much. Trust me; this place at least needs a whole day!
2)Have a thick woolen jacket for Tso Moriri because, even in June, you’ll feel sub-zero temperatures from dusk itself upto say 8-9 am. It’s pretty chilly by the lakeside!
3) Prefill vehicle oil tanks as petrol pumps are less numbered.
4)Since restaurants are few on the way, it’s better to have food and water with you.
Roads are not that great. All over dusty, but the scenery around compensates for the bad roads. Buses aren’t a great option, but it’s damn cheap!!!
RAIL:Railways is a possibility upto Jammu or Shimla after which it’s all on roads.
You can watch the below video to get a better idea! Do like and share if you find it worth…
AIR:Leh is the nearest airport for Tso Moriri.
ROAD:You first need to come to Leh either through Rohtang Pass(June onwards) from Manali side or from Srinagar side via Zozila Pass. After this, you can either get a shared car through an agent or go by once a week state transport bus.
In case you want to reach from Delhi or Chandigarh, the Shimla-Manali-Leh corridor shall be a better choice in terms of scenery and safety, which will take 3 days with a one-day halt at Keylong to acclimatize. Even from Jammu side, it will take 3 days but acclimatize option can be left out pretty easily.
Map:
Time to Visit:
Early June to Mid-October (There are no rains in June through September here).
Spend Time With:
Family, Friends, Solo, Couple
Food and Lodging:
Hotels are in good numbers and readily available due to less tourist inflow. The hotel pricing is cheap (500 INR in June, which is peak season), and food in these hotels is also available at a reasonable cost. Booking as such isn’t necessary for Tso Moriri accommodation. Have food and water on your bucket list as that will be scarce on the way to Tso Moriri from Leh(You’ll find a few hotels on the way, though!). Goibibo, MakeMyTrip, EaseMyTrip if you want a booking. Zomato and swiggy can be used for food bookings!
Expense:
For a 2-day trip by state transport to Tso Moriri, with one night stay at Tso Moriri, the cost was as follows:
Food: INR 150/person/day(3 times a day)X2
Transport: INR 350 INR by bus(Shared car will cost approx 3000 INR/head)
Lodging: INR 500/day X1 at Tso Moriri (one night stay)
Entry Fees include various places (varies): No entry fees
Blue sheep or bharal on the way to Tso Moriri
Total: 1750 INR(Can go upto to 4500 INR if a shared car is availed)
Nearby Attractions(Tso Moriri) (30-40 kmph is expected speed of vehicle)
- Leh (220 km)
- Diskit (310 km)
- Hunder(320 km)
- Khardungla(Pass)(260 km)
- Turtuk(395 km)
- Pangong Tso Lake:(365 km)
- Hanle:(140 km)
- Kargil:(435 km)
- Padum:(665 km)
- Keylong:(335 km)
- Kaza:(520 km)
- Tabo:(570 km)
- Nako:(630 km)
- Manali:(405 km)
- Chandra taal:(460 km)
- Dalhousie:(650 km)
- Shimla :(645 km)
