Mountain Lake of Ladakh

Increasing number of tourists in Ladakh is a positive sign for Ladakh Tourism. Ladakh is famous for trekking to marvelous location of geographical importance and adventurous sports.

Ladakh is amazing and wonderful beauty of the precious treasure of India; it is the pride of beautiful Lakes and high mountains with neat and clean environment which provides psychological freshness in tourists’ mind.

Mountain Lake of Ladakh 

Tso Moriri a.k.a.Lake Moriri is one of the marvelous locations of geographical importance of Ladakh. It is one of the most suitable places for Jeep Safari and trekking in Ladakh. The Tso Moriri Lake is situated in the Changthang (northern plains of Ladakh) area at the altitude of 4,595 meter to the southeast of Leh in Eastern Ladakh. It is situated at a distance of 215 kilometer by road from Leh. It is the largest of the High Altitude Lakes in the Trans-Himalayan region, entirely within India.

Tso MoririLake is pinpointed between Ladakh, Tibet and Zanskar in the north, east and west respectively. There was an outlet to the south of the Lake which has slimmed slowly and continuously; and has become land to hem the flow of water. So water changes its quality of saline to brackish. Snow covered mountain peaks of Changthang plateau’s geographical setting is the source of water for the Lake.

This Lake was salty before 1959. In the earlier days, local people had extracted from the Lake to sell in Leh market. Nowadays its water is alkaline.

Summer season (June to September) is an ideal time to visit for tourists because heavy snowfall blocks the trekking route for rest of the months. It is also known as Mountain Lake. It is a beautiful and peaceful place in an amazing site amidst mountain ranges for tourists to relax. Its length is about 25 km from north to south and about 4 km in breadth and its average depth is about 120 feet, but the maximum depth of Tso Moriri goes up to 240 feet.

Tso PangongLake is larger than Tso Moriri Lake. Mountain Lake is more beautiful in some ways due to fact that area surrounding this Lake is a wildlife reserve and one can enjoy wildlife tour in Ladakh,  where tourists can see Tibetan wild ass, (Kiang), marmots, Bharal (blue sheep), hare, voles, red foxes and many species of migratory birds. The Snow Leopard and the Tibetan Grey Wolf are seen in a very few number. Jeep safaris have been known to chase wildlife such as Kiang and approach close to the breeding ground.

There is a regular bus service operated by J&K SRTC from Manali to Korzok. Tourists can hire local taxi from Leh Taxi Union. Enthusiast young bike riders can book bike for themselves from bike rental shops at the Old Post Office Road or ask your hotel management to arrange it.

There are two routes to reach Mountain Lake of Ladakh; but another is rugged and dangerous:

Leh to Tso Moriri :

Leh – Upshi – Chumathang – mahe – Puga – Tso Moriri.

The first half is on tar road and makes for a comfortable drive.  There is a small stretch of road which is rough owing to the rugged terrains of the region. It is advisable to engage local skilled driver for Jeep Safari in this route.

Plan your vacation now, call us on 1800-103-2228 (toll free in India) or visit our website http://www.destination-doorstep.com/leh/

FLORA AND FAUNA OF LADAKH

Flora is a Latin word which means goddess of flowers and Fauna was sister of Faunus, a good spirit of the forest and plains. Flora and Fauna refer to plant and wild life respectively. The indigenous plant and wildlife of a geographical region is often referred to as that region’s flora and fauna.

FLORA AND FAUNA OF LADAKH

Flora and Fauna of Ladakh were first studied by Ferdinand Stoliczka, an Austrian Palaeontologist, who carried out a massive expedition in the region in the 1870s. Flora and Fauna of Ladakh are in keeping with the mountainous nature of region. The Flora and Fauna of Ladakh have much common with those of Central Asia generally, and especially those of the Tibetan plateau.

There are hardly any trees and vegetation in sight in much of Ladakh, except for the few narrow valleys, where wild roses, willow groves and some herbs could be seen. However, above that, due to rapid decrease in tempreture, vegetation becomes stunted and sparse. An exception to this is birds. Ladakh has a great diversity of birds, a total of 225 species have been recorded, many of them that migrate from the warmer parts of India to spend summer in Ladakh. Among  Ladakh’s  most  important Fauna are bactarian camel, brown bear, Ladakh urial, lynx, red fox, syberian ibex,  snow leopard, Tibetan antelope, Tibetan argali, Tibetan gazelle, Tibetan wild ass, Tibetan wolf, wild dog, and wild yak.

Many species of finches, robins, red starts and the hoopoe are common in summer.  The brown headed gull and resident water birds include the brahminy duck [ruddy Sheldrake] bar headed goose can be seen in summer on the river Indus and some lakes of Changthang. The black headed crane, a rare species is also found in Ladakh. Other bird species are raven, red billed chough, Tibetan snow cock and chukar can be seen in summer in Ladakh.

The lammergeyer and golden eagle, common raptors are found here.

Did you know:-Only 200 Leopards are surviving in Ladakh. But you can see their foot print in winter only.