#pangong

After descending from Chang La, the road continues through green fields where wild horses graze and little Himalayan marmots come out to sunbathe and play. And then you catch the first glimpse of the bright blue waters and the rocky lakeshore.

Pangong Travel Permits and Accommodation near Pangong Tso

Most of Pangong Lake is in the Chinese-controlled territory. Because of Pangong’s proximity to the disputed border region, tourists are only allowed to visit the lake as far as Spangmik village. You will also need an Inner Line Permit to visit Pangong. Travel agents in Leh arrange permits, and this is the same seven-day permit that also allows you to travel to the Nubra Valley and other sensitive areas. Foreign tourists should travel in a group of four, but travel agents can put groups together. It is best to carry least 5-6 copies because the permit is checked several times on the route to the lake and every checkpoint will keep one copy.

The same travel agents that arrange permits also arrange jeep tours to Pangong Tso. You can visit Pangong on a day trip from Leh if you don’t mind a lot of driving on mountain roads in one day, but a day trip leaves you very little time by the lake, and you might be driving back in the dark. When I visited a couple of years ago, there was basic accommodation in (and along the way to) Spangmik, mainly in tent camps and in local houses. Most Pangong Lake accommodation comes (or did when I was there) without running water or electricity. There are guesthouses in Tangtse village, about 40 km from the lake, as well as a few restaurants.

At this altitude, it gets cold at night so bring warm clothes (an extra fleece and a hat will come in handy) and a warm sleeping bag. You might also want to carry snacks and a torch (flashlight).

Responsible Travel to Pangong Tso

As remote areas such as the Pangong Lake open to tourism, the consequences can be catastrophic if we don’t respect the environment and the people who live in these beautiful areas. The environment around Pangong is fragile, and it is already suffering from increasing amounts of visitors. According to WWF India, increasing tourism to wetlands such as the Pangong Lake can affect the breeding of waterfowls, disturb wild animals, increase pollution along trekking routes and campsites, increase pressure on grazing lands and cause problems such as rubbish dumping into streams and in marmot burrows.