Travel Tips

The best time to visit Lake Namtso is between June and September. It is the rainy season. Due to the high altitude and seasonal changes, the snowy season comes in October or November. By then, the mountainous roads as far as the lake will be blocked by heavy snowfall and ice. 

Lhasa-Dangxiong-Namtso Highway has been opened in 2006. The road is wide, therefore, different from the past, tourists do not need to on board a 4WD jeep that travels on the hilly and dangerous paths. You just have to get on a passenger van of a certain local travel agency in Lhasa as far as the Lake Namtso directly. It departs around 7AM local time, at the eastern gate of the Potala Palace. 

At 10AM, the passenger van stops by the side of the highway, you may rest at a sightseeing pavilion in Nyingqen Tanglha Mountain at an altitude of 4,630 meters above sea level.

The van climbs higher to 5,190 meters at half-past eleven, which the highest point of this tour route. You are advised to take pictures as quickly as possible because the local nomads will charge you a lot if they discover your cameras and digital camcorders! 

Entering the Namtso scenic area, a ticket is required for 80 Yuan. The van driver will buy it for you. After a relatively brief tour of the magnificent and heavenly lake, return to the van at half-past three in the afternoon. If you want to stay longer, you can tell the driver. Staying on Zhaxi Peninsular (charge 5 Yuan administration fee) by the side of the lake overnight is excellent too. You can get on the van for return at 3:30PM the following day.

It is advised that Namtso is at elevation of a thousand meters higher than that of Lhasa, therefore, for your health and safety, adequate drugs for altitude sickness are must. Roaming round the great lake is overwhelming but be careful your steps with slow walking paces. Wear enough clothes, because the temperature is quite low even in midsummer, and hailstorm often occurs too. Tents for rent are available in Zhaxi Peninsular, also some expensive hostel rooms with facilities of so-so quality.

Legend 

It is said that the Lake Namtso is the daughter of Magmatron King and the wife of the Nyainqen Tanglha Mountain Range. One bright, sunny day, when the Awful-faced God, who was living on a hill located in the north of the Lake Namtso, on his way to hunting, he saw a black snake and a white snake fighting so fiercely with each other. At that time, the white one had been more powerful that it was shaking the black counterpart in the air with head in its mouth. However, when the Awful-faced God returned with stuff of prey, the battle situation had been reversed. The white snake was on the brink of death. The god thought that the white one was the God and the black was the Evil One. So that he used his big sword to kill the black snake and saved the white. 

A few days later, the god saw a battle between good and evil again when he was going out. This time, a white skinned wild bull was fighting with a black one. The white was as if a towering snow mountain that was very powerful and the black one had been overpowered. When the god returned, the vigor was on the side of the black bull, who regarded by the god as evil. The black bull’s nostrils were emitting dense, grey smoke and its tongue was like a fire belt. The white bull had been hit on the ground. The Awful-faced God killed the black bill and saved the life of the white. 

The Nyainqen Tanglha Mountain God visited the Awful-faced God’s home where he just returned. The mountain god had become a man in white clothes carrying a sword in the left hand and riding a horse. 

“Hello my friend, you have helped me so much. I am to offer you three things you want.” The mountain god said to the Awful-faced God. “I did not help you anything, and I do not want anything from you either.” The god answered in a surprised way. 

“No, my dear friend, the white snake and the white bull you saved are my divine animals. I must gratefully reward your heroic deeds,” explained the mountain god. 

“Well, it is good!” The Awful-faced God said. 

The Nyainqen Tanglha Mountain God opened all the doors of a vault, allowing the Awful-faced God only to choose and take three things he liked. 

The vault of the mountain god collected much gold and silver jewelry. The Awful-faced God was very happy but did not know how to choose. He randomly took something there with his eyes closed. First, he touched salt, took it and spread to the northern soil. He told the mountain god, “I hope the salt will be helpful to mankind.” Second choice, he touched alkali substance. Also spreading to the northern soil, he said again, “I hope this will be helpful to mankind.” The last was a kind of rough stuff, he spread to the north, but this was the bacillus of anthrax disease! 

The peasants were so glad to see the Awful-faced God spreading salt and alkali to the vast pastureland of northern Tibetan Plateau, but sadly, the anthrax bacillus harmed a lot!

Attractions

There are five scenic islands in the Lake Namtso. It is said that they are the incarnation of Five Dhyani Buddhas that people with Buddhist faith traditionally worshipped. 

The Guest Reception Stone is the “door god” of the Heavenly Lake Namtso. A legend goes that Namtso is a goddess. She administrated the wealth in the steppe of northern Tibet, so that every businessman who wanted to go abroad to make money would pray in front of the goddess. If the goddess agreed, he might also go to the Lake Namtso for further pilgrimage. 

The Stone of Joining Palms is also called Mom and Dad Stone. It is said that it is the joint incarnation of legendary father Nyainqen Tanglha Mountain and mother Namtso Lake also symbolizing their unswerving love. Some people think that this stone is the prayer image of Master Lianhuasheng, the founder of the Nyingma Sect. 

The Cave of Good and Evil means that in Tibetan Buddhism, like other religions, stating the God knows all what you have done, whatever good or evil. Righteous people of different weights and heights can pass through the small cave easily and smoothly, but not for the ones who have wrongdoings. For the latter, they have to self-reflect. However, don’t be afraid if you have not passed smoothly, the Cave of Good and Evil is just an alarm bell which the Buddha tolled to our too-worldly people.