Tso Kar, Leh, Ladakh

Tso Kar, Leh, Ladakh

Tso Kar Park is a fluctuating Salt Lake situated in the Rupshu Plateau and valley in Leh District in the southern part of the Union Territory of Ladakh, India. It is called as white or salty lake as numbers of salt dunes are deposited all over the shore of the lake. It is one of the three important high-altitude lakes in the Ladakh region and is the smallest of all three lakes. This lake is also recognised as India's 42nd Ramsar site.

The Lake

Tso Kar is a fluctuating salt lake known for its size and depth situated in the Rupshu Plateau and valley. It is located at an altitude of about 4,660 meters (15,280 feet) in the Changthang region of Ladakh. The name Tso Kar means white lake, because of the white salt efflorescence found on the margins due to the evaporation of highly saline water. It lies between the Zanskar range in the southwest and the Ladakh range in the northeast, south of the Indus river. Tso Kar Basin is the basin of a former large freshwater lake. The water spread has contracted into two principal waterbodies, Startsapuk Tso, a freshwater lake of about 300 ha to the south, and Tso Kar itself, a hypersaline lake of 2,200 ha to the north. The Tso Kar is connected by an inlet stream at its south-west end to Startsapuk Tso. Startsapuk-Tso is fed by perennial springs and snow and attains a maximum depth of 3 m in July and August, when it overflows northwards into Tso Kar.

Both the lakes together form the 9 km2 More plains pool, which is dominated by the peaks of two mountains, Thugje (6,050 m) and Gursan (6,370 m). From the geology of the More Plains, it can be concluded that the Tso Kar in historical times ranged up to this high valley. The local climate is arid, and glacial meltwater is the primary water source for the lakes. The lakes are frozen over from November to April. Until a few years ago the lake was an important source of salt, which the Changpa nomads used to export to Tibet. The nomadic settlement of Thugje is located 3 kms in the north. There is a tented camp on the west bank of the lake which provides accommodation for tourists. Groups of nomads can be seen all over the region and a considerable number of livestock including sheep, horse and yak are also seen grazing around the lake.

Flora & Fauna:

The inlets of the Tso Kar are a source of non-saline water. Pondweeds and basic nettles grow at the inlets, forming floating islands of vegetation in the spring and dying off in the winter. Sedge and large numbers of buttercups grow on the shores of Startsapuk Tso and of the tributaries of the Tso Kar, while some parts of the high basin are marked by steppe vegetation interspersed with tragacanth and pea bushes. The shore of Tso Kar is partly covered with a salt crust, which keeps vegetation away from the inflows.

Due to the salinity of the Tso Kar, most of the resident fauna is found in its tributaries and in Startsapuk Tso. The lake acts as an important stopover ground for migratory birds along the Central Asian Flyway and is one of the most important breeding areas in India for the black-necked crane. The prominent birds found in and around the lake are saker falcon, crested grebe, brown-headed gull, bar-headed goose, black necked crane, common tern, Tibetan grouse, ruddy shelduck and tern.

The basin of the Tso Kar and the adjoining More Plains constitute one of the most important habitats of the snow leopard, Asiatic wild dog, Tibetan wild ass (kiang), Tibetan argali, Tibetan gazelle, Tibetan wolf, red fox, Himalayan marmot. Yaks and horses are kept by nomads. Currently the lake basin has no special protection, but there are plans to include it within a national park which may be established in the highlands of south-eastern Ladakh.

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://explore-natural-beauty-of-india.blogspot.com/2025/07/tso-kar-leh-connectivity.html

Location