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
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