Namtso Lake Tours, Namtso Lake Travel Guide 2024/2025

Top Namtso Attractions and Activities

Namtso is not a big area, but it still owns a lot of attractions to fulfill your eyes and mind. The first attraction must be the Namtso Lake which shows the great wonder of nature. Besides, there are magnificent mountains, amazing islands, Buddhist monasteries, boundless prairies, and other plateau animals. These attractions are sure to touch the deepest strings of your heart. The top attractions in Namtso Scenic Area include Namtso Lake, Tashi Dor, Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains and extensive Qiangtang Prairie.

Namtso Lake

Type: Nature, Religious Site

Altitude: 4718 meters

Best time to visit: June to September

Meaning Heavenly Lake, Namtso Lake is really worthy of its name. With shimmering turquoise-like blue water and beautiful riverside spots, Namtso Lake draws nature-lovers to come here in endless stream.

Tashi Dor

Type: Island, Buddhist Site

Altitude: 4718 meters

Best time to visit: June to September

Tashi Dor is a one of the five charming peninsulas protruding in Namtsto Lake. As a attraction and the center of Buddhist activities. Here you can see the magical Guest-greeting Stones and a featured Monastery.

Nyenchen Tanglha

Type: Religious Sites, Nature

Altitude: 6205 meters

Best time to visit: June to September

Close to the ranges of Nyenchen Tanglha, visiting Namtso offers a splendid sight of these peaks. The continuous peaks are always covered by long-lasting snows and leave their inverted image in the water.

Qiangtang Prairie

Type: Nature

Altitude: 5000 meters

Best time to visit: June to September

Qiangtang is one of the five greatest pastures in China and you can enjoy one part of stunning view in Namtso. In this mountain meadow, there are luxury brushes, swarp grass, and some impressive flowers

How to Get to Namtso Lake

Lying in the boundary between Lhasa and Nagchu, Namtso is about 240km to Lhasa and 220km to Nagchu. Despite that no airport, railway station or public bus station is available in the Namtso or nearby, Namtso Lake is no longer hard to be reached.

Lhasa to Namtso: At present, driving to Namtso Lake from Lhasa is the most recommend transportation. Along with G109 National Expressway (Qinghai Tibet Road), you can drive to Damxung County within 4 hours. There are available restaurants where you can have lunch. Then drive to Namtso Lake by the winding road in about 2 hours. The journey on the way takes 5~6 hours from Lhasa to Namtso.

Nagchu to Namtso: A few tourists prefer to get to Namtso from Nagchu, after their train journey from other cities to Nagchu. All the trains to Lhasa take a stop at Nagchu Railway Station, and it needs about 5 hours to drive from Nagchu to Namtso. Read more about Namtso Lake Transportation>
Best Time to Visit Namtso Lake

Because of the high elevation of 4,718 meters and the special geographical location, Namtso Lake owns a special weather and climate. It features with much of wind, strong sunlight, heavily snow in winter, medium precipitation and alpine-arctic. Dure to the frequent snow and low temperature, Namtso Lake is always frozen with thick ice in the winter (Nov. ~ Feb.) and spring (Mar. ~ April). The summer lasts from May to September and enjoys the most comfortable temperature. The autumn in Namtso is very short and the temperature keeps declining.

The best time to visit Namtso Lake starts from June to September when you can enjoy the best weather and temperature. However, it is also very cold at night even in hot summer and some thick clothes are necessary. The sunlight in Namtso Lake are strong all the year around, so remember to wear hat and neckerchief to protect you from sunburn. Read more about Best Time to Visit Namtso>
Where to Accommodate in Namtso Lake

Lots of tourists stay one night in Namtso Lake for the extremely charming sunset, starry sky and sunrise. In order to protect the environment of Namtso Lake, there is no real hotel built in the scenic area. Only tabernacles and tents are available to offer basic accommodation in summer days, with simple facilities, limited water, expensive food and no independent toilets. You are suggested to bring your own toiletries and some food.

For a better rest, you can accommodate in Damxung County, where better and more hotels and restaurants are available. Some relatively good hotels offer parking, free Wi-Fi, heating service, oxygen supply, TV etc. to make you have a comfortable and relaxed experience. It needs 1~2 hours to drive to Namtso Lake from Damxung County. Read more about Namtso Lake Accommodation>

IMPORTANT NOTICE: In order to protect the fragile eco-environment of Namtso Lake, currently it's not available to accommodate near the lake. If you want to stay more time in Namtso Lake, you can accommodate in Damxung County, which is only about 60km away (1.5 hours driving).
Photography in Namtso Lake

Namtso Lake is the first highlight if you want to finish some great photography works. As a mysterious wonder of nature, it unveils its beauty in front of our eyes without any reservation. Climbing to Tashi Peninsula, you can take the spectacular vista of Namtso Lake and catch the sights of various migratory birds.

Apart from the turquoise water and surrounded scenes, sunrise and sunset are the best subjects to shoot. In the early morning or dusk the sunlight sade mingles together and the colors change bizarrely. The snow-capped summit of Nyenchen Tanglha is colored golden by the light. As the wind comes, the surface of lake wrinkles and the prayer flags fly. Just press your button the catch the still or moving scenes. Read more about Namtso Lake Photography

Useful Namtso Travel Notes

1. How to Plan Namtso Lake Travel
Usually, tourists like to extend their Lhasa tour to Namtso. Firstly, Lhasa is can be reached easily from Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Xian, Guangzhou, Kunming etc. and Kathmandu. A classic tour to Namtso Lake need 5~6 days. After four days tour to visit the landmarks of Lhasa, you can spend one or two days on a Namtso Lake journey. If you have more time to explore the nature and culture fully, you can have a longer tour combining Lhasa, Gyantse, Shigatse, Everest and Namtso.
2. High Altitude Sickness Tips
It is easy to suffer from High Altitude Sickness (HAS) for people who haven’t acclimatized themselves well to the plateau especially in the night at Namtso Lake as the lake is located more than 4700 meters above sea level. Our suggestion is that you can spend several days in Lhasa and surrounding area where the altitudes are lower for acclimatization. When your body is ready, you can go to Namtso Lake. If you have no confidence on your physical condition, don’t manage with the effort to stay a night at Namtso Lake because the HAS usually occurs in the night.
3. Wearing and Packages
The temperature in Namtso Lake is much lower than Lhasa, especially at night. After getting to Namtso Lake, you should keep yourself warm all the time. Don’t remove your jacket even the temperature casually or you may catch a cold, which is very dangerous on the plateau. Avoid fast and long walking and other strenuous activities. Take a standby battery with you, because there are too many things to photograph.
4. Necessary Permits for Visiting Namtso Lake
To visit Namtso Lake, you only have to obtain the Tibet Travel Permit (Tibet Entry Permit), issued by Tibet Tourism Bureau. Other permits, such as Alien Travel Permit, Military Permit and Border Pass are not required. Travelers can’t apply for the permit on their own. You have to let a China Travel Agency to apply for the permit on behalf of you. It usually needs about 15~20 days to obtain the permit.

Following are some other recommended tour packages that you may be interested in. All of our Tibet tour packages are customizable to meet your personal requirements. You can also contact us to customize a trip if you want.