Yamdrok Yumtso Lake
Yamdrok Yumtso Lake
5
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Top ways to experience Yamdrok Yumtso Lake
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
5.0
241 reviews
Excellent
188
Very good
46
Average
4
Poor
2
Terrible
0
xcschlr
Milwaukee, WI925 contributions
Jun 2024 • Couples
When we were planning our trip, I was not sure whether it was worth the hours of drive to go to this lake, as the mountains in the photos seemed barren. When we arrived at the lake, however, I found the scenery to be gorgeous. It was also interesting to see fish and waterfowl in such a high-altitude saltwater lake and yaks roaming the shores.
Written August 28, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KodoDrummer
Buenos Aires, Argentina70,580 contributions
Oct 2020
Picturesque area. A 72-kilometers lake, winding itself through mountains at an elevation close to 5,000 meters. The sign carved into a natural rock by the lake indicates an elevation of 4,998 meters.
Written December 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
vmimartins
Guimaraes, Portugal1,529 contributions
Aug 2011
Yamdrok lake – stunning blue water on a almost desert mountain background... if the weather allows, the snow capped mountains are a complement to the beautiful scenario
On the way, enjoy the view of the Lhasa river, and the Yaks – by the lake you can take pictures with a Yak – If you like it.
No problem with the altitude (4,440 meters - 14,570 feet)
Yamdrok is one of the three holy lakes in Tibet so I felt blessed to be able to visit it.
On the way, enjoy the view of the Lhasa river, and the Yaks – by the lake you can take pictures with a Yak – If you like it.
No problem with the altitude (4,440 meters - 14,570 feet)
Yamdrok is one of the three holy lakes in Tibet so I felt blessed to be able to visit it.
Written September 15, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
13mak
malaysia59 contributions
Sep 2016 • Friends
The drive from Lhasa through snaking mountain roads needed over two hours to reach the Yamdrok Yumtso Lake. So overall you probably will need a traveling time of about 4 hours. At the end of the gruelling drive or a vehicle ride you see a patch of turquoise water representing the lake. Entrance fee was paid for by our guide (the writer is not able to identify the entrance fee).
But once you are up there, the only thing you see is this patch of coloured water. While to some it may appear special but if you have been to Jiuzhaigou, this is nothing special.
The most dangerous - YES, DANGEROUS!!! - is the tribes people out to fleece visitors and even resort to physical violence to threaten visitors to pay a certain fee.These unscrupulous people, purposely positioned their Yak (woolly bulls) and Tibetan Mastiffs (huge dogs) along the edge where one can have a good vantage point of the lake. Anyone taking photos of the lake and accidentally including their Yaks and dogs in the images will be threatened and forced for pay 10 Yuan (CNY or RMB) ...and if you take videos, and cover the expanse of the lake from one side to the other vantage point, many of these cheaters will converge onto you and threaten you to pay up 10 Yuan for each animal included in your videos.
My humble advice is this lake, while is quite nice, has nothing else to offer but a long drive there and back, the possibilities of getting fleeced, threatened and even physically handled into paying for something yo have no intention of having (that is accidentally including those poor animals in your images).
My conclusion is DO NOT VISIT THIS PLACE.
These barbarious cheater tribes people are a disgrace to Tibet as a whole.
Postscript : We went as a group of seven - one woman was roughly manhandled by a tribes woman and forced to pay 10Yuan because of her dog appearing in the photo (they will stealthily creep up behind you to look at your images), one man was even physically roughened up with his camera flung to the ground by a violent tribesman for taking a photo of the lake with a yak partially appearing in the photo (because they were purposely placed at strategic points so when you take a photo, you inadvertently include some part of at least one animal in your photo) when he didn't want to pay the 10 yuan, another man taking a video was forced to pay 80 Yuan because the video shoot included 8 animals inside.
If this is Tibet, this location is the epitome of blatant cheating, and definitely stinks to high heavens (roof of the world! bah!).
The writer firmly believes the government should be more responsible for the well-being of visitors and holiday-makers if China wants to be a part of world tourism.
But once you are up there, the only thing you see is this patch of coloured water. While to some it may appear special but if you have been to Jiuzhaigou, this is nothing special.
The most dangerous - YES, DANGEROUS!!! - is the tribes people out to fleece visitors and even resort to physical violence to threaten visitors to pay a certain fee.These unscrupulous people, purposely positioned their Yak (woolly bulls) and Tibetan Mastiffs (huge dogs) along the edge where one can have a good vantage point of the lake. Anyone taking photos of the lake and accidentally including their Yaks and dogs in the images will be threatened and forced for pay 10 Yuan (CNY or RMB) ...and if you take videos, and cover the expanse of the lake from one side to the other vantage point, many of these cheaters will converge onto you and threaten you to pay up 10 Yuan for each animal included in your videos.
My humble advice is this lake, while is quite nice, has nothing else to offer but a long drive there and back, the possibilities of getting fleeced, threatened and even physically handled into paying for something yo have no intention of having (that is accidentally including those poor animals in your images).
My conclusion is DO NOT VISIT THIS PLACE.
These barbarious cheater tribes people are a disgrace to Tibet as a whole.
Postscript : We went as a group of seven - one woman was roughly manhandled by a tribes woman and forced to pay 10Yuan because of her dog appearing in the photo (they will stealthily creep up behind you to look at your images), one man was even physically roughened up with his camera flung to the ground by a violent tribesman for taking a photo of the lake with a yak partially appearing in the photo (because they were purposely placed at strategic points so when you take a photo, you inadvertently include some part of at least one animal in your photo) when he didn't want to pay the 10 yuan, another man taking a video was forced to pay 80 Yuan because the video shoot included 8 animals inside.
If this is Tibet, this location is the epitome of blatant cheating, and definitely stinks to high heavens (roof of the world! bah!).
The writer firmly believes the government should be more responsible for the well-being of visitors and holiday-makers if China wants to be a part of world tourism.
Written September 17, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alvin W
Hong Kong, China33 contributions
Apr 2015 • Couples
I cannot stress how beautiful and mystical this place is. A lot of the reviewers before me have already described it well enough. Taking some HDRs of the top view of the lake was very fruitful.
One advice that may be useful is that, if you are lucky enough to have hired a private driver for a small group rather than on a tour bus, I would suggest starting the day trip a bit early in advance to beat the tour bus crowd both for the views from top and bottom of the lake. There are some stops in between for you to take photos with domesticated yaks and Tibetan mastiffs as well (if you are into that sort of thing and provided that you're willing to pay). You will also get a breathtaking, almost private view of the Kharola Glacier at the end of the winding path well before nightfall and your eventual return to Lhasa.
A highly recommended daytrip to see both of these natural wonders.
One advice that may be useful is that, if you are lucky enough to have hired a private driver for a small group rather than on a tour bus, I would suggest starting the day trip a bit early in advance to beat the tour bus crowd both for the views from top and bottom of the lake. There are some stops in between for you to take photos with domesticated yaks and Tibetan mastiffs as well (if you are into that sort of thing and provided that you're willing to pay). You will also get a breathtaking, almost private view of the Kharola Glacier at the end of the winding path well before nightfall and your eventual return to Lhasa.
A highly recommended daytrip to see both of these natural wonders.
Written August 19, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sonia S
London, UK40 contributions
Jan 2015 • Solo
I travelled to Yamdrok Lake during my travel to Tibet in mid Jan.
It's the third largest lake in Tibet 56km in length, stunning colours.
You cannot visit Tibet without visiting Yamdrok Lake.
Amazing experience - attached images xx
It's the third largest lake in Tibet 56km in length, stunning colours.
You cannot visit Tibet without visiting Yamdrok Lake.
Amazing experience - attached images xx
Written March 8, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Phil J
Lille, France69 contributions
Aug 2013 • Couples
Although the lake up close is also quite beautiful, to me, it was really the view of the lake from the mountain pass on the way there that got my full attention. And if you enjoy taking pictures that show deep blue water surrounded by mountains, you might agree. So my advice is to take your time when you make a stop at the mountain pass. Now prepare yourself for the vendors - there will be local people with animals for you to take your picture with. Do, don't, it's up to you. But also just passed the vendors at the start of the road heading down towards the lake is a good location for unobstructed photos. There are also some bathrooms there which you may have to pay to use (a couple of Yuan), but from what my wife told me - since I didn't actually enter - is that they were terrible, and that might be an understatement. Lastly, when you follow the road down towards the lake, you might notice a small building just off the road midway down. Although we didn't stop there ourselves, other visitors had pulled off to stop there. I imagine the view from that location must also have been quite good, so perhaps see if that's possible for you.
Written September 19, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
smerfette
New York City, NY63 contributions
Sep 2011 • Family
Who would've thought that something like this exists at about 15,000 feet above? One of Tibet's holy lakes. I've never seen anything so turquoise, it looks almost unreal! It glistens in the sun, turns more blue or green depending on the sun's position. A magnificent and unique sight. The clouds feel so close as if you could touch it. Depending on the weather, you may see snow capped mountains right behind it. There's a viewing point from above and then you can drive down next to the lake.
Written June 10, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
alohatripper
Honolulu, HI1,746 contributions
Oct 2019
Oct 23
We checked-out of the Shangri-La Lhasa with a small niggle. The hotel insists we booked for 3N, not 2N. We let our TA, China Discovery Tours, work it out.
Before arriving at the Lhasa airport, we swing around to this one of three holy lakes in Tibet.
At nearly 5000 meters above sea level, this is our highest point of the trip. I am still taking the pills I bought at the pharmacy but it doesn't help much.
This area is very beautiful as are most of the landmarks we have seen on this trip. We are surrounded by snow-capped mountains flowing melted snow into the green-jade colored rivers and lakes.
Off the main road are vendors selling jewelry. Annette bought 60 pieces of jewelry from a lucky vendor. She will give them away to friends. I fell down hard when I tried to come down a pedestal holding a huge stone. Fortunately, I am OK.
The only toilet requires a 2 RMB fee, which I quickly paid, but I waited too long regretfully.
Nearby we ate a "Tibetan hamburger." It was far different than what I expected, but it was generous with shredded pork meat and inexpensive at only 11 RMB each.
We checked-out of the Shangri-La Lhasa with a small niggle. The hotel insists we booked for 3N, not 2N. We let our TA, China Discovery Tours, work it out.
Before arriving at the Lhasa airport, we swing around to this one of three holy lakes in Tibet.
At nearly 5000 meters above sea level, this is our highest point of the trip. I am still taking the pills I bought at the pharmacy but it doesn't help much.
This area is very beautiful as are most of the landmarks we have seen on this trip. We are surrounded by snow-capped mountains flowing melted snow into the green-jade colored rivers and lakes.
Off the main road are vendors selling jewelry. Annette bought 60 pieces of jewelry from a lucky vendor. She will give them away to friends. I fell down hard when I tried to come down a pedestal holding a huge stone. Fortunately, I am OK.
The only toilet requires a 2 RMB fee, which I quickly paid, but I waited too long regretfully.
Nearby we ate a "Tibetan hamburger." It was far different than what I expected, but it was generous with shredded pork meat and inexpensive at only 11 RMB each.
Written November 14, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Eduard A
Tokyo, Japan197 contributions
Oct 2019
Travelling from Lhasa to Shigatse (approx. 350 km) one has a choice between National Road No G318 (leads from Shanghai for 5,350 km to the China - Nepal border) i.e. between Lhasa and Shigatse along the Yarlung Tsanpo (Brahamaputra) river or the much more beautiful and faster route over the Kampa-La pass and Nagartse, then over the Karola pass to Gyantse and to Shigatse.
The Kampa- La (La=Pass), at an altitude of 4,998m offers on clear days a spectacular view of Yamzho Yumco (chin.) or Yamdrok Yamtso (tibet.) Altitude of the lake 4,441m. The color of the lake changes according to weather and is always worth the trip. From Kampa-La one has also a spectacular view of Mt. Noijin Kangsan (7.191m) in the far distance. This trip from Lhasa is usually the first step on an Everest sightseeing tour. It is an absolute highlight.
The Kampa- La (La=Pass), at an altitude of 4,998m offers on clear days a spectacular view of Yamzho Yumco (chin.) or Yamdrok Yamtso (tibet.) Altitude of the lake 4,441m. The color of the lake changes according to weather and is always worth the trip. From Kampa-La one has also a spectacular view of Mt. Noijin Kangsan (7.191m) in the far distance. This trip from Lhasa is usually the first step on an Everest sightseeing tour. It is an absolute highlight.
Written November 9, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Not directly relevant to Yamdrok Yumtso Lake but more towards touring around Tibet.
Is it mandatory to get a tour guide to move around in Tibet? If so, how do we go about finding one? And what does the tour package cover/not cover.
Thank you very much in advance!
Written November 13, 2017
Yes, it is mandatory for foreigners to travel with a guide from a registered China tour guide company which will apply for your Tibet permit. There are police checks at various points and the tour guide will collect your passports for inspection. It would be extremely inconvenient to travel backpack style in Tibet. I’m not sure if it is possible. Places of interest are very far apart and some places have no accommodation, public transport is scarce and you are highly unlikely to be able to hitch any rides. We were a group of 10, so we could go on a private tour which was customized to our requirements.
Written November 16, 2017
I would like to know the distance between Lhasa & Yamdrok Lake. How long is the one-way drive & how are the road conditions? I get very confusing information from the internet.
Is the altitude very bothersome at Yamdrok Lake? Is it the same as Lhasa?
Thank you.
Written November 4, 2016
Hi. We took a car with a driver and a guide from Lhasa to Gyantse, with short stops on the banks of Yamdrok Lake, Kamba La Pass (4.794m), Karo La Pass (5.039m) and Sim La Pass (4.330m). Surrounding us, peaks over 7.000m high. The total trip took five hours and I would say Yamdrok Lake and Yamdrok Hydropower Station are about half way to Gyantse. Roads conditions were excellent by that time, and Chinese kept them extremely well. There are many check points on the road and your guide will take all procedures. Sometimes, Chinese guards will want to see you, so you have to step down the car and present your passports and transit-visa in Tibet. Just formalities.
About altitude. I was 60 years old then and altitude was a very heavy burden to me. Continous headaches, very tired (specially after showering), difficulties to breath. Besides that, Tibetan food is very spicy and I always had a hard time looking for something at least mildly spicy. I took liters and liters of ginger tea and ginger soup, as well as Chinese medicines for altitude discomfort. I didn't feel much better after tsking them. But, at least, I didn't get worst. If you have further questions, let me know. Enjoy TibetM
Written November 4, 2016
How much time do you recommend spending at Yamdrok Yumtso Lake? 1-2 hours? 4-5? Thanks!
Written April 25, 2016
1-2 jam seharusnya ok. Jika tubuh anda sudah terbiasa dengan kondisi tipisnya oksigen, silahkan untuk menikmati pemandangan yang menakjubkan lebih lama lagi :)
Enjoy!
Written December 29, 2016
Showing results 1-3 of 3
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing