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Pangong Lake, Ladakh

A Trip to the Pangong Lake in Ladakh, India

Posted on July 8, 2005November 12, 2021

Pangong Lake was nothing like anything I had ever seen. It was my first glimpse of a high altitude lake and it will forever remain special. And to think that we almost missed it. Our original plan was to trek in Ladakh. But it was not meant to be. I had to give up the trek as I developed a furiously upset stomach. And a furiously upset stomach is no good on an ordinary day at an ordinary altitude, it is completely crushing to have it on a trek at an altitude.

As we cut short the trek, we had a few days to roam around before we headed back. That is how the plan to visit the Pangong Lake was hatched.The Pangong lake is 150 km away from Leh. One has to hire a taxi (preferably shared, as it reduces the cost) for this journey. One the way one crosses the mighty Changla pass, the second highest motor able road in the world at 17800 feet. The lake forms a border between India and China. One third of the lake is in India and the rest in China. As we were heading towards Changla I was wondering why it was so difficult to breathe! At 17800 feet it was an effort for me to simply breathe. Indian army is stationed there.

Pangong Lake, Ladakh, 2005
Pangong Lake, Ladakh, 2005

The first site of the lake was, well the first sight of the lake! There is no denying it was a lake of magnificent proportions. Way back in 2005 it was not too popular with tourists. I remember two army men stationed there, who told me they were so used to the view at the lake. They were longing for their homes, rather than this view!

I can only wonder how the other lake in Ladakh , Tso Mo Ri Ri would be like? I could not visit it but I will go back someday.

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7 thoughts on “A Trip to the Pangong Lake in Ladakh, India”

  1. Mridula says:
    July 9, 2005 at 6:06 pm

    Thanks a lot for dropping by on my blog.Some more information about Ladakh that I wrote can be found athttp://www.epinions.com/content_189163146884The trick to finding a cheap hotel in Ladakh is by staying away from the main market and the Fort road. The hotels in by lanes are cheaper. We stayed in a place called hotel Khayul, ask anyone and they will know. The hotel was very basic but mostly clean and full. I am sure there are many such places in Leh. Our rent was Rupees 200 per day.But as of now I thik the roads (both from manali and Srinagar) are closed, due to rain please check about it before leaving unless you plan to fly both ways.

    Reply
  2. Anonymous says:
    July 11, 2005 at 4:28 am

    Mesmerizing!_vaibhav

    Reply
  3. Mridula says:
    July 11, 2005 at 5:11 am

    Thanks a lot for your comment Vaibhav, but you did not leave a link to your page.

    Reply
  4. Pooja Aggarwal says:
    July 23, 2005 at 5:37 pm

    Mridula, My husband and I love travelling too and loved your blog. The pictures are very well taken and as one reviewer said – Mesmerizing.Ladakh is now on our wishlist for when we visit India next.Here is a link to our travel blog.www.poojaaggarwal.blogspot.com

    Reply
  5. Mridula says:
    July 23, 2005 at 8:29 pm

    Hi Pooja,Thanks a lot for stopping by. ladakh is breath taking, make it a point to visit. However it is extremely hard to reach, so travel one way by air. But the Manali-Leh road is so beautiful that one way, one has to go by road, if it is not too tough.

    Reply
  6. Anonymous says:
    June 20, 2006 at 2:08 pm

    lovely pics, i should be in leh on the 30th, will be bussing it from delhi. wish there’s a cheap way to travel to pangong lake, there’s two of us, and renting a whole taxi sounds prohibitive. also ive heard there are guesthouse(s) on the shore of the lake for an overnight stay. lets see. if there was anything you wanted to do on your trip to leh but didnt have the time or luck please let me know.ajay [email protected]

    Reply
  7. Mridula says:
    January 19, 2007 at 7:06 am

    Ajay, I am so sorry, I saw your comment quite late. Hope you had a wonderful trip to Ladakh.

    Reply

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About Me

I am Mridula Dwivedi and I started this blog in 2005. It has been an amazing ride. I have visited 33 countries till date! I have worked with many tourism boards and prominent travel companies. My blog was featured on the BBC and the Guardian.

I did my Ph.D. from IIT Kanpur. I worked full time in academics till 2015! I quit my job as a professor, thinking I will take a break for one year, which turned into five.

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