Lake Namtso, a mountain lake at an elevation of4, 874 meters on the border between Damxung County and Bangoin County, is a resounding name for everyone in Tibet and other Tibetan inhabited areas Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, and Yunnan. It’s one of the highest lakes in the world and the second-largest saline lake in China. It is regarded as the purest holy lake by the Tibetans. Year in and year out countless pilgrims, tourists, and explorers have been drawn here by its fairyland-like scenery and mythical tales.
For thousands of years, the Tibetans have seen the mountains, rivers and all things on their homeland spiritual beings. The plateau is full of beautiful legends. In Tibetan, Namtso means “heavenly lake”. It is one of the most sacred holy lakes.
Lake Namtso lies at an elevation of 4, 874 meters and extends from east to west. It is 70 kilometres in length and 30 kilometres in width. It is the largest and highest lake in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Among China’s saline lakes, its surface area is second only to the Qinghai Lake. Lake Titicaca in South America is often considered the highest lake in the world. But actually, Lake Namtso is 906 meters higher than it.
Thousands of years ago, Tibet lay under the ancient Sea of Tethys. As a result of the Himalayas’ orogeny in the Tertiary Period, the sea retreated, plateau uplifted, and many saline lakes were formed in the mountain valleys. Lake Namtso is the biggest one of them all. The Mongolian troops were once stationed in north Tibet.
In Mongolian, “Namtso” is called “Tengri Nor”(“Heavenly Lake”). Lake Namtso is indeed as immense as the sea, you’ve got to see it believe: the lake and the sky seem to blend, waves surge sky high, fish swim merrily in water, and birds flutter in the sky.
There is a true story once: several years ago, an unexpected tourist came to Lake Namtso. He was Gino. a middleaged surfer from Los Angeles, USA. Having spotted this plateau lake on the map purely by chance, he made five trips to Tibet and came to Lake Namtso.
On September 26, 1997, he came back to Lake Namtso fully prepared and dived in the water alone. After several failed attempts, he stood up again. Fighting off the numbness of frostbite, he managed to ride the waves at the speed of dozens of kilometres per hour and realized his dream of surfing on the heavenly lake.
