Pagsum Lake

The forested side of Tibet

Pagsum Lake — Basum Tso in Tibetan, meaning roughly "green water" — lies in Gongbo’gyamda County, Nyingchi Prefecture, at about 30.014°N, 93.950°E and roughly 3,480 meters of elevation. That is low for Tibet, and it changes everything about the landscape: monsoon moisture reaches this far east up the Yarlung Tsangpo, so the lake sits in dense spruce and pine forest rather than the bare high plateau most visitors picture.

The lake is freshwater and covers roughly 26 square kilometers, held in a steep glacial valley with snow peaks at its head. For travelers arriving overland from Lhasa it is often the first place where Tibet looks green.

Tsodzong Monastery

A small island near the middle of the lake carries Tsodzong Monastery, which belongs to the Nyingma, the oldest of the Tibetan Buddhist schools. Pilgrims walk the kora around the island, and the lake itself is a place of pilgrimage rather than only a viewpoint — a distinction worth keeping in mind around the prayer flags and mani stones on the shore.

Visiting notes

The lake is usually reached from Nyingchi (Bayi), roughly 120 kilometers away, or as a stop on the long G318 road journey between Lhasa and Nyingchi. Most travelers arrive already acclimatized from Lhasa, which sits higher; coming the other way, from low-altitude Sichuan, allow time before going higher.

Foreign travelers need a Tibet Travel Permit arranged in advance through a licensed operator, and independent travel is not currently possible in Tibet. Late spring through early autumn is the reliable window; the forest is at its best after the summer rains, and the shoulder seasons bring color to the slopes.