Nature · Chandratal, Spiti & Lahaul
Morning walk around Chandratal
Walk from the camps to the lake and around its shore at sunrise, when the water is still and the crescent reflects the peaks. Slow, cold and the best two hours at the lake.
Photo: Adarsh Patel · CC BY-SA 4.0 · CommonsLeave camp before breakfast with a warm layer and water. The walk from the parking area to the shore takes about 15–20 minutes, and the circuit of the lake about 1.5–2 hours at an easy pace. At this altitude, about 4,250 m, an easy pace is the only pace.
Mornings are calmest. The wind usually picks up by late morning, ruffling the surface and turning the colours grey. Walk clockwise, as local custom suggests, and stop at the cairns and prayer flags on the far side for the view back over the crescent.
Stay on the main path. The meadows at the edge are fragile and the lake is protected as a Ramsar wetland. No camping, no fires, no soap in the water, and no rubbish left behind, not even fruit peels.
Good for
Also in Chandratal
More days here
Photo: John Hill · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Kunzum La and its roadside shrine
Stop at Kunzum La, about 4,590 m, between Spiti and Lahaul, where drivers circle the small shrine to Kunzum Devi and th…
Photo: Gerd Eichmann · CC BY 4.0 · Commons
Dal and rice at a Batal dhaba
Eat with drivers, bikers and trekkers at Batal, the tiny stop where the Chandratal road leaves the highway. Hot dal, ri…
Trips through Chandratal
Do this on a trip
Each of these trips stops in Chandratal. Tell us and we keep a slot for this day.
Photo: Sumita Roy Dutta · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Comfort
Spiti circuit: Kinnaur in, Kunzum La out
Private SUV with driver
Photo: This Photo was taken by Timothy A. Gonsalves. … · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Comfort
Lahaul and Chandratal from Manali
Private SUV with driver
Photo: Sumita Roy Dutta · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Signature
Slow Spiti and Lahaul with a private guide
Private SUV with driver, private guide
Questions
Before you book
How long is the walk around Chandratal?
About 1.5–2 hours around the lake, plus 15–20 minutes each way from the parking area.
Can I swim in Chandratal?
No. The lake is a protected Ramsar wetland and sacred to local people. Do not swim, wash or wade.
What time is best for photos?
Sunrise to about 10 am, before the wind ruffles the surface.