Basum-tso Lake, or Cuogao Lake, means “green water” in Tibetan language. There are many lakes in Tibet, such as the Namtso Lake, YamdrokTso Lake, Lake Manasarovar, and Lhanag-tso Lake, etc. The waters of these lakes are all blue: light blue, dark blue, milky blue, sapphire blue...but the water of Basum-tso Lake is different - it is emerald-green. And the green color will be different if you see the lake from different places and in different time of the day.
Basum-tso Lake is the largest lake in eastern Tibet and is located in Gongbo’gyamda County. It is over 3,700 meters above sea level, about 100 meters higher than Lhasa. Covering an area of more than 26 km2, Basum-tso Lake is the holy lake in Nyingma Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. It is listed on the International Tourist Spots by UNWTO (World Tourism Organization) in 1994 for its primitive beauty and tranquility. Besides, it has also become a State Forest Park since 2002.
Unlike the lakes in other parts of Tibet, Basum-tso Lake is almost completely surrounded by lush vegetation and green virgin forests. So you need to walk through the forests before seeing the whole lake. There are wooden bridges on the lake, and you can walk onto the bridges to enjoy the scenery of the lake closely. Surface of the lake is just like a mirror, reflecting the tall mountains and green plants around. And that might be one of the reasons to explain why the water of the lake is green.
Tashi is a tiny island sitting in the center of Basum-tso Lake. Seeing from the lakeshore, all you can see on the island are trees. The island and lakeshore are connected by two 2-meter wide bridges. Seen from the top of a mountain, the island is just like a gemstone decorating the lake.
In the center of the island stands a two-floor temple -Tso Zonggongba Monastery, which has a history of over 1500 years. The temple is a holy place for Nyingma sect, enshrining many Buddha statues, such as the statues of Padmasambhava, Avalokitesvara and Future Buddha. Even though the temple is located in such a far and remote place, continuous stream of disciples still come here for worship.
Legend has it that the island is floating on the lake and there is nothing connecting the island and the bottom of the lake. The bridges will be slightly shaking when you stand on them, and you will have the allusion that the whole island is floating on the lake.
After leaving Basum-tso Lake, drive along the 318 National Road for about 10 km and you will reach Jieba Village, a fairyland-like place in Nyingchi. “Jieba” means “forget” in Tibetan language. Villagers here haven’t be influenced by outside world at all, as they still live in their own way, celebrate their unique festivals, and dress their own clothing. With lakes and mountains nearby, this village has a dense growth of evergreen trees and forms a “retreat away from the world ”.
From the viewing platform on the mountain at the back of the village, you can get a whole view of both Basum-tso Lake and Jieba Village. Close your eyes and take a deep breath, you will have the feeling that you are in the heaven.
When the weather is sunny, cruising on the Basum-tso Lake is the most popular activity among tourists. You can also take a boat seaplane to go to the center of the lake and get a close view of the snow-capped mountains around.
Time permitted, trekking around is a good choice. There are two popular trekking routes here. One is to trek around the Xincuo Lake. Xincuo Lake is a small lake surrounded by forests and snow-capped mountains. If you prefer this trekking route, you can charter a car in Jieba Village. You will pass through Sangtong Grassland, and finally get to Xincuo Lake. Then you can start your trekking journey here. And the other is the Basum-tso Lake trekking route. If you choose this route, you can enjoy more beautiful scenery along the way. But the journey may be a little dangerous because of the special terrain conditions. Therefore, you can hire a villager in Jieba Village as your tour guide.
In spring, Basum-tso Lake and Jieba Village are full of life, with peach blossoms beginning to bloom on the mountains and around the village and lake. Water of the lake is lightly green during this period. With the lake being the background, you can take photos of a close view of peach blossoms.
Color of the water of the lake will be different in summer. It is still green, but the green color is the kind that you can’t see in any other place. When the weather is fine, Basum-tso Lake will be gleaming like a gem under the sunshine. With blue sky and white clouds as the background, you can take pictures of a most beautiful Basum-tso Lake in summer.
In autumn, the leaves on the trees at the lakeshore and on the mountains around begin to turn into yellow and red. And they will finally wither away at the end of this season. Yet no matter how the they change, the lake is till charming and attractive.
Basum-tso Lake will become a world of ice and snow in winter. Although the temperature might be low, the water of Basum-tso Lake will not get frozen. The trees and forest around will be covered with snow. Under the blue sky and white clouds, the lake looks even more beautiful and lovely.
We strongly recommend you bring wide-angle lens if you want to take perfect pictures of the lake. There are three best locations for taking pictures of Basum-tso Lake: the viewing platform on the mountains around, the viewing platform in Jieba Village, and the two wooden bridges that connect the Tashi Island and the lakeshore.
You can take pictures of a panoramic view of Tashi Island from the platforms on the mountains around. When you take pictures on the platforms, the main body of your pictures should be the island, which looks just like a small hill raised from the lake.
When you take pictures from the viewing platform in Jieba Village, the main body of your pictures should be the village, with Basum-tso Lake being the background.
And when you take pictures on the bridges, the main body of your pictures should be the water of the lake. In spring, when the water reflects the peach blossoms in full bloom, you will get a totally different feeling when you take pictures of the water.
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