🌊 Tso Moriri

Tso Moriri or Lake Moriri, 4,522 m (14,836 ft), is a high-altitude lake and a Ramsar wetland site in the remote Changthang Plateau in the Changthang district of the union territory of Ladakh in India. As the largest high-altitude lake entirely within India and Ladakh's Trans-Himalayan region, it spans 26 km north-south and 4-8 km wide. The lake is fed by three primary glacial streams - Karzok Phu (west), Gyama Phu (north), and Phirse Phu (southwest) - which form extensive marshes at their deltas. Though now an endorheic lake due to its blocked southern outlet, Tso Moriri maintains slightly brackish yet palatable waters. Its oligotrophic (nutrient-poor), alkaline ecosystem supports unique biodiversity. The area gained protection as the Tso Moriri Wetland Conservation Reserve, though accessibility remains limited mostly to summer months. Year-round settlements exist only at Karzok village and military outposts along the eastern banks, enduring the extreme high-altitude climate.