Ranwu Lake

Ranwu Tso lies at about 3,850 metres where meltwater from the Laigu glacier and its neighbours collects behind an old landslide dam, forming a lake that runs for some twenty-six kilometres in linked basins along the valley. The water carries fine rock flour from the ice, which gives it the pale milky blue that changes with light and season, and the shores are meadow and conifer with snow peaks standing directly above. The highway runs beside it, so it is one of the few places of this kind reached without walking, and villages, guesthouses and viewpoints line the road. Laigu glacier at the head is visited separately.

What you actually see

• The milky blue water - rock flour from glaciers colouring the lake.
• The peaks above - snow mountains rising straight from the shore.
• The roadside access - the highway running along the water.
• Laigu glacier - the ice at the valley head above the lake.

When to go

April to October; autumn brings the clearest water and colour in the forest, spring the meltwater. Winter freezes the lake and passes can close. Cloud and rain are frequent in summer.

Honest expectations

The lake sits on a busy overland route and roadside stops are crowded in season. Some viewpoints charge. Foreign visitors need Tibet permits arranged in advance.

Nearby

Midui glacier lies west; Bomi is northwest.