—Categories: photos

Pangong Lake in Winter

Every year, some time during Dec-Jan months, the famous Pangong Lake in Ladakh freezes over and turns into a large field of ice. The azure waters of the lake are now trapped under a white skin. The mountains, barren and brown in the summer months, now have a sprinkling of snow that decorates their slopes. I made a visit to Pangong and the highlands around it, photographing the expanse of snow and the life that thrives even in these harsh conditions.

Pangong Lake in Winter

While it is a delight to watch the frozen lake, it takes some effort to get this far. The roads to Ladakh are closed in the winter months, with all the high passes buried under deep snow. The temperatures in the region dips to unbelievable lows, like -25C or lesser. Yet, the venerable BRO works all through the winter to keep the road from Leh to Pangong open, without whose efforts a visit would have been impossible.

—Categories: himalayas, ladakh, photos

Frozen Pangong Lake

Ladakh wears a white blanket in winter months. Post October, when the temperatures start dipping below the freezing point, the brown and barren mountain slopes get decorated with powdery snow. Mercury dips quickly in November and December months, often going below -30C in the high Changthang Plateau located in western parts of Ladakh bordering Tibet. The huge high altitude lakes in this region that paint the landscape blue in the summer months freeze and turn white. The weather is unforgiving but the landscapes is dressed in bridal wear. Here is a photograph of Pangong Lake made during the harsh winter of January 2013.

frozen pangong lake in winter