Pangong Tso — Lukung Western Shore Lakeside Camping

Lukung is where most overlanders first hit the lake after the climb over Chang La and the drop through Tangtse. The shore is flat gravel and hardpan, with the lake on one side and nothing but brown ridgelines on the other. Wind picks up hard every afternoon, nights drop below freezing even in summer, and at roughly 14,000 feet you will feel the altitude. Most of the people overnighting here are in seasonal tented camps. Wild camping off the shoulder is informal, and the rules on lakeshore camping have tightened because the lake is a protected wetland. Ask locally before you pitch, keep well back from the waterline, and pack out every scrap of trash.

You need an Inner Line Permit (Indian nationals) or a Protected Area Permit (foreigners) from the Leh administration, and you carry copies for the checkpoints. Fuel up in Leh, because nothing reliable exists out here. Plan an acclimatization stop in Leh first, since sleeping at this altitude straight off the plane is how people end up in the hospital. The road in is paved and broken, with the worst of it on the Chang La approaches. Confirm current permit and camping rules in Leh before you go. Have a dirty day.

Lakeshore flats past Chang La, high and windy