Water and Sky: The Lakes of Tibet

Tibet has two sacred lakes worth crossing the plateau for — Yamdrok Tso and Namtso. I saw Yamdrok Tso twice on the same day: once from a hill above it, once standing at its edge. They felt like completely different places.

Yamdrok Tso (Holy Lake) - Hilltop view

I zoomed out as far as I could. The lake was too wide for anything else.

Yamdrok Tso (Holy Lake) - View from ground level

Same lake. I came down from the hill and stood at the water's edge. It became a completely different photograph.

Namtso (Heavenly Lake)

Namtso sits at 4,718 metres — the highest lake in the world. I stepped back from the shoreline so the scale could speak for itself.

Namtso with wedding couples

Namtso draws more than pilgrims. Couples travel here specifically to photograph their weddings against this water. I didn't plan this shot — they were simply there.

Namtso

The clouds were so low they were touching the mountain.

Random lake 1

Not every lake in Tibet has a name on the itinerary. This one appeared through the bus window. I shot it anyway.

Random lake 2

Every lake in Tibet does this — reflects the sky, mirrors the mountain. You see everything twice. I still had to look twice to believe it was real.

Sometimes the only thing that changes is where you're standing.

For the full story of this trip — the altitude, the monasteries, and the question I couldn't stop asking - read What It's Really Like to Visit Tibet