CityDekho
Chandratal Lake

Chandratal Lake

Himachal Pradesh

State
Himachal Pradesh
Type
Other
Best season
Monsoon
Things to do
2+

Chandratal Lake, translating to the Lake of the Moon, is a high-altitude glacial gem at an elevation of approximately 4,250 metres in the Lahaul and Spiti district, on the Samudra Tapu plateau overlooking the thundering Chandra River valley, the lake gets its name from its natural crescent contour shape. The body of water spans roughly 2.5 kilometers in circumference and is entirely surrounded by snow-covered mountain ridges. The lake is known for its hyper-clear water, which reflects the surrounding peaks and changing sky like a mirror. The color shifts dynamically from clear turquoise to aquamarine and deep emerald green as the day advances. The entire area is a protected Ramsar wetland eco-zone, preserving a fragile alpine meadow ecosystem.

When to go

The lake is accessible only from June to September; it remains frozen and completely cut off by deep snow during the remaining months.

Why visit

At around 4,300 metres in Spiti, reachable roughly June to October. Camping on the shore is no longer permitted — the campsites sit a couple of kilometres back and you walk the last stretch in. The colour of the water really does change through the day.

Cultural notes

In Hindu mythology, Chandratal is revered as the exact place where King Yudhishthira was picked up by Lord Indra's celestial chariot to ascend to heaven. It historically served as a critical rest stop for nomadic traders.

How to reach

Reached via a narrow unpaved branch track from the Manali-Kaza highway turning off at Batal, followed by a flat 2-kilometer pedestrian ridge walk from the parking lot.

Chandratal Lake guide & itineraries

Popular attractions

The places in Chandratal Lake most people come for.

Lakeside Parikrama Route

Lakeside Parikrama Route

Experience

Batal Transit Base

Batal Transit Base

Accommodation Area

See all attractions

Reviews & ratings

What travellers say about Chandratal Lake

CityDekho traveller reviews

★★★★★★★★★★

No CityDekho reviews yet

Be the first traveller to review this place.

Sign in to write a review

Community

Ask questions and share tips about Chandratal Lake

Sign in to ask a question or share a tip about Chandratal Lake.

Loading…

Been to Chandratal Lake?

Write what you would tell a friend — where you stayed, what you would skip, the thing you wish somebody had mentioned before you went. We read every submission before it goes up.

Share your story

More adventures await

More places you'll love

Mizoram

Phawngpui (Blue Mountain)

Phawngpui, also called the Blue Mountain, is the highest peak in Mizoram at around 2,157 metres and the heart of Phawngpui National Park. Cloaked in rhododendrons, orchids and grassy slopes, it is sacred to the Mizo people and home to rare birds and the occasional serow and goral.

Sikkim

Gurudongmar Lake

Gurudongmar Lake, at around 5,430 metres in northern Sikkim near the Tibet border, is one of the highest lakes in the world and a sacred site for Buddhists and Sikhs alike. Set in a stark, wind-swept high-altitude desert ringed by snow peaks, its crystalline waters are believed to be blessed and never fully freeze.

Meghalaya

Umiam Lake (Barapani)

Umiam Lake, popularly known as Barapani, is a large, sparkling reservoir set among pine-clad hills just north of Shillong in Meghalaya. Created by a dam on the Umiam river, it is a favourite spot for water sports, boating and photography, and a classic stop on the drive from Guwahati to Shillong.

Gujarat

Girnar Hills

The Girnar Hills rise outside Junagadh, an old volcanic range whose highest point, Gorakhnath Peak, reaches 1,031 metres — the highest in Gujarat. Wrapped in the dry-deciduous forest of the Gir landscape, the hills are a shared sacred site, with Jain marble temples and Hindu shrines near the top. Reaching them means either climbing a famous stairway of nearly 10,000 steps or taking the ropeway up over the forested valleys.

Gujarat

Kevadia (Ekta Nagar)

Kevadia, now officially Ekta Nagar, is home to the Statue of Unity — at 182 metres, the tallest statue in the world — on the banks of the Narmada River. Once a quiet settlement, it has been developed into a large tourism hub with theme gardens, a safari park, viewpoints and adventure activities.

Jammu & Kashmir

Gulmarg

Gulmarg is a bowl of meadow at 2,650 metres in the Pir Panjal, and it does two completely different jobs depending on the month. December to March it is the only serious ski resort in India. The Apharwat face has real off-piste terrain and the snow is dry enough to justify the trip. May to September the snow is gone and it is a meadow full of wildflowers with a golf course on it, one of the highest anywhere. The gondola climbs in two stages. The first, to Kongdoori, almost always runs. The second, up to just under four thousand metres on Apharwat, is frequently closed for wind and its tickets are capped daily — buy both stages early or accept that you may only get the first. If you are skiing off-piste, a guide is not optional. This is avalanche terrain and it has killed people.

Leh & Ladakh

Tso Moriri

Tso Moriri, or Mountain Lake, is an offbeat high-altitude lake tucked away at an astounding elevation of 4,522 metres on the Changtang plateau of southeastern Ladakh. The body of water spans roughly 19 kilometers in length and is entirely fed by glacial meltwater from surrounding snow peaks exceeding 6,000 metres. It is protected under international environmental treaties as part of the Tso Moriri Wetland Conservation Reserve. Unlike Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri is far quieter, less commercialized, and rawer for it. The cobalt-blue waters are flanked by the small nomadic settlement of Korzok, which houses an ancient mud-brick monastery. The surrounding marshy wetlands provide sanctuary to rare and endangered Himalayan migratory birds.

Jammu & Kashmir

Patnitop

Patnitop is a plateau at 2,024 metres above the Chenab on the Jammu–Srinagar highway, and almost everyone who stops there was on the way somewhere else. As a stop it works well. Deodar forest, open meadows and easy walking — this is not a trekking destination and does not pretend to be. The Skyview gondola at Sanasar runs 2.8 kilometres across the gorge and is the one thing here worth a detour on its own. Snow falls for a few weeks in January and February and the place fills up for it. The rest of winter it is cold and empty. March to June and September to November. Avoid the monsoon, when the highway below is prone to landslides and closures.

Maharashtra

Devbagh & Tarkarli Sangam

Near Malvan, the Devbagh sandbar where the Karli River meets the sea has scuba diving, dolphin trips and the clearest water on the Konkan. The best months to visit are roughly November to February, when seas are calm and skies are clear; the monsoon (June to September) brings rough water and many beach shacks shut. Plan water sports and swimming for the dry winter window.

Maharashtra

Bhimashankar

Bhimashankar, deep in the Sahyadri hills of Maharashtra, is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva and the source of the Bhima River. Surrounded by a wildlife sanctuary that shelters the rare Indian giant squirrel, it combines a major pilgrimage with lush Western Ghats trekking.

Assam

Kaziranga National Park

Kaziranga National Park is a vital wildlife conservation sanctuary spanning over 430 square kilometers of alluvial floodplains along the southern banks of the Brahmaputra River in Assam. The unique landscape comprises a dense marshy terrain dominated by towering elephant grass, shallow reed swamps, and open sal forest canopies. The national park is known for hosting over two-thirds of the world's entire surviving population of the endangered Great Indian One-Horned Rhinoceros. The reserve floor operates under strict environmental regulations, split systematically into four safari ranges. Bagori range remains popular for early morning elephant-back safaris, allowing close, safe tracking lines to observe rhinos grazing peacefully in the high morning mists.

Rajasthan

Sariska Tiger Reserve

Sariska, set in the Aravalli hills near Alwar, is a tiger reserve known for its dry forests, ancient temples and the dramatic Kankwari Fort. It made conservation history as the first reserve to successfully relocate tigers after local extinction.

Trending in Himachal Pradesh

Shimla

Shimla

Shimla, the former summer capital of British India, is one of the country's most popular hill stations. Its colonial Mall Road, the Ridge, Christ Church and the UNESCO-listed Kalka-Shimla toy train make it a perennial favourite in the Himalayan foothills.

Manali

Manali

Manali is really two places, and knowing which one you booked matters more than anything else about the trip. Mall Road Manali is a busy Indian hill-station town — traffic, hotels, shops selling the same shawls. Old Manali, up the hill across the river, is quieter, low-rise and where most people actually want to be. Vashisht, on the other side, has the hot springs and a similar feel. Hadimba temple, in the deodar forest above town, is four hundred years old with a tiered wooden roof and is worth the twenty minutes. Solang and Rohtang are the standard day trips and both are congested in season; Rohtang needs a permit, which is capped daily and must be arranged in advance. The Atal Tunnel changed the geography here. Lahaul, which used to be a full expedition, is now well under an hour away, and going through it for the day gives you a completely different landscape. May and June are the peak and are crowded. October and November are clear, cold and quiet. Do not expect snow in town below about December, whatever the photographs suggest.

Dalhousie

Dalhousie

Dalhousie is a peaceful colonial-era hill station built across five distinct hills of the Dhauladhar mountain range, sitting at an altitude of 1,970 metres. Established in the mid-19th century under the British Raj, the town has systematically preserved its old-world charm, characterized by wide pine-fringed walking loops, traditional stone mansions, and vintage Scottish architecture. Tourism in Dalhousie centers around the historic public squares of Gandhi Chowk and Subhash Chowk, linked by wooded walking paths like Garam Sadak. The town is the quiet alternative to the commercial hill stations, with views of the winding Ravi River and the distant snow-covered peaks of the inner Himalayas.

Bir Billing

Bir Billing

Bir Billing is India's paragliding capital and one of the best free-flight sites in the world, set against the Dhauladhar range in Himachal Pradesh. The twin spots — the take-off at Billing and the landing meadows at Bir — have turned a quiet Tibetan-settlement village into a buzzing hub for adventure seekers, digital nomads and cafe-hoppers. Beyond paragliding, Bir has quietly become a workation favourite, with fast Wi-Fi cafes, co-working stays, Tibetan monasteries, a tea-garden landscape and a thriving long-stay community. It blends adrenaline, Buddhist calm and remote-work comfort in a way few Indian towns do.