Chandratal, the Moon Lake, lies at about 4,300 metres in the upper Chandra valley of Himachal Pradesh, India. Its deep blue water, framed by bare brown Himalayan slopes and summer meadows, makes it one of the most celebrated high-altitude lakes in the Indian Himalayas.
Chandratal: the Moon Lake of Lahaul and Spiti
Chandra Taal, usually written Chandratal, takes its name from its crescent shape: chandra means moon and taal lake. It sits on the Samudra Tapu plateau in the Lahaul and Spiti district, overlooking the Chandra River near its source. The Chandra is one of the two rivers that join to form the Chenab.
The lake is about 1.76 km long and up to 0.41 km wide, with a surface area of just under half a square kilometre. On 8 November 2005 it was designated a Ramsar wetland of international importance, one of only two high-altitude Indian wetlands with that status.
The colour runs from pale turquoise in the shallows near the shore to deep blue farther out, and when the surface is calm the surrounding slopes and clouds are mirrored in the water.
How to get to Chandratal
Chandratal lies off the NH-505 road that links Manali with Kaza in Spiti. The turn-off comes about 2.9 km from Batal and 8 km below Kunzum Pass. From there a 12 km motor road ends at a car park, and the last kilometre to the shore is on foot.
- From Manali: the 9 km Atal Tunnel, opened in October 2020, bypasses Rohtang Pass and has cut hours off the journey into Lahaul. From the Lahaul side the road follows the Chandra valley up to Batal.
- From Spiti: Kunzum Pass, at 4,551 metres, is 22 km up from Losar and 79 km from Kaza. Travellers stop at the Kunzum Mata temple at the top to pray for a safe journey.
- On foot: a walk of about two hours leads from Kunzum Pass to the lake, and a trekking route connects it with Suraj Tal, 30 km away.
Best time to visit
The lake is accessible from late May to early October, once snow has cleared from the roads. Kunzum Pass itself normally opens between June and July and stays open until October or November, depending on weather and road repairs; the Manali–Kaza route is closed for about seven months each winter. In spring the meadows around the shore are covered in wildflowers.
Give yourself time to acclimatise: at 4,300 metres the air holds much less oxygen, so spend a night or two at lower altitude in Lahaul or Spiti before driving up, and check the road status with the Lahaul and Spiti district administration before setting out.
Wildlife around the lake
The plateau supports a surprising range of high-mountain wildlife. Snow leopard, Himalayan ibex, blue sheep and red fox live in the surrounding hills, while birds include the snowcock, chukar, golden eagle, kestrel and chough. In summer, migratory ruddy shelduck arrive on the lake.
Keep the shore as you find it: carry all waste back down and leave stones and plants where they are.
For a view of the Himalaya from the air, see Teton Gravity Research’s Himalayan film. For another clear mountain lake, explore Lago di Braies in the Dolomites.
Related reading
- Teton Gravity Research’s Aerial Film of Everest, Ama Dablam and Lhotse
- Everest Waste: The 2014 Rule and the Work beyond the Summit
- Everest’s Mountain Workers: The Sherpa’s Story
- The Khumbu Icefall through Theodore Fairhurst’s Helmet Camera
Sources
Photographs: Dhurjati Chatterjee, mrichat, Nomadic Shoes, Rajendra Pradhan and Lopamudra.
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