PLACE GUIDE

Lake Manasarovar 玛旁雍错

Mapangyongcuo

Manasarovar is a large freshwater lake in Burang, lying near Kailash and beside the contrasting saline waters of Rakshastal.

Entry & permits for Tibet (Xizang)

Foreign tourists need Tibet entry approval, commonly called a Tibet Travel Permit, and an organised visit arranged through a specialist travel agency in China. Confirm your approved route before booking transport. Requirements differ for Taiwan residents and for travellers using mainland or Hong Kong/Macao Chinese resident documents; check the document guide before you book.

Check the travel-document requirements →

Policy scope verified: 2026-09-06. UK FCDO: China regional travel advice ↗ State Council Taiwan Affairs Office: Tibet entry approval ↗ Xizang Department of Culture and Tourism: Medog border permit notice ↗

Lake Manasarovar · 玛旁雍措
Lake Manasarovar · 玛旁雍措 · Jean-Marie Hullot · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo adjustments

Wikimedia thumbnail; fitted to the ranking-card frame.

Explore the region

Tibet (Xizang) · 西藏自治区 →

About Lake Manasarovar

Its religious significance extends across several Himalayan traditions, but the physical landscape is equally memorable: a broad blue lake, high mountains and wetland margins. Chiu, also written Jiwu, provides a specific focus on the western side, with a small monastery raised above the shore. Combining the permitted lakeside area with the monastery outlook is a manageable introduction without attempting the much longer lake circuit.

The lake is approximately circular, with a shoreline circumference of about 88 kilometres and a maximum depth of around 100 metres. Its water drains through the natural Ganga Chhu channel (岗嘎曲) into Rakshastal (拉昂错). The Tibetan name refers to an 'unconquerable turquoise lake', while the Sanskrit name combines words meaning 'mind' and 'lake' or 'large pond'.

The surrounding district has a cold, dry climate. From April to June, daytime temperatures can generally exceed 5 degrees Celsius while nights are often close to 0 degrees. Temperatures fall markedly after October, and January is usually the coldest month. Monsoon conditions bring precipitation and stronger cold winds from late June through August. Glacier retreat and thawing permafrost may place continuing pressure on the regional ecosystem.

What to look for

  • Manasarovar's freshwater expanse and the mountain-backed wetland landscape photographed in the official lake report.
  • Chiu Monastery's hillside setting above the western lakeshore.

Location & getting there

Getting to Lake Manasarovar

Arrange the road approach to Chiu/Jiwu village and monastery (即乌寺) on the western side of Manasarovar. The published lake-circuit route connects this area with Hor and G219.

  • Specify the Chiu side when organising transport; the lake is extensive, and Hor and other shoreline stops are separate arrivals.
General visit reminders

Allow room for the terrain and weather when choosing your route. Check the operator’s current trail, shuttle and cableway notices where applicable, and confirm the return connection before setting out. A broad landscape pin does not identify every trailhead or access point.

Combine your visit

Suggested order for this visit:

  1. Permitted Manasarovar lakeside near Chiu

    Begin with the lake-and-mountain panorama from the designated visitor area.

  2. Chiu Monastery outlook

    See the lake from the monastery's raised hillside setting, subject to local access.

This is an editorial sequence based on the features described in the sources. Confirm access locally; no walking time, shared admission or guaranteed interior access is implied.

Rivers, lakes & waterfalls · 江湖／峡谷瀑布 →

Find Lake Manasarovar

玛旁雍错 · 阿里

Amap · 高德地图Approximate pin · 近似位置Apple Maps · 苹果地图

The pin marks the area, not the entrance.

More places nearby

Approximate straight-line distances between map pins, not travel distances.

Mount Kailash 冈仁波齐

48 km away

Kailash is the distinctive sacred peak rising above Darchen in western Tibet's Gangdise Mountains. Buddhists, Hindus, Jains and followers of Bon attach different religious meanings to the mountain, and pilgrimage focuses on…

View guide →

Zanda Earth Forest 札达土林

182 km away

Zanda's earth forest is a landscape of eroded sedimentary cliffs, gullies and freestanding forms around the Sutlej valley. Water and weather have cut the old basin deposits into shapes resembling towers and ruined walls; the…

View guide →

Tholing Monastery 托林寺

183 km away

Tholing stands beside the Sutlej in Zanda and was a major centre for the Buddhist revival associated with Guge. Founded in 996 under Yeshe O, it became a base for translators and teachers including Rinchen Zangpo and Atisha. Its…

View guide →

Sources & visit information

The sources below support the place-specific description and arrival information. Suggested combinations are editorial planning ideas; confirm current opening, entry arrangements and transport services for your date.

Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikipedia contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 94075205.

Background paragraphs translated and condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "瑪旁雍錯", Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 94217684.

Background paragraphs condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "Lake Manasarovar", English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 1371920219.

China Revealed · Editorially updated 2026-10-07