Silingtso Lake

A Brief Introduction to Silingtso Lake

Silingtso Lake is located in the northern Tibetan Plateau, on the boarder of Banfe County and the Shenzha County. It is the second largest salty lake of Tibet and the third largest salty lake in China. Silingtso Lake is a tectonic lake came into being in the forming process of Tibetan Plateau. Each summer, the islets in Silingtso Lake become the paradise of multiple migrant birds.

Physical Characters of Silingtso Lake

In Tibetan, the word "Silingtso" means "A Shining Devil Lake". It is the second "Ghost Lake" of Tibet (the first one is Lhang-tso Lake). Silingtso Lake lies on the elevation of 4,530 meters in the fault basin of the northern Tibetan Plateau, covering an area of 1,640 square kilometers. It is a deepwater lake with the largest depth of more than 33 meters in the central lake region. The transparency of the water is 7 to 8 degrees and the mineralization of the water is 18.3 to 18.8 grams per liter. With a drainage area of 45,530 square kilometers, Silingtso Lake is the biggest inland lake in Tibet. Many rivers and lakes in the drainage basin connect each other, forming a closed group of inland lakes. Apart from the Silingtso Lake, there are also 23 other small lakes.

Legend about Silingtso Lake

According to the legend, Siling was once a demon living in the southwestern area of Lhasa. He ate up many lives each day, human beings and animals included. No common human was able to conquer him. One night after a thunderstorm, Master Padmasambhava found Siling finally. Siling was defeated and fled into a lake. Master Padmasambhava ordered him to confess his sins and never leave the lake. Besides, Master Padmasambhava named the lake Silingtso Lake.

Attractions of Silingtso Lake

Silingtso Lake is in irregular shapes. In its west, there are a lot of bylands and fjords. Silingtso Lake is in the area of semi-arid grassland, the traditional pasturing area. Many yaks and sheep are raised here.

Silingtso Lake is in the area with the largest amount of precious and endangered creatures in the ecological system of alpine grassland, and the area of the world-biggest natural reserves. Here live the first-grade national protection animals such as the black-necked cranes, snow leopards, Tibetan antelopes, argali, kiang (Tibetan wild ass), Tibetan pheasants and so on. Gymnocypris selincuoensis is a fish species only living in Silingtso Lake.

Silingtso Lake scenic area is a kingdom of lakes. There are 23 small lakes around the Silingtso Lake, like a emerald necklace. It is said that it was once an integral lake millions of years ago. Apart from the Silingtso Lake, the island of Tso'e Lake becomes the second base for migrant birds. In the spring and summer each year, hundreds of thousands of brown-headed gulls flying from the Mediterranean Sea, forming a spectacular scene.