Best time to go: in Summer

Yamzhog Yumco lake is one of the three sacred lakes in Tibetan snow area.
Yamzhog Yumco, located 150 km south of Lhasa at an elevation of 4,400 meters, is where the Himalayan and Kangdese Ranges meet. When viewed from the top of 5,300-meter Mt. Kangdese, the lake takes the shape of a fan. High peaks in the surrounding area reflect in the rippling water over which birds fly.

In the 630-square-km lake are a dozen islets, with the largest covering some 8 square km. Legend has it that the lake is the incarnation of a fairy maid, who, being kind-hearted, allows all souls to visit, and wishes all to live in harmony. However, hungry wolves never forget to hunt sheep. In order not to make the fairy maid sad at the wolves they must kill, herders dress the dead wolves in official hats and robes, and decorate them with jewelry and colorful ribbons with a view to making them reincarnate as lucky people. They also insert a wooden club into the mouth of each dead wolf for fear that the soul of the dead wolves would play tricks in front of the fairy maid. The dead wolves are each carried by four herders to walk around the lake. When reaching a village or a pasture, they offer homage to the deities. During the ritual, they perform a kind of dance called Gyangxiong (History of Wolves).