Passing Through the World - ALWAYS ON THE WAY
Practical Travel Information
Ranwu Lake lies in Baxoi County, Nyingchi Prefecture, Tibet, at about 3,850 meters along National Highway 318 — a mirror of water so still it doubles the snow peaks, and a stop no Sichuan-Tibet road trip should skip.
Best time to visit: April to June and September to October give the clearest water and the steadiest skies. Come in deep winter and the surface locks into ice.
Transportation: most people drive Highway 318 themselves. Ranwu Lake falls about 350km from Nyingchi and 600km from Lhasa; long-distance buses also run Lhasa to Baxoi.
Tips: at 3,850 meters, altitude sickness is no abstraction — acclimatize before you arrive. Pack warm clothes even in summer; after dark the temperature plunges.
