Lhamo La-tso, oracle lake in Gyaca County, Tibet, China

Lhamo La-tso is a high-altitude lake located in the Tibetan region, situated at approximately 4950 meters elevation. The water body covers roughly one square kilometer and is enclosed by mountain ranges that shape its landscape.

Chokorgyel Monastery, near the lake, was founded by the 2nd Dalai Lama, who formalised the reincarnation system; from his time regents and monks came to the lake for visions. In 1935 Regent Reting Rinpoche saw three Tibetan letters and a jade-green and gold roof, leading to the discovery of Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama. The monastery was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution and has been rebuilt on a smaller scale.

The lake's name means "Lake of the Goddess," referring to Palden Lhamo, protectress of Tibet. Since the 2nd Dalai Lama formalised the system, regents and monks have meditated here for visions guiding the search for reincarnations. Pilgrims fast three days and refrain from speech, hoping to see their future in the lake's surface.

The water freezes for several months each year, making summer the most accessible season for travel. Visitors should prepare for thin air at this elevation and bring warm clothing regardless of the season.

The lake sits at about 5,300 metres in Gyaca County, a four-hour hike from Chokorgyel Monastery. Near the pass above it, a ritual throne built for the Dalai Lama, where he once sat to divine the future while gazing at the water, is now buried under a mound of silk scarves, or hadak.