Moon Lake

Place-Chandrataal. Chandra Taal, commonly referred to as Chandratal and literally meaning as the “Moon Lake”; is a high altitude lake located in Lahaul & Spiti region of Himachal Pradesh. At an altitude of 4,300 meters, this lake is the source of Chandra River and its name “Chandra” is believed to be derived from its moon like shape. Though smaller than some of the famous high altitude lakes like Pangong and Moriri, Chandratal is no less beautiful and a night in the camps at its banks is one of the key highlights of a journey to Spiti valley. I visited Spiti for the first time a couple of years ago and was completely enthralled by the natural beauty of Chandratal. Mostly this lake becomes a part of Spiti valley itinerary however a lot of people travel to just visit Chandratal and camp here. In this article, I will provide information on how you can plan a trip to Chandratal; from the aspects of both including it in your Spiti travel plan and just visiting Chandratal.