Northern Tibet · Travel guide

Sepu Kangri (Sapu Sacred Mountain)

Far north of Lhasa, in Biru County of Nagqu Prefecture, a cluster of snow peaks rises above a quiet glacier lake. The highest, almost 7,000 metres tall, is shaped like a pyramid. Tibetans call the mountain Sepu Kangri; in Chinese it is Sapu. Few foreign travellers have heard of it, and fewer still have stood at the lake shore. That is exactly why it is worth the journey.

A pyramid of snow

Sepu Kangri is not a single mountain but a family of peaks. The one that catches every visitor's eye is the sharp, almost perfect pyramid — many people compare it to the pyramids of Egypt. At sunrise and sunset its snow turns gold and pink, and on calm mornings the whole range is reflected in the lake below.

The glacier and the lake

Every summer the snow and ice on the mountain melt, and the water runs down the valley to form a lake at the foot of the peaks. The glacier reaches right down to the water — local people say it looks like a tongue stretching out into the lake. The lake changes colour with the seasons: frozen white in early spring, deep blue in autumn, and green where the meadows meet the water in summer.

The legend of Sapu and his family

For the Tibetans of Biru, Sepu Kangri is the king of the sacred mountains. The peaks around him are his family: his wife, two sons and one daughter. The pyramid-shaped peak has its own story — it is said to be the wife's son, born outside her marriage to the mountain king. Ask your guide to tell you the full tale at the lake shore; every village tells it a little differently.

The kora and the lake that melts in one night

Each year, at a set time in the Tibetan lunar calendar, pilgrims begin to walk the kora — the sacred circuit — around the lake. People say that the frozen lake then melts within a single night. Nobody can quite explain it, and that mystery is part of what draws pilgrims back year after year.

When to go

The best times are May to June and September to October. Days are mostly clear and dry, with daytime temperatures of about 5–15°C. We advise against July and August, the two rainy months, when clouds often hide the peaks and the roads can be muddy. Winter is very cold and the roads to the north can close after snow.

Whatever the month, bring warm layers: the lake area is about 4,700 m high and noticeably colder than Lhasa, especially in the early morning.

Getting there and where to stay

• Sepu Kangri lies north of Lhasa. The drive goes via Nagqu to Biru County and takes about 9 hours to reach the lake area. After Nagqu city, some stretches of road are unpaved, bumpy and dusty, so a 4WD vehicle is needed.
• Most travellers spend the night in Yangxiu town, Biru County, and visit the mountain the next morning. Accommodation there is very simple, so we plan the trip so that you only stay one night.
• After the mountain, you can return towards Damxung and add a visit to Namtso Lake on the way back to Lhasa.
• Foreign travellers need the Tibet Travel Permit and other permits for this area. As a licensed Lhasa agency, we arrange all of them for you.

Altitude: plan it right

At about 4,700 m, the lake is higher than Lhasa (3,650 m). Do not go there straight after arriving in Tibet. Spend at least three days in Lhasa first, and ideally visit Sepu Kangri at the end of a longer trip, after you have already been to higher places such as Everest Base Camp. That is how our tour below is built. Read our altitude sickness guide for more advice.