Chandratal lake — how to reach it, when it opens and where to stay

The lake

Chandratal is named for its crescent shape. It is about 1.8 km long and 400 m wide, 42 m deep at its deepest point, and sits on the Samudra Tapu plateau near the source of the Chandra river, inside the Chandratal Wildlife Sanctuary. In 2005 it was listed as a Ramsar wetland of international importance, one of only two high-altitude Ramsar sites in India.

Getting there

From Manali the road goes through the Atal Tunnel to Gramphu, then east up the Chandra valley on the Gramphu–Kaza road (NH-505), past Chhatru and Batal. About 3 km beyond Batal, a 12 km side road climbs to a car park about 1 km from the lake, and you walk the rest. The side road can also be reached from Kunzum Pass, 8 km above the turn-off.

Beyond Gramphu the road is rough and broken, with stream crossings, so an SUV is the sensible choice. On foot, Chandratal is often added to the end of the Hampta Pass trek.

When it is open

The lake is reachable from about late May to early October. It all depends on the Gramphu–Kaza road over Kunzum. In 2026 that road reopened to light 4x4s on 20 May, after a six-month closure, and the side road to the lake usually clears a week or two later. The pass calendar lists the dates on record. The camps begin closing in early October, and the lake freezes from December to March.

Where to stay

There are no hotels at the lake, only seasonal tented camps. To protect it, camping and parking have been moved back about 2.5 km and 2 km from the shore, so you sleep on the approach road and walk or drive up to the water. Nights are cold even in July.

Spiti from here

Chandratal is usually the first or last stop of a Spiti valley circuit, via Kunzum Pass to Losar and Kaza. See the Spiti valley guide for the rest of the region.