Dhankar
town · 1.3 km away
lake47 min from Kaza1 h 5 min on foot
Dhankar Lake
Dhankar Lake sits at 4,140 m above Dhankar Monastery, reached by a trek from below, with views back down over the monastery's dramatic spur.
What it is
A high-altitude lake at 4,140 m above Dhankar monastery, reached only on foot — there's no road anywhere near it. The climb rewards with a view back down over the monastery's dramatic cliff-edge spur and the confluence of the Spiti and Pin rivers below.
Getting there
On foot from Dhankar monastery — no vehicle access at all. Most visitors treat it as a round trip of a couple of hours from the monastery, depending on pace and how long they stay at the top.
The visit
The climb itself is straightforward but genuinely a climb — at this altitude, even a modest ascent takes longer than the same distance would at sea level. The lake at the top is small and quiet, and the view back down over Dhankar's spur, with the two rivers meeting below, is the real payoff rather than the water itself.
> shade on the path.
When to go
June to September, when the trail is clear and the monastery below is easiest to reach.
Around it
Dhankar monastery sits directly below, the start and end point of the climb. Kaza is under an hour back the way you came. The climb is day two of both the two-day classic plan and the three-day full-circuit plan, after Key Monastery, Kibber and Chicham Bridge on day one.
Plans that include this
All 2 plans that stop here →
1 night · 2 days · First visitClassic
Two days in Kaza — the monastery circuit and Dhankar
A two-day Kaza plan: Key Monastery, Kibber and Chicham Bridge on day one, Dhankar and its lake on day two. Free, copyable plan on HimLocal, with real distances.
Best Jun–Sep
See the plan →
2 nights · 3 days · First visitClassic
Three days in Spiti — Kaza's monasteries and the Pin valley
A three-day Kaza plan: the monastery circuit and Dhankar on days one and two, the Pin valley's Kungri and Lhalung on day three. Free on HimLocal.
Best Jun–Sep
See the plan →Nearby places
Questions people ask
How do I get to Dhankar Lake?
By a trek on foot from Dhankar Monastery — there's no road access at all. The path climbs from the monastery's own elevation to the lake, and most visitors treat it as a couple of hours round trip at a steady pace.
How high is Dhankar Lake?
4,140 m — close to the monastery's own elevation, but the climb still feels real at that altitude. Take it slowly, especially on a first day at height, and rest whenever the path steepens noticeably along the way up.
Is Dhankar Lake worth the climb?
For most visitors, yes — the view back down over Dhankar's cliff-edge spur and the confluence below is different from anything seen at the monastery itself, and the lake sits in a genuinely remote, quiet setting most day visitors never reach.