Loktak Lake

Loktak Lake sits roughly 48 km south of Imphal, the largest freshwater lake in Northeast India, distinguished by thousands of phumdis — thick, floating mats of vegetation and soil that drift across the lake's surface, some large enough to support small structures and even settlements. These phumdis form the basis of Keibul Lamjao National Park, the world's only floating national park, home to the endangered Sangai deer (Manipur's state animal, found nowhere else in the wild). Traditional lakeside communities live in stilt structures and fish using distinctive circular phumdi enclosures, a genuinely unique way of life shaped entirely by the lake's floating ecosystem. Loktak Lake suits travelers wanting a landscape genuinely unlike anywhere else in India — boat trips across the phumdi-covered surface, a visit to Keibul Lamjao National Park for a chance at spotting the rare Sangai deer, and observing traditional fishing communities offer a substantive, memorable day or overnight stay.