Nepal is a heaven for adventure lovers as well as travelers. Nepal is a small and beautiful country located in the lap of the Himalayas. The diverse culture, tradition, landscape, and ethnicity make it a unique destination for tourism. Nepal is also known for its diversity in music, dance, art, craft, folklore, languages, literature, philosophy, and festivals.
Nepal is a unique destination for trekking and the main trekking destination is in the Annapurna region. Annapurna region is famous among travel enthusiasts because of its stunning landscapes and green vegetation, along with enjoying the diverse cultures and wildlife. The most popular trek in the Annapurna region is Annapurna Circuit with Tilicho Lake trek, Annapurna Base Camp trek, Ghorepani Poon hill trek, and so on. If you are interested in trekking in the Annapurna region, make sure to click here.
The well-managed trekking trails and well-established tea houses and lodges song with the diverse wildlife vegetation allure thousands of visitors every year. While traveling in the Annapurna circuit, you may encounter a variety of rivers, lakes, dense forests, and cascading waterfalls, along with the gorgeous mountain ranges like Mt Dhaulagiri (8,167 m), Mt. Annapurna (8,091 m), Mt. Nilgiri (7,061 m), Tukuche Peak (6,920 m), Mt. Manalsu (8,163 m), Mt. Fishtail (6,993 m), Tilicho Peak (7,134 m), Pisang Peak (6,091 m), and many others. The Annapurna circuit routes also give a peek at the deepest gorge in the world, Kali Gandaki Gorges. The cultural blend of Hindu and Buddhist along the route can be seen via stupas, temples, mani walls, and Chortens. Here are some lakes that come on the way to Annapurna Circuit Trek:
Tilicho Lake
Tilicho Lake is one of the highest lakes in Nepal. It lies in the Manang District, at an altitude of 4,919 meters from sea level. It is in the Annapurna Region which makes it one of the popular side hike destinations in the Annapurna circuit trek. The beautiful waterfalls, lush greenery, and breathtaking mountains showcasing Thorong La Pass and astounding Jomsom make it a perfect destination for hiking.
You can enjoy majestic Mountains like Mount Himlung, Mount Manaslu, and many other peaks on the way to Tilicho Lake. The Hindu devotee believed that Tilicho Lake carries the significance of the ancient Kak Bhusundi Lake mentioned in the epic Ramayana. When the shadows of surrounding mountains fall in the icy clear crystal water, the formation of blue hues makes you awe for a while. Due to its high altitude, the lake is not favorable for the habitat of any aquatic organism.
You should hike in the Annapurna Circuit from Jagat and cross places like Chame, Pisan, Manang, and Siri Kharka, then you will reach Tilicho. You have to pass through Mesokanto-La pass while trekking via the Annapurna Circuit trail. In 2000, a group of Russian divers conducted a dive into Tilicho Lakes marking it as one of the highest-altitude of scuba diving.
Gangapurna Lake
Gangapurna Lake is a beautiful glacial lake located in the Manang District of Nepal. It lies at an altitude of 3,540 m from the sea level and is spread over an area of 21.08 hectares. This lake is only 27 km away from the Chame, the headquarters of the Manang District. It is very close to the Annapurna Massif. The lake was formed by the glaciers of Mount Gangapurna (7,454m), Annapurna IV (7,525m), Khangsar Kang, and Glacier Dom.
The beautiful views of the nearby mountains along with a varied landscape and cultural encounters will surely make you out of breath for a few seconds. The journey to Gangapurna Lake consists of charming villages, lush greenery, dense forests, and high-altitude mountain deserts. The path from Manang goes through a lush forest, picturesque meadow, and rugged terrain. The higher altitude offers a breathtaking scenery of the snow-covered mountains along with the fresh waterfalls.
Gangapurna Lake is on the verge of extinction due to the impacts of global warming and climate change. This imbalance in the ecosystem of Gangapurna Lake threatens the life of the endangered flora and fauna.
Kajin Sara
Kajin Sara is the newly discovered lake located in Chame rural municipality of the Manang district in Nepal. It was discovered by mountaineers in early 2019. Kajin Sara is also popular as Singar Lake i.e. Singar Taal by Nepalese. Singar stands for yak and sheep grazing in the local language and lies in the Singar Kharka Areas.
It lies at an altitude of 5,002 m above sea level which is 83 meters above the highest altitude lake in Nepal, Tilicho Lake. It is spread over a dimension of 1,500 m long and 600m wide with a depth of 200m. It is only 24 km ahead of Chame district. It lies on the east of Mount Manaslu, west of Mt. Damodar, south of the Lamjung Himal and Mt. Annapurna, and north of Mt.Peri in Tibet. It holds a cultural significance and is worshipped by Buddhists, Sikhs, and Hindus.
Ice Lake
Ice Lake which is situated at an altitude of 4,600 m from the sea level. It lies in the district of Manang in the Annapurna region of Nepal. It is also known as Lake Kyoper and Kicho Tal or Kicho Pokhari, in local languages. Ice Lake is one of the most popular frozen lakes in Nepal. The lake has crystal clear, turquoise-blue water which reflects the peaks of skyrocketing mountains at the surface.
There are two lakes, Lower Ice Lake and Upper Ice Lake. Upper Ice Lake is only 10 minutes farther from the Lower Ice Lake. The upper Ice Lake is denoted by a large stupa which is decorated with prayer flags and chhortens. Famous mountains like Annapurna massif, Annapurna II, Annapurna III, and Gangapurna are visible from the lake.
The ice lake also holds religious importance. The Lamas from the village worshiped and visited this lake for pilgrims for 200 years. The Ice Lake's pristine and untouched nature is due to its high elevation. The residents of Manang and Lamas consider this lake sacred and believe that it is a habitat of heavenly deities.
The locals gather in this lake to perform rituals and seek blessings from the divine deities on the occasion of festivals and religious ceremonies. The distance between Manang to Ice Lake is only 16 km return. It only takes 7 hours to reach Ice Lake and return to Manang. The chilled weather and untouched natural beauty are the main attractions of this sacred Lake.
