Lakes like Heaven in Nepal

 Nepal is the second richest country in water resources. Different studies and reports say that Nepal is a bearer of more than 6000 rivers, 3,252 glaciers, 2,323 glacial lakes and several tectonic and ox-bow-lakes. There are lakes like in heaven in Nepal.

Here are 6 of the most beautiful lakes in Nepal:

Tilicho Lake:

Tilicho Lake ( Source: Unique path trekking )

The Tilicho Lake is one of the most spectacular lakes of Nepal. Situated at 4919 meters, it is connected with one of the world’s classic treks, the Annapurna Circuit trek. It is a lake located in the Manang district of Nepal. This lake is known as the highest lake for its size in the world even though there are lakes at higher altitude. In such height, surrounded by mountains, Tilicho is a place where you can experience the heavenly environment.

We can have a trek to tilicho. Tilicho Lake trekking starts from Besisahar, Lamjung, which goes along the Marshyangdi River, with great views of Manaslu and Himal Chuli to the east. This magnificent Tilicho Lake trek leads you to the fine village inhabited by a wide diversity of people from different ethnic groups, offering spectacular and impressive views of the White Himalayas.

Rara Lake ( Source: Creativeadventurenepal )

Rara Lake:

The largest lake in Nepal is the Rara lake that is in the Far Western region. It is the biggest and deepest fresh water lake in the Nepal Himalayas. The most striking thing about the lake is its ability to change to seven different colors during the light of day. This peculiar phenomenon makes it a unique lake in Nepal. The lake is so large that it takes almost a whole day to go around it.

We can either trek or go by bus to the lake. From Talcha airport it is a four hour hike to the lake. And from Jumla airport you may either take a bus or jeep to reach Gamgadhi, the district headquarters of Mugu, and then from there it is a five hour hike to the lake. It is also possible to trek from Jumla to Rara lake, but allow three days walking.

Gokyo Lakes:

Gokyo Lakes ( Source: Accessnepaltours)

Situated in the shadow of world’s sixth highest mountain, Cho Oyu, are some of the most amazing high-altitude lakes of Nepal, the Gokyo Lakes. Lying at an altitude of 4700-5000 meters above sea level within the Sagarmatha National Park in the Khumbu region.  These lakes are the world’s highest freshwater lake system comprising six main lakes, of which Thonak Lake is the largest.

To get to Gokyo Lakes, first, you will take a 35 minutes adventurous flight to Lukla from Kathmandu. Then begin your Gokyo lakes and Gokyo Ri trek. Upon reaching Namche Bazaar, you deviate from the Everest base camp route and take the less crowded route towards Dole. The trek is of 14-15 days.

Phewa Lake:

Phewa Lake (Source: Himalayan Treks )

Located in the Pokhara valley, Phewa lake is the easiest one to reach from Kathmandu without any treks. It takes a 6-7 hours drive or a 20 minutes domestic flight to reach Pokahara. There is a small temple ‘Tal Barahi’ in the middle of this lake. Boating is available in this lake.

Phewa Lake is the second largest lake in Pokhara, the lake bordering the forested hill. The view of Fishtail and other mountains reflected in the lake, the little island and the Tal Barahi temple in the middle, the white stupa on the top of the hill, the gliders jumping from Sarangkot, the Ultralight soaring up high and paralleled each other, buzzing, all at once can be seized in the mild breeze over the Phewa Lake.

At Phewa Lake, you can choose what type of boats you would like to have, the driven boats, row boats and sail boats.

Shey-Phoksundo Lake (Source: Tripadvisor)

Phoksundo Lake:

Phoksundo Lake, Nepal’s deepest lake, lies in Dolpa district, far to the west of Kathmandu, which can be experience during the trek to dolpo region. The freshwater lake sits at an altitude of 3615 meters. Eric Valli’s 1999 hit movie Himalaya/Caravan portrays an insightful life of people, culture and the Dolpo region as whole.

To reach this lake, the 11-day trip starts with your arrival in Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu. The trip to Phoksundo Lake continues next day with a flight to Nepalgunj which lies in the lowland of western Terai, just 8 km away from Indian Border. After a brief stay in Nepalgunj, then fly to Juphal, the starting point of the trek to Phoksundo Lake. The trekking trail ascends and descends through a densely forested path filled with oaks, pines, and fir trees with a view of several waterfalls along the way. The route also passes through several picturesque traditional villages like Dunai, Chhepka, Jharana Hotel, and Shyanta. The trekkers also come across the view of a magnificent 330m high waterfall. The area is also equally rich in wildlife which gives trekkers an opportunity to get sight of some endangered species. Species like musk deer, snow leopard, blue sheep, Tibetan sheep, Himalayan tahr, and so on. A short stay at the mesmerizing Phoksundo Lake is bound to make you feel calm and peaceful as you relish the beauty of the lake along with the view of Kanjirowa Himal (6612m) accompanied by a visit to the various monasteries surrounding the lake.

Gosaikunda Lake:

Gosaikunda Lake (Source: Wilderness Excursion)

The Gosaikunda Lake is one of the most famous lakes in Nepal. At an altitude of 4380 meters in the district of Rasuwa, around 150 kilometers to the north of Kathmandu, the lake holds religious importance. It is a pilgrimage site during Janai Purnima. Though the lake remains frozen for only a short time during winter, the name “Frozen Lake” is often used for Gosaikunda.

It is a short, easy and scenic trek from Kathmandu to Gosaikunda. The trip from Kathmandu to Gosaikunda takes six to seven days. After an hour of drive from Kathmandu to Sundarijal. Sundarijal is the first destination of the trek to Gosainkunda. Or if we want a short trip we can take a bus to Dhunche and walk for an hour to get to Gosaikunda which would be a 2-3 day trip.

Apart from these lakes there are still many more beautiful lakes in Nepal. Lakes such as Paach Pokhari, Begnas Lake, Rupa Lake, Imja Tsho, Gupha Pokhari and still many more.