Nepal is a paradise for lovers of beautiful photos, fascinating mountain landscapes and exotic culture . But the mountains are not the only decoration of this small state. Despite the lack of access to the sea, the territory of Nepal is dotted with alpine and low-lying lakes, which bring fresh notes to its mountainous landscape.
List of the largest lakes in Nepal
In this Asian country all the beauty of the virgin nature is concentrated. Here you can see the picturesque plains, and endless mountains, and fast rivers, and rare animals. Water resources in general play an important role in the life of the kingdom, because thanks to them, agriculture and hydropower are still flourishing to this day.
To date, more than seven dozen lakes of different area and depth have been recorded in Nepal, the largest of which are:
- Begnas ;
- Gosaykunda ;
- Imja-Tso;
- Pheva ;
- Tilicho and others.
Lake Begnas
Tourists, tired of the bustle and noise of Kathmandu , leave beyond its limits and rush towards Pokhara . Between these two largest cities of Nepal there is a picturesque Lake Begnas. It is known for its soft, clean, almost distilled water. At the same time, its density is so high that it is simply impossible to drown in the lake.
The picture of the bank of Beganas is severely cut, which makes it impossible to cover the entire reservoir with one glance. Along the coast stretches beaches, swampy shallows, jungles, flooded meadows and even rice terraces.
Lake Gosikunda
To see the second largest closed Nepalese reservoir, you need to climb to a height of 4380 m above sea level. It is here in the midst of the Himalayan mountains that one of the highest mountain lakes in Nepal - Gosikunda is located. It is unique in that it is not only a natural object, but also a popular pilgrimage site. The history of its mythical origin is even described in the Puranas and the Mahabharata.
Before going to the Gosikund water basin, it should be noted that during the period from October to June it is covered with ice. But do not despair: besides him, there are 108 more lakes on this territory of Nepal.
Imja-Tso Lake
If you follow above and further from Kathmandu, you can meet even larger and mysterious reservoirs. One of them is Imja-Tso Lake, which arose as a result of the melting of the glacier of the same name. In 1962, several ponds were discovered here, which later merged into one glacial pond.
According to research, Imja is one of the fastest growing lakes in Nepal and the Himalayas. If it were not for the final moraine, the lower edge of the glacier, it would have long ago passed beyond its limits and descended to the foothills in the form of mudflows.
Lake Pheva
To simultaneously appreciate the beauty of both mountain peaks and clean water bodies, one must head west of Kathmandu. Here is the third largest city of Nepal - Pokhara, next to which is Lake Pheva. Directly from here are opened incredible views of the Great Himalayan Range, which includes the mountains of 8-thousand. Among them:
- Annapurna ;
- Daulagiri;
- Manaslu.
Pheva is very popular with tourists and serves as the beginning of many trekking routes . Directly in the middle of the lake on a small island is the temple of Varaha, which is an important religious monument.
Upper Lakes of Nepal
Many travelers come to Nepal in order to conquer or at least see Everest. But before reaching the foot of the highest mountain in the world, they have to overcome other mountain peaks, and on the way to admire the beauty of local water bodies. Located near Jomolungma, you can see the mountain Gokje. At its foot several lakes were flooded at once, which they gave the general name - "Upper Gokie Lake".
Despite such an arrangement of water bodies, it is quite easy to find them. Therefore, tourists do not even have to deal with the question of how to get to the Gokyo Lakes in Nepal. Next to them is located the homonymous settlement, which has its own helipad. Fans of hiking climbs can reach the lakes from Namche Bazaar in 3 days. Beautiful views easily compensate for such a long journey, because this is one of the most picturesque high-altitude reservoirs in the world. Above them is only the carnival lake Tilicho, located also in Nepal at an altitude of 4919 m above sea level.
It is worth noting that the lakes are an ornament not only of the provinces and mountainous regions of Nepal, but also of its capital. An example is the artificially created pond Rani-Pokhari , located in the heart of Kathmandu.