The lakes of Nepal
From Rara, the largest, to the turquoise depths of Shey Phoksundo and the sky-high glacial waters of Tilicho and Gokyo — Nepal's famous tals, mapped, with their size, depth, altitude and stories.
Lakes catalogued
14
the best-known tals
Largest
Rara
≈10.8 km²
Highest
4,919 m
Tilicho Lake
Ramsar wetlands
11
of international importance
Hover any water body to see its name; click a featured lake to open it. Lake outlines are real shapes from OpenStreetMap — the green ones are our featured lakes, the blue are every other named water body in Nepal.
Nepal's lakes, answered
What is the largest lake in Nepal?+
Rara Lake in Mugu district, Karnali province, is the largest lake in Nepal, covering about 10.8 km² at an altitude of roughly 2,990 m inside Rara National Park.
What is the deepest lake in Nepal?+
Shey Phoksundo Lake in Dolpa is generally regarded as Nepal's deepest lake, with a depth of around 145 m and a striking turquoise colour.
What is the most famous lake in Nepal?+
Phewa Lake in Pokhara is Nepal's best-known lake and the centre of its tourism, famous for the reflection of the Annapurna and Machhapuchhre peaks and the island temple of Tal Barahi.
Which is the highest lake in Nepal?+
Tilicho Lake in Manang, at about 4,919 m, is among the highest lakes of its size in the world. The Gokyo lakes in the Everest region (around 4,700–5,000 m) form one of the world's highest freshwater lake systems.
How many Ramsar wetland sites does Nepal have?+
Nepal has ten Ramsar-listed wetlands of international importance, many of them lakes — including Rara, Shey Phoksundo, the Gokyo lakes, Ghodaghodi, Beeshazari and Jagadishpur.
Sources & data note
Areas, depths and altitudes are approximate, drawn from standard references, the Ramsar database and national-park material. Lake outlines on the map are real shapes from OpenStreetMap, clipped to Nepal's boundary.