Kapuche & Kajin Sara: Nepal's Two Record-Claim Lakes

Nepal's best-known high lakes, such as Tilicho, Gosaikunda and the Rara and Phoksundo lakes, are firmly established in guidebooks and general-knowledge (GK) catalogues. Two newer names, however, have surged in tourism and GK searches without yet appearing in most standard lists: Kapuche Glacier Lake in Kaski district and Kajin Sara Lake in Manang district. Each is attached to a superlative claim, one for the lowest-altitude glacier lake in the world and the other for the highest lake in Nepal.

These two lakes are useful to treat together precisely because they sit at opposite ends of the elevation scale, yet share the same caution: the headline claims come largely from local governments, mountaineers and the trekking industry rather than from a completed technical survey. Kapuche is described as a glacier-fed lake at roughly 2,500 metres, while Kajin Sara was provisionally placed near 5,200 metres by an exploratory team in 2019 Bikram Sambat (BS) 2076.

This detail page sets out what is documented for each lake, how travellers reach them, when to go, and exactly how firm or soft the 'record' status is. Where a number is only an estimate or a promotional claim, this page says so, because both lakes are frequently over-stated online.

Kapuche Glacier Lake lies below the Gurung village of Sikles in Madi Rural Municipality of Kaski district, in the Annapurna region, tucked beneath the walls of Annapurna II and Lamjung Himal. It is a turquoise, glacier-fed lake formed by meltwater and past avalanches from the retreating Kapuche Glacier, and it is often marketed as a 'virgin' or newly opened destination because organised trekking there is recent.

The elevation most commonly cited in Nepali tourism material is about 2,546 metres, though some sources give figures as low as 2,421 metres or round to roughly 2,500 metres. What makes the lake notable is that almost all of Nepal's other glacier lakes sit above 4,000 metres, so a genuine glacier lake near 2,500 metres is unusually low. On that basis it is widely promoted as the lowest-altitude glacier lake in Nepal, and by extension 'the lowest glacier lake in the world.'

That world-record framing should be read as a tourism and local-government claim rather than a verified scientific ranking. It has been attributed to local ward leadership rather than to a glaciological authority, and there is no published global inventory confirming Kapuche as the single lowest glacier lake on Earth. The safer, defensible statement is that Kapuche is one of the lowest-altitude glacier lakes in Nepal, and quite possibly one of the lowest anywhere, which is still remarkable.

The standard approach is from Pokhara. Travellers drive from Pokhara to Sikles, a large Gurung village that serves as the trailhead, and from Sikles trek toward the lake via the Hugu area, typically a walk of around six hours one way past the Idi Waterfall. Because the road reaches Sikles, the trek itself is short compared with most Annapurna itineraries, which is a big part of Kapuche's appeal as a quick, scenic getaway.

Many operators package it as a three-to-five day Sikles–Kapuche trek, adding acclimatisation and side visits rather than more distance, and simple lodges and upgraded herders' huts now provide food and shelter along the route. The trail sits inside the Annapurna Conservation Area, so trekkers should carry the relevant permits and coordinate with the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP), which works with Madi Rural Municipality on trail development.

The most reliable weather is in the autumn (roughly late September to November) and spring (March to May), when views of Annapurna II and Lamjung Himal are clearest. The area is genuinely cold near the lake; in deep winter the surface can partly freeze, while the monsoon brings leeches, slippery trails and wildflowers. Because the lake sits at low elevation, altitude sickness is far less of a concern than on higher Annapurna routes, but the short, steep valley approach still demands care.

Kajin Sara Lake, also called Singar Lake or Singar Taal, lies in the remote Singarkharka area of Chame Rural Municipality ward 4 in Manang district, Gandaki Province. It first drew wider attention in 2019 (BS 2076) after yak and sheep herders reported it, prompting the local government to organise an exploratory visit. A joint team that included Chame Rural Municipality, Nepal Police, local representatives and the then Chief District Officer visited the site, with a ground assessment reported around 21 to 22 July 2019.

That exploratory team estimated the lake's surface at roughly 5,200 metres above sea level, with an approximate length near one kilometre (about 1,500 metres in several reports) and a width of about 600 metres; depth was not measured. If that elevation holds, Kajin Sara would sit around 280 to 300 metres above Tilicho Lake, which is usually given as 4,919 metres, and would therefore be described as Nepal's highest lake, displacing Tilicho.

It is important to be precise about the numbers, because they vary between sources. Reported elevations for Kajin Sara include about 5,200 metres, 5,020 metres and 5,002 metres. These differences reflect the fact that the figures come from field estimates and handheld GPS readings rather than a completed geodetic survey, so any single value should be treated as provisional.

The Kajin Sara story is usually told as 'a new lake that beats Tilicho as the world's highest lake.' Two caveats matter here. First, the world's highest lakes are not in Nepal at all; small crater lakes on Ojos del Salado in Chile sit far higher, above 6,000 metres. So even Tilicho's popular billing as 'the highest lake in the world' is itself disputed and best read as 'one of the highest lakes you can trek to,' not a literal global record.

Second, Kajin Sara's own elevation is not yet officially verified. Local officials and neighbouring rural-municipality leaders have publicly cautioned that no firm conclusion on altitude, surface area or depth can be drawn until an official study is carried out by the Government of Nepal's Department of Survey. As of the mid-2020s, Chame Rural Municipality had announced a second, technical phase, planned for a weather-friendly season, to include satellite-based measurement, hydrological testing and environmental-risk assessment.

So the accurate framing is layered: Kajin Sara may well be Nepal's highest lake and may sit above Tilicho, based on provisional field measurements near 5,200 metres, but this is a claim awaiting official confirmation, and the further leap to 'world's highest lake' is not supported. Readers chasing GK answers should note the record as 'claimed and unverified,' with Tilicho at 4,919 metres as the established reference point.

Kajin Sara is far more demanding than Kapuche and suits only experienced, well-acclimatised trekkers. The usual approach follows the Annapurna Circuit corridor: drive from Besisahar in Lamjung up the Marsyangdi valley by jeep to Chame (about 2,650 metres), the district headquarters of Manang, then trek off the main circuit toward the Singarkharka grazing grounds and Lamjung Himal base-camp area before continuing to the lake near 5,200 metres.

This is a high, remote route with intermediate camps reported around 3,760 metres and 4,750 metres, so several nights of acclimatisation are essential and altitude sickness is a real risk near the lake. Facilities are minimal to non-existent beyond the villages, meaning most parties camp, carry supplies and travel with an experienced local guide; the trail is not a maintained, teahouse-lined route like the Tilicho or Annapurna circuits.

The viable window is short: essentially the pre-monsoon spring and post-monsoon autumn, when the high passes and grazing basins are relatively snow-free and weather is more settled. Winter brings heavy snow and cold that make the approach dangerous, and the monsoon brings cloud, landslip risk on the access road and poor visibility. Because the terrain and the record claim are both still being formalised, trekkers should confirm current access, permits and local conditions before committing.

For general-knowledge and school use, the durable, defensible statements are simple. Kapuche Glacier Lake is a low-elevation (about 2,500 m) glacier lake below Sikles in Kaski, promoted as one of the lowest-altitude glacier lakes in Nepal. Kajin Sara Lake is a high-altitude glacial lake in Chame Rural Municipality of Manang, provisionally measured near 5,200 m and claimed to be Nepal's highest lake, above Tilicho's 4,919 m.

The word to keep attached to both records is 'claimed.' Kapuche's 'lowest in the world' billing is a tourism-and-local-government claim without a published global ranking, and Kajin Sara's 'highest in Nepal / above Tilicho' status awaits an official Department of Survey study. Presenting either as a settled world record would be inaccurate, and the numbers, especially Kajin Sara's, should be given as approximate.

Used carefully, both lakes are excellent additions to a Nepal lakes catalogue: they are real, photogenic, increasingly visited, and interesting for what they reveal about glacier-lake formation at very different elevations. The honest headline is that Nepal has a strikingly low glacier lake and a possibly record-high one, with the final rankings still to be confirmed.