Tilicho lake | |
---|---|
Location | Annapurna, Manang, Nepal |
Coordinates | 28°41′30″N83°51′10″E / 28.69167°N 83.85278°E |
Type | Glacial lake |
Basin countries | Nepal |
Max. length | 4 km (2.5 mi) |
Max. width | 1.2 km (0.75 mi) |
Surface area | 4.8 km2 (1.9 sq mi) |
Average depth | 85 m (279 ft) |
Water volume | 156×10 6 L (41,000,000 US gal) (Fresh Water) |
Surface elevation | 4,919 m (16,138 ft) |
Tilicho Lake (Nepali : तिलिचो ताल; pronounced [tilit͡so] ) is a glacial lake located in the Manang district of Nepal, 55 kilometres (34 mi) as the crow flies from the city of Pokhara. It is situated at an altitude of 4,919 metres (16,138 ft) in the Annapurna range of the Himalayas. Another source lists the altitude of Lake Tilicho as being 4,949 metres (16,237 ft) above mean sea level. [1] [2] According to the Nepali Department of Hydrology & Meteorology (2003), no aquatic organism has been recorded in the lake.[ citation needed ]
Tilicho Lake was once known as Nepal’s highest lake, as it is situated at an altitude of 4,919 meters (16,138 ft), but now is overthrown by the Kajin Sara Lake which is situated at 5,200 m, however, Tilicho Lake is still the Lake with longest diameter, lengthening up to 4 km in length and 1.2 km in width. Another interesting fact about Tilicho Lake is that there are neither water sources present, nor is there a designated route for water to follow, so the water stays within the lake.
Tilicho Lake is the destination of one of the most popular side hikes of the Annapurna Circuit trek. The hike takes additional 3–4 days. No camping is required, as new lodges have been built between Manang and the lake. The final approach to the lake is done in a day hike from the lodge at Tilicho Base Camp.
Trekkers attempting the Annapurna Circuit route usually cross the watershed between Manang and Kali Gandaki valleys over the 5416 meters high Thorong La pass. The alternate route, skirting Tilicho Lake from the north, has been gaining popularity. This route is more demanding and requires at least one night of camping. There are no teahouses or lodges past the Tilicho Base Camp lodge some kilometers east of the lake and the next village of Thini Gaon in the Kali Gandaki valley. Most groups spend two nights between these places. There are two passes leading to Thini Gaon and Jomsom; Mesokanto La and Tilicho North pass known also as Tilicho "Tourist pass". These routes via Tilicho Lake are more often closed by snow than the higher Thorong La.[ citation needed ]
Tilicho Lake was the site of one of the highest ever altitude scuba dives. A Russian diving team, consisting of Andrei Andryushin, Denis Bakin, and Maxim Gresko, conducted a scuba dive in the lake in 2000. [3]
Hindus believe that Tilicho Lake is the ancient Kak Bhusundi Lake mentioned in the epic Ramayana. [4] The sage Kak Bhusundi is believed to have first told the happenings of Ramayana to Garuda - king of birds, near this lake. The sage took the form of a crow while telling the story to Garuda. Crow translates to Kak in Sanskrit, hence the name Kak Bhusndi for the sage.
The mountains surrounding the lake are Khangsar, Muktinath peak, Nilgiri, and Tilicho. [5]
Annapurna is a mountain situated in the Annapurna mountain range of Gandaki Province, north-central Nepal. It is the 10th highest mountain in the world at 8,091 metres (26,545 ft) above sea level and is well known for the difficulty and danger involved in its ascent.
Manaslu is the eighth-highest mountain in the world at 8,163 metres (26,781 ft) above sea level. It is in the Mansiri Himal, part of the Nepalese Himalayas, in west-central Nepal. Manaslu means "mountain of the spirit" and the word is derived from the Sanskrit word manasa, meaning "intellect" or "soul". Manaslu was first climbed on May 9, 1956, by Toshio Imanishi and Gyalzen Norbu, members of a Japanese expedition. It is said that, given the many unsuccessful attempts by the British to climb Everest before Nepali Tenzing Norgay and New Zealander Edmund Hillary, "just as the British consider Everest their mountain, Manaslu has always been a Japanese mountain".
Machapuchare, Machhapuchchhre or Machhapuchhre, is a mountain situated in the Annapurna massif of Gandaki Province, north-central Nepal. Its highest peak has never been officially climbed due to the impossibility of gaining a permit from the government of Nepal.
Gandaki zone was one of the fourteen zones of Nepal, located in the Western Development Region. It was named as Sapta Gandaki after the seven tributaries that makes up the Gandaki River. Pokhara served as its regional and zonal headquarter. It was also the birthplace of Bhanubhakta Acharya, first poet of Nepal.
Kaski District, a part of Gandaki Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The name is disambiguated from Kaskikot, the ancient Kaski Kingdom.
Mustang District is one of the eleven districts of Gandaki Province and one of seventy-seven districts of Nepal which was a Kingdom of Lo-Manthang that joined the Federation of Nepal in 2008 after abolition of the Shah dynasty. The district covers an area of 3,573 km2 (1,380 sq mi) and in 2011 had a population of 13,452. The headquarters is located at Jomsom. Mustang is the fifth largest district of Nepal in terms of area. The district is home to Muktinath Temple and is a sacred place for Hindus and Buddhists.
Thorong La or Thorung La is a mountain pass with an elevation of 5,416 metres (17,769 ft) above sea level in the Damodar Himal, north of the Annapurna Himal, in central Nepal. Thorong Ri is on the slope of Khatung Kang and Yakawa Kang are the mountains forming Thorong La. The pass is located on a trail that connects the village of Manang in the Manang District to the east, with the temple of Muktinath and the nearby village of Ranipauwa, in the Mustang District to the west. Thorong La is the highest point on the Annapurna Circuit, a 300 km (190 mi) route around the Annapurna mountain range. In addition to trekkers, the pass is regularly used by local traders.
Gokyo Peak is a 5,357 m (17,575 ft)-high peak in the Khumbu region of the Nepal Himalayas. It is located on the west side of the Ngozumpa glacier, which is the largest glacier in Nepal and reputed to be the largest in the whole Himalayas. Gokyo, at the base of Gokyo Ri, is a small village with several houses and lodges, and is one of the highest settlements in the world. From the summit of Gokyo Ri it is possible to see four 8,000-metre peaks: Mount Everest, Lhotse, Makalu and Cho Oyu. The Gokyo Lakes are in the area. Other mountains, such as Pumori and Nuptse are also visible from the top, along with five tranquil glacier lakes named together as gokyo lakes. The Gokyo-Ri summit is a 3-hour hike from the nearest village.
Jomsom, also known as Dzongsam, is the centre of Gharapjhong rural municipality in Mustang district and a former independent village development committee situated at an altitude of about 2,700 metres (8,900 ft) in Gandaki Province of western Nepal. The soaring peaks of Dhaulagiri and Nilgiri form a backdrop to the town straddling the Kali Gandaki River, which flows right through the centre of Jomsom. Along the banks of the Kali Gandaki, black fossilised stones called shaligram, considered as an iconic symbol and reminder of the god Vishnu in the Hindu culture, can be found. Such stones are believed to be found only in the Kali Gandaki, and are considered holy by Hindus.
Manang is a town in the Manang District of Nepal. It is located at 28°40'0N 84°1'0E with an elevation of 3,519 metres (11,545 ft). According to the preliminary results of the 2011 Nepal census, the district has a population of 6,527 people living in 1,495 individual households. Its population density is 3 persons/km2.
Samagaun is a village development committee in Gorkha District in the Gandaki Zone of northern-central Nepal. The village is located at an altitude between 3530 m and 3800m, making it the highest-located large settlement in the Manaslu Mountain Area. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census, it had a population of 665 and had 179 houses in the village. 100% of this population are followers of Buddhism.
Ghandruk is a Village Development Committee in the Kaski District of the Gandaki Province of Nepal. Situated 32 km north-west to Pokhara, the village is readily accessible by public buses and private taxis from the provincial headquarter. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census, it had a population of 4,748 residents in 1,013 individual households.
Annapurna Conservation Area is Nepal's largest protected area covering 7,629 km2 (2,946 sq mi) in the Annapurna range of the Himalayas. It ranges in elevation from 790 m (2,590 ft) to the peak of Annapurna I at 8,091 m (26,545 ft). The conservation area stretches across Manang, Mustang, Kaski, Myagdi, and Lamjung Districts. Annapurna Conservation Area encompasses Annapurna Sanctuary and is known for several trekking routes including the Annapurna Circuit.
The Great Himalaya Trail is a route across the Himalayas from east to west. The original concept was to establish a single long distance trekking trail from the east end to the west end of Nepal that includes a total of roughly 1,700 kilometres (1,100 mi) of path. There is a proposed trail of more than 4,500 kilometres (2,800 mi) stretching the length of the Greater Himalaya range from Nanga Parbat in Pakistan to Namche Barwa in Tibet thus passing through, India, Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet. Although an actual continuous route is currently only a concept, if completed it would be the longest and highest alpine hiking track in the world.
The Annapurna Circuit is a trek within the mountain ranges of central Nepal. The total length of the route varies between 160–230 km, depending on where motor transportation is used and where the trek is ended. This trek crosses two different river valleys and encircles the Annapurna Massif. The path reaches its highest point at Thorung La pass, reaching the edge of the Tibetan plateau. Most trekkers hike the route anticlockwise, as this way the daily altitude gain is slower, and crossing the high Thorong La pass is easier and safer.
The 2014 Nepal snowstorm disaster occurred in central Nepal on 14 October 2014 and resulted in the deaths of at least 43 people of various nationalities, including at least 21 trekkers. Injuries and fatalities resulted from unusually severe snowstorms and avalanches on and around the mountains of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri. The incident was said to be Nepal's worst trekking disaster.
Kajin Sara is a lake in the Manang district of Nepal.
Mardi Himal is a 5,587-metre (18,330 ft) peak beneath the much more prominent Machapuchare in the Annapurna region of Nepal, from which it is separated by a 5,200 metres (17,060 ft) col. It was first summited in 1961 by Basil Goodfellow.
Gangapurna is a mountain in Gandaki Province, Nepal. It is part of the Annapurna mountain range in north-central Nepal at an elevation of 7,455 metres (24,459 ft) and with the prominence of 563 metres (1,847 ft). It was first ascended in 1965 by a German expedition via its south face and east ridge. Gangapurna is entirely located in the Annapurna Conservation Area.
Annapurna is a massif in the Himalayas in north-central Nepal that includes one peak over 8,000 metres (26,247 ft), thirteen peaks over 7,000 metres (22,966 ft), and sixteen more over 6,000 metres (19,685 ft). The massif is 55 kilometres (34 mi) long, and is bounded by the Kali Gandaki Gorge on the west, the Marshyangdi River on the north and east, and by the Pokhara Valley on the south. At its western end, the massif encloses a high basin called the Annapurna Sanctuary. The highest peak of the massif, Annapurna I Main, is the 10th highest mountain in the world at 8,091 metres (26,545 ft) above sea level. Maurice Herzog led a French expedition to its summit through the north face in 1950, making it the first eight-thousander to be successfully climbed.