The lakes are moraine-dammed: glacial ice carved the basins, and the moraine ridges left behind by a retreating glacier now hold the water back. The lower three lakes drain via surface streams toward the Dudh Koshi river; the upper lakes, including the fourth and fifth, have no surface outflow — their water levels are governed more directly by glacial meltwater and seepage through the moraine.

Trek the Gokyo Lake Trek

This trek features stunning turquoise glacial lakes and panoramic views of the world’s tallest peaks, including Mount Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, and Cho Oyu.

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The First Gokyo Lake — Longponga Tsho

Longponga Tsho is the lowest and first of the six lakes, sitting at roughly 4,670–4,710 m on the approach trail as it climbs from Machhermo toward Gokyo village. Trekkers heading up the valley pass close to it, though most don't stop for long — it's one of two lower lakes encountered before the main, photographed lake at Gokyo itself. It's a useful landmark for knowing you're entering the lake system, more than a destination in its own right on the standard route.

The Second Gokyo Lake — Taujung Tsho

Taujung Tsho (also written Tanjung Tsho) sits a short distance above Longponga Tsho, at roughly 4,710–4,740 m, also directly beside or very close to the main trekking trail. Like the first lake, it's seen by virtually everyone walking the standard route to Gokyo, simply as part of the approach, rather than visited as a separate stop. Together, the first and second lakes form the lower end of the system — noticeably smaller and less dramatic than the lake at Gokyo village itself, but part of the same connected chain.

Photo: View of Second Gokyo Lake and surrounding mountains from Gokyo Ri

The Third Gokyo Lake — Dudh Pokhari (Gokyo Cho)

This is the lake most people mean when they say "Gokyo Lake," and it gets more attention here because it's the one almost every trekker actually experiences.

Dudh Pokhari — literally "Milk Lake" in Nepali, and also known as Gokyo Cho — sits at roughly 4,790 m, closely matching Places Nepal's own published figure of approximately 4,800 m for Gokyo village on its shore. Wikipedia's reference figures give the lake a surface area of about 42.9 hectares and a depth of around 43 m, making it a substantial body of water by Himalayan standards, not a small pond.

Gokyo village — one of the highest permanently inhabited settlements anywhere in the world — sits directly on the lake's eastern shore, which is why it's the standard overnight base for exploring the entire upper valley. From the village, the lake's water reflects the surrounding peaks, including Cho Oyu, in calm conditions, though cloud, wind, and light change that view considerably through the day — a still, early-morning reflection is a different sight from a windy midafternoon one, and neither is guaranteed on any given visit.

The lake also carries religious significance locally: Hindus regard the Gokyo area as associated with Nag Devata, a snake deity, and it draws pilgrims — notably from Namche Bazaar — around the Janai Purnima festival. If you're staying in Gokyo, this is the lake you'll see every morning and evening, and it's worth understanding as the heart of the wider six-lake system rather than the whole of it.

The Fourth Gokyo Lake — Thonak Tsho

Thonak Tsho sits north of Gokyo village at roughly 4,840–4,870 m, and is the largest and deepest of the named lakes — Wikipedia's reference figures give it a surface area of about 65.07 hectares and a depth of around 62.4 m, noticeably larger than Dudh Pokhari.

It's reached by a day excursion from Gokyo village, commonly included in Places Nepal's standard 10-day itinerary (on Day 7, per the current published schedule) rather than requiring an overnight stay elsewhere. The route runs close to the edge of the Ngozumpa Glacier's lateral moraine, giving trekkers their first real up-close sense of the glacier's scale, rather than viewing it only from a distance. Published trip reports describe the walk from Gokyo as a relatively gentle, roughly two-hour ascent along the valley floor, with a rougher alternative path along the moraine ridge itself for those who want closer glacier views at the cost of harder underfoot going. Treat these as approximate, trail-condition-dependent figures rather than a fixed schedule.

Thonak Tsho differs from Dudh Pokhari mainly in setting: it's further from the village, closer to the glacier's edge, and sees meaningfully fewer visitors on any given day, even though it's part of most standard itineraries. It's often visited on the same outing as an attempt to push on toward the fifth lake, for trekkers with the time and energy to extend the day.

Photo: South face oF Mt. Everest with Gokyo at bottom seen from Renjo La

The Fifth Gokyo Lake — Ngozumpa Tsho

This is one of the main reasons to read this guide rather than the standard trip description, because the fifth lake is genuinely different from the first four in one key respect: it is not part of the standard Gokyo Lakes Trek itinerary.

Ngozumpa Tsho sits at roughly 4,960–4,980 m, further up the valley beyond Thonak Tsho, close to the Ngozumpa Glacier's upper reaches and surrounded by moraine and rock rather than the gentler grassy terrain near the village. Reaching it means continuing past the fourth lake on an already long excursion day — published trip accounts describe pushing on "if you still have strength and it is before noon," with two route options from Thonak Tsho: a flatter, well-trodden path, or a more demanding route along the moraine crest with better glacier views.

Why trekkers make the extra walk: the fifth lake sits at a genuinely different vantage point on the Ngozumpa Glacier and the mountains around it, more remote and quieter than anywhere on the standard route, with views that open up further than they do from the village or even from Thonak Tsho.

The viewpoint associated with the fifth lake — informally known in some trekking accounts as Scoundrel's Viewpoint, or Scoundrel's Lookout — sits on the moraine ridge to the east of the lake, at approximately 5,000 m, marked (per one detailed account) with prayer flags. From there, the described views run north to Cho Oyu and Gyachung Kang across the Ngozumpa Glacier, and east, beyond a high pass called Changri La (5,697 m), toward Nuptse, Lhotse, Makalu, and the northern slope of Everest — though these views depend entirely on clear weather, and Himalayan afternoon cloud is a real possibility at this altitude. The name itself is informal and not consistently used — one detailed account gives this specific description and location, while another uses the name only as an unlabelled photo caption with no further detail. Treat it as a real but loosely-documented trekker name for a specific spot, not a formally marked, universally agreed summit.

The fifth lake is not directly beside Gokyo village — it's a separate, further destination reached only by continuing past the third and fourth lakes, and it's worth being clear-eyed about that distinction before planning a day around it.

The Sixth Gokyo Lake — Gyazumpa Tsho

The sixth and highest lake, Gyazumpa Tsho, sits at roughly 5,000–5,050 m in the uppermost part of the lake system, near where several glacial moraines converge. It receives far fewer visitors than any of the first five — one detailed trekking account notes that most people asked in Gokyo village either said it was "too far" or weren't sure it existed, and that published maps show it while the lake itself goes largely unmentioned in standard trekking literature.

The sixth lake is not a routine stop on the standard Gokyo Lakes Trek, and no current reliable source suggests otherwise. Reaching it means continuing well beyond the fifth lake, at elevation and over increasingly difficult moraine and rock terrain, with meaningfully more time, altitude exposure, and route-finding involved than the fourth or fifth lake excursions. This is a genuinely different undertaking from visiting the main tourist lakes — worth knowing exists, for readers curious about the full extent of the system, but not something to plan into a standard Gokyo Lakes Trek itinerary without a serious, separately-planned extension.

Photo: Ngozumpa Glacier seen during Gokyo lake trek

Hiking from Gokyo Village to the Fourth and Fifth Lakes

For trekkers who do want to go beyond the third lake, here's what the excursion practically involves.

The trail begins at Gokyo village and heads north up the valley, initially along a wide, relatively flat path on the valley floor, with a rougher alternative route along the Ngozumpa Glacier's lateral moraine for those who want to walk closer to the ice. Both options are walkable without technical climbing skill, but the moraine route involves uneven ground and loose rock underfoot.

These figures are approximate and should be treated that way. No official, agency-measured distance or time table for this specific excursion was found in researching this article — the numbers above come from published trekker trip reports, not a surveying body, and actual walking time depends heavily on pace, snow cover, and how long you linger at each lake. In poor weather or with snow on the ground, tracks can become hard to follow past the fourth lake, and turning back earlier is a sensible, common decision rather than a failure to complete the route.

Realistically, reaching the fourth lake and back is a feasible half-day to full-day excursion from Gokyo for most reasonably fit trekkers at altitude. Pushing on to the fifth lake extends that into a long full day, and should only be attempted with an early start, favourable weather, and enough daylight in hand for a safe return.

What Is Scoundrel's Viewpoint?

Scoundrel's Viewpoint — sometimes called Scoundrel's Lookout, and in at least one detailed account referred to by the more prosaic name "Hill 153" — is a small rise on the moraine ridge east of the fifth lake, Ngozumpa Tsho, at approximately 5,000 m. One detailed trip report describes it as marked with prayer flags, suggesting it's recognised by at least some local guides and repeat visitors, even if it isn't a formally signed or mapped landmark.

From the viewpoint, the described outlook runs:

• North, across the Ngozumpa Glacier, to Cho Oyu and Gyachung Kang.
• East, beyond the Changri La pass (5,697 m), toward Nuptse, Lhotse, Makalu, and the northern flank of Everest.

This is a materially different view from Gokyo Ri's — Gokyo Ri looks across the main Gokyo valley toward Everest, Lhotse, Makalu and Cho Oyu from a single, well-established summit directly above the village; Scoundrel's Viewpoint instead looks out across the glacier itself from much further up the valley, past the lakes most visitors never see.

Not every photograph labelled "fifth lake viewpoint" or "Scoundrel's Viewpoint" online was necessarily taken from the exact same spot — the name is used loosely enough, and the terrain varied enough, that slightly different vantage points along the same moraine ridge likely get the same informal label. Treat the name as pointing to a general area and a real kind of view, rather than one precisely GPS-marked summit.

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The Gokyo Lakes with EBC Trek is a stunning adventure through one of the most iconic landscapes of Nepal.

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What Does the Ngozumpa Glacier Look Like from the Fifth Lake?

The Ngozumpa Glacier runs alongside the entire upper Gokyo Valley, and is commonly described as Nepal's longest glacier, at approximately 36 km — a figure corroborated independently by both a Wikipedia summary and a published ICIMOD (International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development) glaciological study.

What makes the Ngozumpa visually distinctive, and relevant to what you'll actually see from the fifth-lake area, is that it's heavily debris-covered: large sections of the glacier's surface are buried under rock, sand, silt and boulders, in places several metres thick, according to ICIMOD's measurements — so from a distance, much of it looks more like a vast, grey, rubble-strewn valley floor than a clean sheet of ice. Meltwater has also formed sizeable surface pools (supraglacial lakes) in places, a visible sign of the glacier's ongoing retreat.

From the fifth lake and its associated viewpoint, you're looking at the glacier from above and beside it — seeing its scale and debris-covered surface stretching up the valley toward Cho Oyu — rather than walking directly on the ice itself. This guide does not suggest crossing onto the glacier's surface independently; moving across unstable moraine and ice without a guide experienced in that specific terrain carries real risk, and the standard route to the fourth and fifth lakes does not require it.

Fifth Lake Hike vs Gokyo Ri Climb

These are two different excursions from Gokyo village, and it's worth being clear about the difference before planning your time in the valley.

Neither excursion is simply "easier" for everyone. Gokyo Ri is shorter but steeper and reaches a higher point in one push; the fifth-lake hike is longer and flatter, but its cumulative distance and remoteness — and the genuine difficulty of judging your own pace and turnaround time that far from the village — bring their own demands. How each one feels depends on your altitude acclimatisation, fitness, and how the specific day's weather and trail conditions behave.

Can you do both on the same day? Only with a very early start, strong acclimatisation, and real caution about turnaround time — and most trekkers shouldn't plan to. Gokyo Ri is already a meaningful effort on the same day you arrive in Gokyo on Places Nepal's standard itinerary; adding a long push toward the fifth lake on top of that, at the trek's highest overnight altitude, is a lot to ask of your body in one day. If both genuinely interest you, a separate day for each — discussed with your guide once you're in Gokyo and know how you're acclimatising — is the sounder approach.

Photo: Trekkers climbing to Gokyo Ri in winter

How High Are the Upper Gokyo Lakes?

The fourth, fifth, and sixth lakes sit between roughly 4,840 m and 5,050 m — above 4,700 m throughout, and the fifth and sixth lakes edge up toward and over 5,000 m. That's worth taking seriously on its own terms, separate from how the walking itself feels.

A few distinctions matter here:

• Gokyo village, where you sleep, sits at roughly 4,790–4,800 m. The fourth lake excursion and any push toward the fifth lake are day trips from that overnight base — you return to sleep at the same altitude each night, rather than sleeping progressively higher as you go further up the valley.
• Physical fitness does not prevent altitude sickness. This is true at Gokyo village itself and remains true on a day excursion to the upper lakes — a strong, experienced trekker can still develop symptoms at these elevations, and there is no reliable way to predict in advance who will be affected.
• The upper-lake excursion should not be treated as a flat, low-effort stroll just because the terrain isn't steep. Distance, remoteness, and sustained time at or above 4,800–5,000 m all add real physical demand, even on relatively gentle ground.

If you develop a headache, nausea, dizziness, unusual fatigue, or breathlessness that doesn't match the effort you're making, tell your guide and treat it seriously rather than pushing on to see the fifth or sixth lake. Severe or worsening symptoms call for prompt descent and appropriate medical assessment or evacuation, not a wait-and-see approach while you're still climbing. This is general safety guidance, not a medical diagnosis — and not every trekker should assume they can safely reach the fifth lake regardless of how they're feeling that day. For the full day-by-day altitude profile of the standard Gokyo Lakes Trek itself, and detailed acclimatisation and AMS guidance, see our dedicated Gokyo Lake Trek Altitude guide.

When Is the Best Time to Visit the Gokyo Lakes?

Conditions change what you'll actually see and how realistic the upper-lake excursion is, across the four main seasons:

• Spring (March–May): Generally good visibility and manageable trail conditions as snow from winter melts back; a reliable season for reaching the fourth lake, with the fifth lake more realistic as the season progresses and trails clear further.
• Autumn (September–November): Widely considered the most reliable season for clear mountain views and stable trail conditions in this region, making it a strong choice for both the standard lakes and any extension toward the fourth and fifth.
• Winter (December–February): Cold temperatures and likely snow cover on the upper trail make the fourth-lake excursion harder and the fifth-lake push considerably less reliable — tracks can disappear under snow, and days are shorter.
• Monsoon (June–August): Cloud cover frequently obscures mountain views even when the lakes themselves are accessible, and trail conditions lower down can be wet; this is generally the least reliable season for the upper-lake excursion specifically.

The lakes will not always look the same shade of turquoise, and the glacier won't always be clearly visible — both depend on light, recent weather, cloud cover, and how much of the lake surface is reflecting sky versus sediment-churned water at any given time. Treat any photo promising a guaranteed brilliant-blue lake with Everest in the background as one good day, not a certainty.

For a complete month-by-month breakdown of weather, crowds, and trail conditions on the standard Gokyo Lakes Trek, see the "Best Time for the Gokyo Lakes Trek" section of our Gokyo Lakes Trek Itinerary guide.

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The Everest Helicopter Tour offers stunning aerial views of Mount Everest and the surrounding Himalayan ranges in a single unforgettable flight.

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Why the Gokyo Lakes Are Important

Beyond their scenery, the Gokyo Lakes carry real cultural and ecological weight.

Cultural significance: the lakes hold religious meaning in both Hindu and Sherpa Buddhist tradition locally. Hindus associate the area with Nag Devata, a snake deity, and the lakes draw pilgrims — notably from Namche Bazaar — particularly around the Janai Purnima festival each year.

Ramsar wetland designation: the lake system is part of an officially designated Ramsar wetland of international importance ("Gokyo and associated lakes," Site No. 1692, 7,770 ha), recognising its ecological value as a high-altitude wetland system rather than simply a scenic attraction.

Responsible visiting matters here, as it does at any sensitive high-altitude wetland:

• Do not swim or wash in the lakes.
• Do not throw stones, rubbish, or other objects into the water.
• Stay on established trails rather than cutting across moraine or fragile ground.
• Avoid disturbing wildlife in the valley.
• Follow your guide's guidance on local customs and religious practices, particularly near the lake at Gokyo village.

Do You Visit All Six Gokyo Lakes on the Standard Trek?

No — and it's worth being direct about exactly which lakes a standard itinerary covers.

On Places Nepal's current, published Gokyo Lake Trek itinerary:

• The first and second lakes (Longponga Tsho and Taujung Tsho) are passed along the approach trail to Gokyo, without a dedicated stop.
• The third lake (Dudh Pokhari/Gokyo Cho) is the main lake beside Gokyo village — every trekker on the standard route sees and stays beside this one.
• The fourth lake (Thonak Tsho) is included as a day excursion, on Day 7 of the current published itinerary.
• The fifth lake (Ngozumpa Tsho) is not part of the standard itinerary. Reaching it requires additional time beyond the published 10-day schedule — this is confirmed directly from Places Nepal's own current trek content, not an assumption made for this article.
• The sixth lake (Gyazumpa Tsho) is not a routine stop on any standard itinerary and is not realistically reachable within the time a standard trek allows.

If seeing the fifth lake specifically matters to you, the honest answer is to raise it directly with your operator before booking, rather than assuming the standard schedule includes enough time and daylight for it. Itinerary customisation — adding a day at Gokyo, or building the fifth-lake excursion in as a planned extension rather than an improvised push — is the realistic way to do this well.

For the full standard itinerary and current trip details, see the Gokyo Lake Trek page.