Khayer Lake, sacred, high, and walked by almost nobody

Eight days past Khopra Ridge to a glacial lake under the Annapurna south wall, where pilgrims come once a year and trekkers almost never.

By Prakash Tamang · 7 min read · Updated 1 August 2026

We surveyed twenty-five Nepali trekking operators. Two sell Khayer — spelled Khayar on both their sites. One only bolts it onto a longer Khopra or Mardi itinerary; the other does run it as a trek in its own right. So it is not quite unheard of, but twenty-three of the twenty-five do not mention the lake anywhere. It sits at about 4,660 m in a cirque directly beneath the south face of Annapurna, roughly a day beyond Khopra Ridge, and it is one of the most striking places in the region.

The lake is sacred. Every year at Janai Purnima, around the full moon in August, pilgrims walk up here to bathe, and for a few days the empty cirque is full of people who have come for reasons that have nothing to do with trekking. The rest of the year you will very likely have it to yourself.

Getting there

The route runs in through the Ghorepani and Khopra country — forest, then the community lodges on Khopra Danda at 3,660 m with Dhaulagiri across the gorge — and then pushes up beyond the ridge to the lake.

The Khayer day itself is long: roughly ten hours return from Khopra, climbing about a thousand metres to roughly 4,660 m with no shelter, no water and no facilities anywhere along it. You leave in the dark and you get back tired.

That single day is why this is an eight-day trek rather than a six-day one, and why we grade it strenuous while the rest of the walking is moderate.

What is up there

A small glacial lake in a bowl of rock and moraine, with the Annapurna south wall rising straight out of the far side and Nilgiri and Annapurna I visible from the approach.

There is a small shrine. Up at 4,660-odd metres in a cirque with no vegetation, the scale is difficult to convey — the wall above the lake goes up more than three vertical kilometres. The lake is frozen for much of the year. In October it is usually open; by December it is generally ice.

Altitude, and doing it safely

This is a serious day at serious altitude on a trek that is otherwise not high. Going from around 3,660 m to about 4,660 m and back in one push is a big swing, and it is the reason we spend two nights at Khopra rather than one.

That extra night is not padding. Sleeping at 3,660 m twice before the push makes a real difference to how the lake day feels, and it gives you a spare weather window.

Turn-around discipline matters here more than on any other short trek we run. If we are not at the lake by a set time, we come down — there is no shelter up there and the afternoon weather in that cirque is not something to be caught by.

Janai Purnima, if you want the other version

During the August festival the trail carries pilgrims, many walking in sandals, some elderly, some carrying children. It is a completely different experience from the empty version and a remarkable thing to witness.

It is also monsoon, which means cloud, leeches on the approach and a real chance of seeing nothing at all of the mountains.

We will take you if you want it and you understand the trade. Most people should come in October and have the cirque to themselves.

Walk it with us

Private departures on your dates, guided by the people who wrote this page.

Khayer Lake Trek8 days · 4,665 mRs 120,500 · See dates →Khopra Ridge Community Trek6 days · 3,660 mRs 87,000 · See dates →Mohare Danda Community Trek5 days · 3,300 mRs 64,200 · See dates →

Questions we get asked

How hard is it really?

The trek in is moderate. The lake day is hard — around ten hours, a thousand metres of ascent, at altitude, with no support anywhere on it. Be honest with us about your hill fitness when you book.

Why do so few operators offer this?

It needs local knowledge, the lake day is committing, and it does not fit the standard Annapurna itineraries that Kathmandu operators already run. Of the twenty-five companies we looked at, two sell it — one only as an add-on to a longer trek, one as a trip of its own. We are in Pokhara and our guides have walked it since they were young.

Can I do it without the Khopra section?

Not sensibly. Khopra is both the approach and the acclimatisation, and skipping it would put you at 4,660 m far too quickly.

What if the weather closes in?

We use the spare day at Khopra and try again the next morning. If it does not clear, we come down. The ridge itself is worth the trip.

Is there anywhere to stay near the lake?

No. It is an out-and-back from Khopra in a single day, which is exactly what makes it demanding.