Gandaki : Kapuche Lake at ward no 1 of Madi rural municipality in Gandaki Province is being developed as a tourist spot offering a panoramic view of many mountains. The glacial lake derives its name from local Gurung language; ‘Kwapuche’ where ‘kwa’ means snow and ‘pu’ means round and ‘che’ means plain land.
It is believed to have been formed from continuous stream of avalanches occurring in between Annapurna II and Annapurna IV. Visitors can witness avalanches falling down from the surrounding mountains straight to the lake.
The lake spans across 10,440 square metres area and is located at 2,421 metres above the sea level.
Since most of the glacial lakes in the country are situated at around 4,000 metres above the sea level, this glacier lake is claimed to be lowest glacier lake given its altitude, said ward no 1 Chairperson Devijung Gurung.
The major attraction of the Lake is picturesque view of mountains and colourful sunrays reflected in the green glassy lake water. The surrounding of the Lake is abloom with various species of colourful wildflowers during the monsoon. The lake could be reached from Sikles via Hugu in six hours of trek from Sikles. Many sheds built for cattle including sheep along this route are going to be upgraded into hotels and restaurants, according to Gurung.
