Sightseeing · Nepal
Ngozumpa Glacier
Nepal's longest glacier — a vast debris-covered tongue flowing from Cho Oyu beside the Gokyo lakes.
The Ngozumpa Glacier is the longest glacier in Nepal, stretching roughly 36 kilometres from the southern flanks of Cho Oyu down the Gokyo valley in the Everest region. Its dark, debris-covered tongue runs right beside the Gokyo lakes and is one of the great sights of any trek to that corner of the Khumbu.
Overview
The glacier lies within Sagarmatha National Park, filling the valley immediately west of the more famous Khumbu Glacier. It gathers its ice from Cho Oyu, the world's sixth-highest peak, and from the surrounding ridge of giants. Far from being a sheet of clean white ice, the Ngozumpa's lower reaches are buried under a chaotic blanket of rock and rubble, pitted with turquoise supraglacial ponds and a large lake near its terminus. This debris cover insulates the ice and gives the glacier its characteristic brown, lunar appearance.
A glacier beside the lakes
The Ngozumpa is inseparable from the Gokyo lakes, which sit in a string along its eastern edge, dammed in part by the glacier's lateral moraine. From the summit of Gokyo Ri (about 5,357 m) above the village, the full sweep of the glacier is laid out below, with Everest, Lhotse, Makalu and Cho Oyu rising beyond — one of the finest panoramas in Nepal. A short walk across the moraine to a spot known as Scoundrel's Viewpoint gives a closer look down onto the ice and its ponds.
How to get there
The glacier is reached only on foot via the Gokyo lakes trek in the Everest region. The route starts with the flight to Lukla, climbs to Namche Bazaar for acclimatisation, then heads northwest up the Dudh Koshi valley through Dole and Machhermo to Gokyo over roughly a week. Strong, well-acclimatised trekkers can continue north along the glacier's edge toward Cho Oyu base camp, or cross the demanding Cho La pass to link up with the Everest Base Camp trail. Compare the region's ice in our overview of the great glaciers of Nepal.
Plan your visit
You sleep at almost 4,800 metres in Gokyo, so patient acclimatisation is vital. October and November bring the clearest skies and the bluest lakes, with March to May a good alternative — see the best time to visit Nepal. A licensed guide and the national park and local permits are required; details are in the Nepal trekking guide. Stay on the marked moraine paths, as the glacier surface is unstable and crevassed.
Fast facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Length | About 36 km (longest in Nepal) |
| Source | Slopes of Cho Oyu (8,188 m) |
| Region | Khumbu, Sagarmatha National Park, Koshi Province |
| Best season | October to November and March to May |
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Frequently asked questions
Where is the Ngozumpa Glacier?+
The Ngozumpa Glacier is in the Everest (Khumbu) region of Nepal, inside Sagarmatha National Park. It flows south from the slopes of Cho Oyu down the Gokyo valley, running right beside the Gokyo lakes and Gokyo village.
Is the Ngozumpa the longest glacier in Nepal?+
Yes. At roughly 36 kilometres, the Ngozumpa is generally regarded as the longest glacier in Nepal and one of the longest in the Himalaya, longer than the better-known Khumbu Glacier in the next valley east.
How do you see the Ngozumpa Glacier?+
It is reached on foot via the Gokyo lakes trek, which starts with the flight to Lukla and climbs through Namche Bazaar to Gokyo over about a week. The trail runs alongside the glacier, and viewpoints like Gokyo Ri look straight down onto it.
Why does the Ngozumpa Glacier look brown, not white?+
Like most large Himalayan glaciers, its lower tongue is debris-covered: a thick layer of rock and rubble carried down from the peaks insulates the ice beneath. The surface is also dotted with meltwater ponds, some of which merge into larger glacial lakes.
