Rupa Lake
The smallest and quietest of the Pokhara Valley lakes — a birdwatching and fishing lake ringed by forested hills east of Pokhara.
- Altitude
- 600 m
- Coordinates
- 28.150°, 84.133°
Current Weather
Rupa Lake (Rupa Tal) is the third and least-visited of the major lakes of the Pokhara Valley, lying in a narrow forested basin east of the city near Lekhnath. With Phewa and Begnas it forms part of the Lake Cluster of Pokhara Valley, a Ramsar-listed wetland of international importance.
Long and slender, fed by streams off the surrounding ridges, Rupa is the most tranquil of the three. It is known for its birdlife — herons, kingfishers, egrets, and migratory waterfowl — and for community-managed fisheries that supply Pokhara's markets. The hills around it are terraced and lightly settled, and a quiet trail along the shore makes for an easy half-day walk.
Rupa sees few foreign visitors, which is exactly its appeal: it offers the green, mirror-still lake scenery of the Pokhara Valley without the boats and cafés of Phewa. It is reached by a short drive from Pokhara or Begnas and is best in the clear post-monsoon and winter months.
Getting there
Use Pokhara as the nearest configured transport hub, then continue locally to Rupa Lake.
- PokharaNearest configured hub
Routes to Pokhara
- JomsomtoPokharaFlight0.33-0.5 hr
- KathmandutoPokharaFlight0.4-0.6 hr
- KathmandutoPokharaTourist bus6-8 hr
- PheditoPokharaJeep0.75-1.25 hr
- NayapultoPokharaJeep1.5-2.5 hr
- BirethantitoPokharaJeep1.5-2.5 hr
Pokhara is the nearest transport hub we have route data for, not a verified gateway for Rupa Lake. The final stretch is local and we have not confirmed it.
Location
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