Imja Tsho
A glacial lake that only began to form in the 1950s, as meltwater pooled at the foot of the Imja Glacier behind a wall of moraine. It lies high in the Imja valley above Chhukung, and has grown into one of the fastest-growing lakes in the Himalaya.
- Where
- Chhukung, Koshi, Nepal
- Grade
- Local gem
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site
- Coordinates
- 27.8986, 86.9222
Get the Imja Tsho stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Imja Tsho. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Koshi volume with your photos and a note.
Near Imja Tsho
Kala Patthar 14 km
A dark rocky knob on the south ridge of Pumori, above Gorak Shep, with a prominence of barely 10 metres. Trekkers climb it anyway, because it gives the closest easy view of Everest's summit, which Nuptse hides from most of the valley below.
Tengboche Monastery 17 km
The largest gompa in the Khumbu, sitting at 3,867 metres on a ridge facing Ama Dablam and Everest. Lama Gulu founded it in 1916 as an offshoot of Rongbuk in Tibet, and the Sherpa community has rebuilt it twice since, after an earthquake in 1934 and a fire in 1989.
Sagarmatha National Park 23 km
The Khumbu's protected heartland, set up in 1976 and climbing from 2,845 metres to the 8,848 metre top of Everest itself. Sherpa villages, monasteries and glaciers fill its 1,148 square kilometres, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Gokyo Ri 24 km
A 5,357 metre peak rising above Gokyo village and its lakes, on the west side of the Ngozumpa, the largest glacier in Nepal. From the top, about three hours' climb, four 8,000 metre peaks are in view at once: Everest, Lhotse, Makalu and Cho Oyu.
Makalu Barun National Park 25 km
Set up in 1992 as the eastern extension of Sagarmatha National Park, it covers 1,500 square kilometres around Makalu. It is the only protected area in the world to rise more than 8,000 metres, from tropical forest in the valleys to snow peaks above.
Gokyo Lakes 27 km
A chain of turquoise glacial lakes strung between 4,700 and 5,000 metres beside the Ngozumpa Glacier in Sagarmatha National Park. The lakes and their wetlands were named a Ramsar site in 2007, and the lodges of Gokyo village sit on the shore of the third lake.
Tsho Rolpa 45 km
One of the largest glacial lakes in Nepal, lying at 4,580 metres at the head of the remote Rolwaling Valley in Dolakha. Fed by melting ice, it has grown considerably over the last fifty years.
Gaurishankar Conservation Area 56 km
A protected stretch of the Himalaya between Langtang and Sagarmatha national parks, set up in 2010 and covering 2,179 square kilometres up to the border with Tibet. It takes its name from Gauri Shankar, the twin-summited mountain sacred to Shiva and Parvati.
More hidden gems in Koshi
Questions
Where is Imja Tsho?
Imja Tsho is in Chhukung, Koshi, Nepal. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Kala Patthar (14 km), Tengboche Monastery (17 km), Sagarmatha National Park (23 km).
How do I get the Imja Tsho stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Imja Tsho and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Koshi volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Imja Tsho before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Koshi volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.