Top 10 Glaciers in the Himalaya
The Himalaya feed water to a fifth of humanity. Most of that water moves out of the mountains through a few thousand named glaciers, and the following ten cover the spectrum from highly accessible day-walks to classic expedition objectives.
1. Khumbu
The signature glacier of the Everest region, draining the Western Cwm. The trail to Everest Base Camp from Lukla reaches its surface above Gorak Shep.
2. Gangotri
The source of the Ganges, in Uttarakhand. The walk from Gangotri town to Gaumukh (the snout) is one of the great Hindu pilgrimages and a gentle high-altitude trek.
3. Yamunotri
Smaller and less famous than Gangotri but still a major Hindu pilgrim site as the source of the Yamuna. Reached on a half-day walk from Janki Chatti.
4. Pindari
A 30-km tongue in Kumaon. The classic 5-day "Pindari trek" follows the moraines from Loharkhet.
5. Milam
A long, low-altitude tongue in eastern Kumaon. The valley was off-limits for decades after the 1962 Indo-Chinese war and only reopened in the 1990s.
6. Zemu
The largest glacier in Sikkim, on the east side of Kangchenjunga. Trek permits required and limited operators.
7. Yala
A small glacier in Langtang National Park, used as a research site by ICIMOD for decades. Accessible from Langtang village on day excursions.
8. Annapurna South
A modest hanging glacier visible from the Annapurna Base Camp trek viewpoints. The classic Nepal "see a glacier on a teahouse trek" option.
9. Imja
Below Island Peak in the Khumbu region, with the rapidly growing Imja Tsho proglacial lake — a poster-child for glacial lake outburst flood risk.
10. Kanchenjunga (south)
The southern glacier off Kangchenjunga, reached from the Yalung valley on multi-day treks from Yamphudin.
When to go
October to early December and March to early May are the standard trekking windows. Avoid the monsoon (June-September) and the deep winter (January-February). Pilgrim glaciers like Gangotri close in late October.
See them all in one view
Filter to the Himalaya on the interactive map for the named ice bodies of Nepal, Bhutan and the Indian states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim.