Annapurna Tilicho Lake Trekking

We will start our tour with a drive from Kathmandu to Besi Shahar, which is the headquarters of the western Nepali district of Lamjung. The drive takes us through the Prithvi highway up to Dumre. The Prithvi highway runs parallel to the Trishuli river for the most part. Once we cross the Nagdhunga pass, we will see a wide and fertile Naubise valley on one side and the Kathmandu valley on the other. The Naubise valley is enriched by the Naubise river, which meets with the Trishuli river near the Galchi. Once we cross Galchi, the dark green Trishuli river is our companion along with beautiful villages and occasional towns. Most of the area around the highway is covered in dense forests of the Mahabharata hills, along the side of which the highway runs. We will leave the Trishuli river from Muglin, which flows south towards Chitwan and later becomes Narayani as it is joined by Kali Gandaki and Seti, and head on our path towards Besisahar.

We will take the route to Pokhara from Mugling up to Dumre. The section of the highway goes along the bank of the Marsyangdi River. We will leave the Prithvi highway from Dumre and head northwards along the Marsyangdi River to Besisahar. The drive is a joyride because we will have the beautiful Marsyangdi river to our right and the stunning Himalayan peaks at our front all along the journey. We will stay at a guest house in Besisahar for the night. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner plans are included in today’s part of the trek.

We will start our day with a two and half hours of jeep ride up to the village of the Chyamje in the north part of Lamjung District. The jeep drive goes along the serpentine Marsyangdi river. We will meet many waterfalls which flow very close to the road and often over it. We will stop at a short distance from Chyamje. Our trek starts by crossing the beautiful suspension bridge over Marsyangdi river below Chyamje.

The second part of the trek is wonderful as it is a light walk among the beautiful ambiance of the upper Mahabharata hills. The village of Tal is on our way, which is the first village of the Manang district that we meet. There is a gorgeous waterfall near Tal. We will walk further along the Marsyangdi river basin and reach Dharapani during the latter part of the day. We will stay at a guest house for the night.

We will first walk towards the village of Bagarchap from Dharapani. The walk takes us through rocky paths along the Marsyangdi River. Bagarchap is a picturesque village of the Gurung people which is characterized by houses with stone roofs. The trail passes through beautiful forests of oak, pine, and other conifers. We will come across Danaque (2,100 m/ 6,889 ft) village after walking for some time along the beautiful forest.

The path from Danaque to Timang goes through lush green forests and beautiful waterfalls. The village of Timang is located at the foot of the Lamjung Himal (6,983 m). The view of Lamjung Himal (meaning mountain) along with Annapurna II (7,937 m) and Kangaroo Peak (6,981 m) is stunning from Timang. The trail from Timang to Chame is relatively flat along the arid valley. We will reach Chame in the late afternoon. Chame is the administrative headquarters of the Manang district and is also a trading center of the region. We will stay at a guest house in Chame for the night.

We will start our trek with an early morning stroll from Pisang across beautiful forests of pine, oak, junipers, and other trees. After we walk for an hour, the road starts to get more rocky and steep. The walking trail creeps through high mountain slopes with a sharp fall below to the foot of the river. We will come across the village of Barthang (2,950 m) on our way and rest there for a while.

We will get a glorious view of Annapurna II and Pisang Peak (6,091 m) as we move further along from Barthang. Many monasteries and stupas lie on our way as we get near to the village of Pisang. We will cross a bridge near the lower Pisang and move towards the central part of the villages. Mani walls and prayer flags adorn our path throughout the village. We will rest at a guest house for the night.

We will cross a suspension bridge over the Marsyangdi river after walking for a short while from Pisang. We will come across a beautiful and small village of Ghyaru after walking for a short while from Pisang. The trail reveals the wonderful valley of Manang in front of us. The Tilicho Peak (7,145 m) is also clearly visible after walking onwards from Ghyaru.

Our trail today introduces us to many wonderful Gompas and Monasteries like the Lophelling Monastery, Sher Gompa, Braka Monastery, and Bodzo Gompa. We will also get the first clear sight of Annapurna III and Annapurna IV as we approach Manang. The road also reveals the far-flung sight of some of the turquoise blue lakes like Gangapurna. We will cross the Marshyangdi river once again near the village of Mungji and then head towards Manang which is a large village of closely clustered houses.

We will start our day by trekking down towards old Manang first. We will cross the Jarshing river via a suspension bridge after walking for a short while from Manang. The path ahead goes through the slopes of the Gangapurna mountain. We will also get a stunning view of the Pisang peak. We will walk slowly along the slopes because a deep ravine will follow us for the most part of the journey.

As we move further up, the vegetation starts to get much scarcer. This part of Nepal bears a close resemblance to the arid Tibetan plateau on the other side of the Himalayas. We will also cross the crystal white Khangsar river on our way to Manang. Chortens, mani walls, prayer flags, and gompas start to get frequent as we approach the village of Khangsar. We will rest at a guest house in Khangsar for the night.

We will come across a monastery as we move a little ahead of the village of Khangasar. As we pass further ahead we will come across many pasture lands. These pastures are used for rearing animals like Yak and Chyangra, which is Himalayan goat. We will get a clear view of the wide valley ahead of us as we move further up from Khangsar. The Khangsar river also follows us for most of our journey and we will walk along its cliffs.

This part of the trek is famous for crystals. You will see sparkling crystals in the path as we are about to reach Tilicho Lake Base Camp. The last part of the trek takes us through the level path of the valley into the area where the base camp is located. We will stay at a guest house in base camp for the night. We will take an early sleep today because tomorrow’s part of the trek is as arduous as it is glorious.

We will start our trek to Tilicho lake after early morning breakfast. We will be going to an altitude of around 5,000 m for the first time during our trek so we will walk slowly. The first part of the trek is a steep and long climb up to the altitude of 4,750 m. The spot at the end of this long climb reveals the wonderful view of Tarke Gyang, Gangapurna, and the Khangsar Kang.

Tilicho Lake, which is arguably the highest lake in the world, is a dark blue lake situated in the lap of the glorious Himalayas. The water of the lake is however often frozen and it is possible to cross the lake on foot during peak winter. We will spend some time at Tilicho lake and get back towards the base camp. The descent is relatively easier than the climb but slippery mountain slopes can add misery to our already beaten up body so we must tread slowly and carefully.

Our destination for today is the village of Yak Kharka, which means Yak grazing pasture. There are many yak grazing pastures near the village of Yak Kharka which is also famous for Yak products including cheese. Our road from Tilicho Lake Base Camp first leads us out of the Marsyangdi river valley and then takes us to the beautiful village of Tenki Manang. The village is made up of closely clustered traditional houses.

We will then walk nearby the village of Khangsar. There is a path in a slope 500 m above Khangsar. We will take this path and continue on our journey forward. We will come across Jarshang Khola and cross it via a suspension bridge. This part has even fewer trees compared to the Marsyangdi valley but the breathtaking view of the Himalayas, including the Tilicho Peak (7,134 m), Khatungkang (6,484 m), and Chulu Peak (6,584 m) as we near Yak Kharka compensates for the lack of trees. We will be welcomed by herds of yak upon green grasslands as we reach Yak Kharka.

We will walk towards Thorong Phedi today. Thorung Phedi is also known as Thorong High Camp and is located at the base of the Thorong La Pass. We will come across the village of Ledar after a short trek from Yak Kharka. We will rest for a bit at Ledar and continue on a trail that passes through the cliffs of the Jarshang River. We will cross the Jarshang River via a wooden bridge and continue to enter further deep into the heart of the mountain peaks which by now encircle us from all sides.

Right, when we are about to reach Thorung Phedi we will get a spectacular view of mountains like Thorung Peak (6,144 m), Syagang Peak (6,026 m), Khatungkang Peak (6,484 m), Purbung Himal (6,590 m), and other surrounding mountains. If we are lucky then we can also spot the Himalayan Blue Ship at this altitude. We will stay at a guest house in Thorung Phedi. We will take an early rest because tomorrow’s part of the trek is the most challenging one.

We will conquer the Thorong La Pass today. Thorung La Pass is one of the high Himalayan passes of Nepal and one of the most challenging ones to conquer. The road to Thorong La Pass is difficult because we will have to walk along the glacial moraines. The moraines are slippery and often abound with sharp crevasses. We will have to reach Thorung La Pass before mid-day because a strong wind blows during this time around the pass.

We will get a beautiful 360-degree view of the mountains from Thorung La Pass, which connects the district of Manang with the district of Mustang. We will head towards Muktinath after spending some time at the Thorong La Pass. Muktinath is a famous temple of the Hindus. There are 108 taps of water in the Muktinath Temple, bathing upon which Hindus believe will wash away your sins. The goddess Jwala Mai temple is also located near Muktinath. We will stay at a guest house in Muktinath for the night after a long hard day of the trek. We will celebrate the successful passage through Thorong La Pass tonight.

We will not be walking today as we have the option of taking a bus/jeep ride up to Tatopani. We will arrange a ride in a public bus/jeep from Muktinath and head on the gravel road which swirls among tall cliffs by the mountainside. We will also meet numerous waterfalls on our way. The road is quite bumpy but the view of the mountains and valleys makes the trip one worth remembering.

There is a natural hot water spring in Tatopani. Soaking yourself in these Himalayan hot water springs is believed to have numerous health benefits. We will relax for some time at the hot spring and shed our pain following an extraordinary drive along the high Himalayan roads of Nepal. We will return back to our guesthouse after losing ourselves for a while at the hot spring and take an early rest because we have another round of trek to look forward to tomorrow.

We will enter the domain of the Annapurna Sanctuary after walking ahead from Tatopani. The vegetation diversity of this place is astounding and quite different from the arid lands of the Kali Gandaki Valley. We will come across vast forests of rhododendron, cedar, pine, fir, and juniper. Numerous suspension bridges make our road over the rivers and valleys possible.

As we approach Ghorepani the path starts to get steeper and there is also a sharp drop in temperature compared to Tatopani. The forest gets even deeper and we will get occasional sight of animals like deer, foxes, langurs, etc. Ghorepani is a village that is well known for its exotic homestays and guesthouses. It is a tourist focal point of short with trekkers from many routes in the Annapurna and Kali Gandaki region converging here. We will get a panoramic view of mountains in the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri massif from Ghorepani.

We will begin our day with an early morning hike to Poon Hill from Ghorepani. We must get up at least an hour before sunrise because the trek up to Poon Hill takes about 45 minutes and the hilltop provides one of the best views of the sun rising above the Himalayas. There is also a view tower at the top of Poon Hill, from where you can enjoy the spectacular panoramic view of mountain peaks like Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Himchuli, Annapurna II, Gangapurna, Machhapuchhre (Fish Tail), etc. arranged in an array from one end to another.

We will spend some wonderful time at the top of Poonhill and then get back to our guest house.

We will take a light rest around breakfast and then embark on our trek once again. We will head towards Nayapul via wonderful villages like Nagethanti and Tikhedhunga. The traditional houses are neatly kept and are often surrounded by terraced fields. We will meet the Modi Khola when we are about to reach Nayapul. We will come across vehicle track at Nayapul from where we will board a bus to Pokhara. We will stroll along the Phewa Lakeside in Pokhara during the evening and take a deep sleep at our hotel in the evening.

We will board a tourist bus from Pokhara and head towards Kathmandu via Prithvi Highway. Once we come to Dumre, our trip goes full circle because we had earlier parted ways with Prithvi Highway from Dumre during the start of our trek. The bus ride introduces us to the mid-Nepali hills of Nepal.

The highway swirls along the Trishuli river from Mugling and goes past beautiful villages and towns. We will enter Kathmandu Valley from the Nagdhunga pass and travel to our hotel after we get off the bus near the tourist town of Thamel. Our trip ends after you check in to your hotel in Kathmandu.