Annapurna Circuit with Tilicho Lake Trek

After your arrival at Tribhuwan International Airport in medieval and modernized Kathmandu, you will be warmly greeted by our office representative and transferred to the hotel. After check-in and some refreshments, our senior sherpa guide will come to meet you and give you a brief orientation about Tilicho Lake Trek. You can then go for a stroll down the street to get familiar with the neighborhood, have supper and go to bed. This is your first overnight in the valley of temples and cows, probably the most in the world.

You drive along the Kathmandu-Pokhara Highway to Dumre and then follow the narrow and paved road by the Marshyangdi River to Beshisahar, the district headquarters of Lamjung district. All the local government offices are based here.

From here, you get to see some well-known mountain peaks, a lot of natural green landscapes surrounding the valley and the daily activities of the happy local folks. This headquarters is the center from where the daily usable commodities are supplied to the different villages and numerous towns. Stay overnight at a lodge.

After breakfast, we take a local jeep on sharing from Besishar, our journey to Chame leads us through picturesque landscapes, encompassing lush jungles and terrace farms lining the scenic Marsyangdi River. Along the way, we’ll encounter the tranquil Jagat Bazaar before making a brief stop at Dharapani (1860m) to check our trekking permit, as it serves as the primary entry point for the Annapurna Trek. After this, we’ll continue our jeep ride until we finally arrive in Chame.

Chame itself boasts a vibrant bazaar and offers the perfect opportunity to unwind beside the rejuvenating hot springs that grace the banks of the Marsyangdi River. From this vantage point, the captivating views of Annapurna II (7,937m) and Lamjung Himal (6,932m) unfold before us, while a glimpse behind reveals the awe-inspiring Manaslu (8,154m) and Peak 29 (7,833m). Overnight stay at a local teahouse in Chame.

With Lamjung Himal (6893m) sparkling in the morning sun, you set off for Pisang. You continue through a fir and pine forest, climbing to a high, rocky area as the opposite bank becomes an impassable cliff. From this point, the valley becomes extremely steep-sided as you follow the path to Bhratang (2950m.).

You now walk through a pine forest and as the forest ends, the valley changes from a V-shape to a gentle U-shape, opening up a wonderful vista before you. You can see the east peak of Annapurna II as well as Pisang Peak (6091m.) to the north-east. Continuing, you come to a long Mani wall by a bridge and the lower village of Pisang. Stay overnight at a lodge.

Beyond Pisang, the trail climbs a steep ridge that affords good views of the Manang valley and Tilicho peak (7145m.). Descending past Manang’s airstrip at Hungde (3320m.), you come to a level area from where the north-east face of Annapurna III rises majestically above you.

From the wide plains of the Sabje Khola Valley, Annapurna IV (7525m.) also becomes visible. Just beyond this point, you cross the considerably reduced flow of the Marshyangdi Khola via a wooden bridge to the tiny village of Mungji. After a short steep climb, you reach Manang which is a surprisingly large village for this remote mountain region. Stay overnight at a lodge.

We will hang around for one more day in Manang for acclimatization by observing beautiful views of green landscapes, silvery mountains, Chortens, and Monasteries. We can also explore the unique culture and lifestyles of local people. We bunk out overnight at our Lodge.

After enjoying an awesome day at Manang, we will leave for Khangsar. We will go by a path that goes along the Khangsar River. Crossing the river, we will reach Khangsar village. This village is a very old-styled Tibetan influenced village and is also known as olden type villages of Nepal. Overnight at lodge/guesthouse.

We continue from a western pass on a large path, passing a Gompa (monastery). The route ahead goes on a recently constructed path up towards a high ridge. At one point is an intersection. One path maintains the altitude, traversing the slopes towards a place where the valley is narrow; the other continues to ascend towards the line of the ridge.

The former is the old path, and is much more difficult as it goes on steep screed; the latter is the new path that goes a completely different way. Continue along the new path, reach a high crest, and descend on switchbacks carved out through the screed slopes to a side valley of the main valley. At its bottom is a brook. On the other side of it is a building known as the Tilicho Base Camp at an elevation of 4,200m. This is where rest out for an Overnight at a guesthouse.

Today is the main day of our trekking. We will trek up to Tilicho Lake. After having breakfast, we will hike to Tilicho Lake in the early morning, as the wind may interrupt us in case of delaying. Tilicho Lake is a cold place and is recorded as the lake at the highest altitude in the world. After spending some joyful moments at Tilicho Lake, we will descend to the Tilicho base camp. We bunk out tonight by this lovely lake at our guesthouse.

As we hike slowly down from base camp, the trail ascends by nearly 500m to Yak Kharka. We make the climb steadily through Tenki Manang, leaving the Marsyangdi Valley. Continuing along the Jarsang Khola Valley, we reach Yak Kharka at 4,000m. as we hike by we observe that Herds of yaks and vegetations appear to thin out hereabouts. Overnight at our guesthouse.

Leaving Yak Kharka, you climb gradually to a ridge before descending to the headwaters of the Marshyangdi and crossing via a covered wooden bridge. After a short ascent up the mountain path on the right bank, you follow a narrow trail across an unstable spree slope and then descend to Thorong Phedi. Stay overnight at lodge.

You need to work hard to reach Muktinath as today we will walk for about 8 hours. Though it is hard, it is the most special day of our trekking. We will start our journey in the early morning at about 4 am so that we can reach Thorang La pass at about 9-10 am. If we delay it then the weather may create some difficulties.

We will climb steeply which is not so difficult. But a high attitude and the massive snows around can cause some problems. After we climb for 4 hours, we will be at the top of Thorang La pass marked by the chortens and prayer flags and also you can enjoy stunning views. After this, it takes some 4 hours more to reach the holy place – Muktinath.

Muktinath is a pilgrimage spot for both Hindus and Buddhists. It is believed that you can be free from all your pains and sorrows after you visit this so-called holy site. You can bathe under the 108 waterspouts around the temple. You can also visit Jwala Mai Temple where you can see natural spring and an everlasting flame fueled by natural gas. Overnight at guesthouse.

After having a hot breakfast at Muktinath, we will take a long road drive via Jomsom along the Kali Gandaki Gorge. This long journey passes through jungles and fertile farmlands that also offers spectacular mountain range views, including Mt. Dhaulagiri.

We stay overnight at a luxury hotel in Pokhara after a long trek.

While driving from Pokhara to Kathmandu, we head up to Damauli, Dumre, Mugling, and Kurintar where Nepal’s first Cable car is operated to reach Manakamana Temple, this is a temple where most Nepalese come to have their wishes granted before leaving home or getting married. From Naubise we climb up to Thankot, the gateway to Kathmandu and finally reach our hotel & a lovely soft warm bed.

After breakfast and our last day in Kathmandu, our vehicle and escorts will be on standby to drop you to the international airport three hours before our scheduled flight back home. At Glorious Adventure, meeting you has been a great honor and we pray for your Safe journey home and will reflect on the wonderful times we spent together. Bon Voyage!!! We hope to see you again someday…