Annapurna Tilicho Lake Trek

Your arrival at the airport marks the first day of the journey. You will be greeted by one of Neal Hiking Team’s representatives who will proceed to explain the program further to you. Transferred to your hotel with no further planned activities for the day, you may relax for the remainder of the time. Overnight stay at the hotel in Kathmandu.

We will drive to Beshisahar by private car then we take a jeep from Beshisahar to Jagat. This drive gives you some insight of the rural people – their lifestyle and their culture. Overnight at Guesthouse – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are included.

The day today begins with a walk on the rocky trail following the Marshyangdi River and progressively travelling uphill to Tal that lies at 1675 meters. This is the first village in the Manang district. The trail crosses an extensive flat valley, then ascends along a stone staircase at 1860 meters. Continuing the journey, you would be trekking to Dharapani at 1890 meters where you can find stone chortens- a typical character pertaining to religious beliefs of the Tibetan villages from here northwards. We will then visit the village of Bagarchhap at 2160 meters where we can view the typical flat-roofed stone houses of local Tibetan design. Overnight at Guesthouse – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are included.

Today, we will be moving along beautiful trails to the village of Chame. The often rough and rocky trail climbs to Timang first, at 2360 meters and continues through lush forests near the river to Kopar that lies at an elevation of 2590 meters. Approaching Chame- the headquarters of the Manang district, we will be rewarded by amazing views of Annapurna and two small hot springs by the town. Overnight at Guesthouse – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are included.

Today, we will begin our day trekking through a forested steep and narrow valley. Crossing a river on a long bridge at 2910 meters, we can look at the view of the towering Paungda Danda rock face beginning to appear. From there, the trail climbs to Pisang. Overnight at Guesthouse – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are included.

We will continue through the upper part of the Manang district. The terrain of this part resembles a dry and heaving landscape as it is cut off from the monsoon rains by the Annapurna Range. People of this region herd yaks and raise crops for certain parts of the year. They also continue to enjoy special trading rights granted to them in 1784. Leaving Pisang, there are alternate trails north and south of the Marshyangdi River which meets up again at Mungji. The southern route by the Hongde airstrip at 3325 meters involves less climbing than the northern route via Ghyaru, though there are better views on the trail that follows the northern bank of the river. From Mungji, the trail continues past the picturesque but partially hidden village of Bryanga at 3475 meters to nearby Manang at 3500 meters. Overnight at Guesthouse – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are included.

Today, we will spend a day acclimatizing in Manang. We can spend the day sightseeing and viewing the wonderful sights around the village and hiking along the landscape as we return to our accommodation and enjoy a night’s rest. Overnight at Guesthouse – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are included.

From Manang, we will head out through the western gates and follow the path down to the river. Crossing the river, we will continue walking on its southern side through coniferous forests. After reaching the Kangsar Village, we will walk further up towards Siri Kharka and pass a monastery on the way. The uphill walk could be tiring but we will have the Gungang Himal and Mount Chulu in the backdrop to keep us company. Overnight at Guesthouse – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are included.

While the path from Siri Kharka to Tilicho Base Camp isn’t very steep or physically strenuous, it could be exhausting as we will have to walk on narrow paths in a loose scree and landslide-prone area. Our trail goes through the middle of the landslide area where we can see impressive rock formations along the trail. Overnight stay at the Tilicho Base Camp. Overnight at Guesthouse – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are included.

After the initial tough ascent, our trail continues to pester along the side of the mountain in a gradual steep incline before reaching the watershed. On the way, we can enjoy yaks and deer grazing along our trail. On the other side is the Tilicho Lake, a large spectacular lake nestled at the foot of the north face of the Tilicho Peak. The lake was referred to by the leader of the French expedition team as ‘The Great Ice Lake’. The Lake also holds an important place for the Hindus as this sacred lake is featured in one of the holiest texts of the Hindus, The Ramayana. After spending some time at the lake, we will retrace our step and return back to Siri Kharka. Overnight at Guesthouse – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are included.

We will leave Siri Kharka and descend towards the Khangsar Village today. On the way, we will pass Tare Gumba- a thousand year old monastery which is very important to the local people there. Upon reaching the Khangsar Village, we can see that it is unhabituated except for occasional herders during festival times. Following a rock wall out of Khangsar, we will walk further until we reach a seasonal bridge in the Thorang Khola valley. After crossing the river, we will ascend for a while to a plateau. Next, we will be walking until we reach Yak Kharka. Overnight at Guesthouse – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are included.

Today, the trail descends to cross the river at 4310 meters, then ascends to Phedi at 4420 meters. At High Camp (elevation- 4600 meters), some good guesthouses have been built. Overnight at Guesthouse – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are included.

Phedi’s literal translation is “foot of the hill”. The journey from Phedi to the Thorong La Pass starts today. We will make a steep climb along a trail that is regularly used and easy to follow. However, problems may occur due to the altitude and snow which can often make the crossing impossible if the pass is covered by snow. It takes about four hours to climb up to the pass marked by chortens and prayer flags. As you reach the top, you will be rewarded by the magnificent view of the entire terrain from the top. Overnight at Guesthouse – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are included.

You will have a visit to the Muktinath temple early in the morning. The temple of Muktinath is the second biggest Hindu temple that is sacred to the Buddhist people as well. Many Hindu pilgrims come to visit the Muktinath temple. There are 108 water taps constructed in the shape of a cow’s head and two small pounds. The Hindu people believe that if you take a bath under all 108 taps (108 is a sacred number in Tibetan Buddhism), you will free yourself from the sin which you committed in your past life. A short walk past a collection of chortens is the Dhola Mebar Gompa, or the Jwalamai (goddess of fire) temple, where a holy flame of natural gas burns behind a grill just above the spring at all times. After visiting Muktinath, we will come back to the guesthouse for breakfast, then start trekking to Jomsom via the Jharkot village. It is one of the windiest valleys in Nepal. Every afternoon, you can be sure of strong winds sweeping across the terrain at all seasons. Overnight at Guesthouse – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are included.

We shall fly to Pokhara then transfer to hotel, breakfast included.

Drive back to Kathmandu, 6-7 hours. Overnight at hotel, breakfast included.

Approximately 3 hours before the scheduled flight, a representative from the Nepal Hiking Team will take you to the airport from where you will depart.