Annapurna Circuit Trek via Tilicho Lake

12 Days

The Annapurna Circuit Trek consistently ranks among the world’s most famous treks. You will have an easy walk to begin with, before the path connects Kaligandaki to the Marsyangdi River valley. The incredibly adventurous Thorung La pass, located at a height of 5416 m, is a special highlight of the Annapurna Circuit trek.

Enroute the trek, we will see a variety of sceneries and zones that range from subtropical to alpine terrains. We will also encounter diverse ecosystems, different cultures and varying landscapes ranging from lush paddy fields and oak forests to rough mountain terrain. And finally, we get to trek the Kaligandaki gorge, the deepest gorge in the world!

The Annapurna Circuit trek offers an extraordinary panorama of Annapurna (8,097 m), Dhaulagiri (8,167 m), Manaslu, Machhapuchhre and Tukuche together with many other stunning peaks in the background. The trek is extremely beautiful, with numerous orchid forests surrounding the trail, and rhododendrons covering entire hills in their typical red hue in the spring. The Tilicho Lake trek takes the trail through Manang to the highest altitude lake in the world – Tilicho Lake at 4919 m Passing through lush subtropical countryside, over moraine, through alpine forests, along arid cliffs, and over the Thorong La pass, this trek is quite challenging but steeped in Hindu myth and surrounded by mountains. Tilicho, Nilgiri, Khangsar and Muktinath are some of the peaks on show around the lake – sometimes even being reflected in the cold, clear turquoise waters. And of course views of the Annapurna accompany the visitor throughout the whole trek.

Overview

The lake was formed by the glacial melt off the northern slopes of the Annapurna, and is of historical and religious significance as it is thought to be mentioned in the Hindu religious book, the Ramayana. In contrast there are Buddhist villages to be crossed to reach the lake, taking their culture and religion from nearby Tibet. After visiting the lake and Tilicho Base Camp, the trail leads out of the Marsyangdi Valley, through yak pastures and over the Thorong La Pass (5,416m). Crossing the pass is challenging, and is done at around 3 am before the afternoon winds make it more difficult. The views, however, are magnificent of Mt Gundang, Syagang, Thorong Peak and Mt Khatungkan. Once across the pass there are more interesting villages: Muktinath, with its Hindu temple, water spouts and eternal flame; Kagbeni with its monastery, strange human-like clay effigies, and Jomsom, a busy market town, and transportation hub of Mustang, with its airport, bus and jeep stands.

Itinerary

Drive around 4-5 hours from kathmandu. From pokhara around 3-4 hours drive to reach besisahar. To reach Dharapani (1860m) we have to drive 4 hours off roads passing some magnificent waterfall from Besisahar to Dharapani.

The trail follows the Marsyangdi River, ascending toward Timang (2360m). Along this route, you'll encounter breathtaking views of Annapurna II (7937m), Mt. Manaslu (8156m), and Peak 29 (7871m).

Pisang is a picturesque village nestled close to the Marsyangdi River. Local belief holds that Paungda Danda serves as the Gateway to Heaven.

Small village but beautiful where you can see mountain views with open valley. Basically this route goes through upper Pisang. Typical villages influenced by Tibetan/Buddhist practice.

On the journey between Nawal and Manang, we pass through the charming Braga village, home to an ancient monastery steeped in history. Braga boasts an open valley adorned with magnificent mountain vistas. Our stopover is in Manang, where we'll stay for a while.

After breakfast, we'll explore the wonders of the Manang valley. Our stroll might take us to spots like the Hundred Rupees Lama site, the Chongar Viewpoint offering stunning vistas of Gangapurna Lake, and breathtaking views of Annapurna III, the Chulu range, and the majestic Tilicho Peak that surrounds us.

In this route there is option to choose whether you want to go Yak Kharka or De Tour via the Tilicho Base Camp (Tilicho Lake). The Tilicho lake is elevated to a height of 4,949 Meters. Tilicho Lake covers an area of about 1.853 square miles and sits directly in front of Tilicho Peak.
(Note: Make sure you have flexible time for De Tour.)

We'll set out early in the morning to explore the beauty around Tilicho Lake before returning to the base camp. Following breakfast, our journey continues as we head towards Ledar, trekking through the scenic trail of Shree Kharka.

Flat Trial ascend gradually to reach Thorong Phedi and from Phedi to High Camp is Steep ascent.

On this day, we will achieve the challenging part of our trek i.e Thorang La Pass. This pass may be the lowest way to cross between the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri Ranges. And we descend to downward Muktinath around 1600m. Muktinath is the salvation place of Hindus religions.

Descending to kagbeni by main road it is kinda nice. Demolished structure house of the village Kagbeni due to the strong wind. Kagbeni is the right at the bottom of some pretty high mountains with Kali Gandaki river. Influenced to be developed city in Mustang region Josmom. Airway facility and banking facility available.

After the 12 days trek we finally came to end of the trek. We get back to Pokhara. According to your needs. On road way we can see the biggest waterfalls Rupse Waterfalls. Tatopani (hotsprings) are also on the route.

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Annapurna Circuit Trek via Tilicho Lake

Short Trek: Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek