Annapurna Tilicho Lake Trek

The second day of our adventure starts after breakfast. We begin our journey from Jagat and cross a suspension bridge over the Marsyangdi River to get to Tal Village. The waterfalls of Tal are said to be the main reason for the sandy beaches next to the river. Green barley, rice, and potato fields serve as the route through which we will travel, and this leads us to Kodo, one of the biggest villages in the Manang Valley. We will now soon venture out on our hike, with a scheduled plan of crossing yet another suspension bridge before climbing to a stone Kani and thus arriving at Dharapani, where we expect to spend the night

Today's walk will be into the jungle which is full of pine, fir, oak, and maple trees and will take us to Chame, the district headquarters of Manang. The attraction will be the lush green scenery all around that you’ll see as you go along and the panoramic view of Lamjung Himal, Annapurna II, and Annapurna IV (7,525 meters). One of the highlights is definitely the hidden hot springs which you can both soak up in, and if you like, take an invigorating copper sulfate bath.

We hike to a steep and narrow valley where we are honored to witness the Paungda Danda Rock Face, which is a dramatic rock bend that rises 1500 m from the Marsyang river. Besides this, users can also get clear views of Annapurna II in the south and the peak of Pisang in the east.
Once we have experienced the breathtaking view from the Paungda Danda Rock Face, we start off at the bottom of Manang Valley to reach Pisang-the place we want to rest at that day.

We head off from Pisang and follow the upper routes of Pisang via Geru. This way takes us to the top of the northern Annapurna II, III, IV, Gangapurna, Tilicho, and Pisang Peak, where we can see the rocky slopes. The atmosphere is becoming cooler and dry and harsher as we approach the top. Though the environment can be quite tough, hermitages look Tibetan, and our first stop will be the Barge Monastery, which is the most significant temple in Manang.

Once we get to Manang, there will be a noticeable increase in the height of the place and we will not be able to adapt immediately, so we will be taking a day off to get adjusted to the high altitude first.
Manang will be our location for the day. Quite early in the morning, we will climb to Gangapurna Lake/Ice Lake, and the whole day long we will be gazing upon Annapurna III, Tilicho, Pisang, and Chulu mountains shrouded in mystery. At the same time, you will have the chance to do some shopping or dine at the cafe. Apart from that, you can also visit Manang village. Most tourists visit the Himalayan Rescue Association at Vraga village to become aware of Acute Mountain Sickness' symptoms and remedies.

Basically the trek from Manang to Siri Kharka is easy. We stick to the path going up, and then turning to go downhill to a river; which is crossed before taking a trail passing through a coniferous region. Continuing the trek, after around 3 hours of walking we arrive into the Tibetan settlement of Khangsar, although we will continue on to Siri Kharka. On the way to the Base Camp we also get the view of Gungang Himal and Chulu Himal.

In the eighth day of our journey, in the morning, we will be emerging out of Siri Kharka towards the base camp of Tilicho. Despite the fact that it is a direct route, it passes through such areas that experience soil slips. Fabulous features of the trails include majestic rock formations and tailor-made views of the white topped Tilicho Peak.

This day of the trek is a charming day as we will have an up close view of Tilicho Lake. We begin very early in the morning from Tilicho Base Camp due to afternoon winds. The trail up to the lake is comparatively more tiresome; it will take 2-3 hours to reach the base for the lake known as the highest lake of the world. It is well-known that a famous French expedition team called it The Great Ice Lake. Situated at the backdrop, the Tilicho Himal, the Annapurna Mountain range and Nilgiri Himal are also very impressive at Tilicho Lake. After visiting the places of interest we will be walking back to Siri Kharka, our halt for the night.

Leaving Siri Kharka, the route leads to the Khangsar Village which is an abandoned place. On the way, one comes across Tare Gumba which is a thousand year old monastery. It goes on as the discipline of a rock wall follows our rout from Khangsar, through Thorong Khola Valley up to Yak Kharka. After Yak Kharka the stunning view of many mountains belonging to the Annapurna ranges can be seen. If you are luck, you will be also able to see blue sheep or even snow leopard there.

In order to get to Thorong Phedi, you will again have to ascend from Yak Kharka. Thorong Phedi is the last settlement on the way to Thorong La pass. During the upward climb, there are splendid views of 4 imposing mountains; Gudang, Syagang, Khatungkan, and Thorug Peak.

Tomorrow’s trek is considered to be one of the most difficult since we will cross Thorong La Pass one of the highest in the world and the highest point of the trek. To escape the Kali Gandaki wind in the afternoon we wake up at 3 in the morning at Thorong Phedi while enduring the thinness of the air and the coldness of the night.

The views that await any traveler when they get to Thorong La Pass with make any traveler believe that nature has paid him or her in full. Standing there, one gets to see the Himalayan range stretching all the way to Tibet in the north while looking in the opposing direction it will be possible to see the proud sentry- Annapurna.

We will then be in the gradual decent to Muktinath through Thorong La Pass which is the highest point of the trek. Popular among Buddhists as Chumig Ghasa which interprets to ‘Hundred Waters’, Muktinath has 108 stone spouts from where the cold waters of River Kali Gandaki gush out. Also the flame at Muktinath burning for more than 2 thousand years is noticeable.

After a pious and divine darshan of Muktinath Temple, we proceed to move on to Tatopani in a local bus on the same day. Speaking of the ride, it is relatively rough with many turns and swirls through what would be the home of the world’s deepest gorges. On the way, we will stop at Jomsom Bazaar and after that at Tatopani, the village is reputed for hot spring. These hot springs therefore a good way to pass more of our evening and even make a bath before sunset.

On the following day our fourteenth day of trek we will head for Ghorepani passing via the colorful settlement of Sikha & Chitre. We will be passing through area of beautiful rhododendron, birch and magnolia forests and when we finally arrive at Ghorepani you will be at the top of one such ridge. During these months the beauty of the rhododendrons is best displayed through the pink and the bright red colors that thoroughly cover the surrounding view across the forests.

Poon Hill is probably one of the most famous lookout points in the whole world. In the morning, we will wake up in Ghorepani, and after a one-hour steep climb; we will reach the top to view the dawn over the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri mountain ranges. Standing at this place, you will also be able to view Mustang and indeed Pokhara besides the twenty plus massifs. Poon Hill is particularly picturesque and frequently visited by photographers and since we will be in this region we will also take some really great shots. This will be the end of our tour at Poon Hill after which we will trek back to Birethanti, take a bus to Pokhara passing through Nayapul.

Our sixteenth day is devoted to the breakfast followed by the tourist bus to the capital of Nepal – Kathmandu. Otherwise, you have the other choice to be brought back via a direct flight with only a 25-minute duration (not in the package price) but with a cost for the trip. Our trekking package ends in kathmandu where discovery world trekking will take the member for farewell dinner in the later evening.
We hope that this trek will result in the compilation of unforgettable memories for you.