Annapurna Circuit Trek with Tilicho Lake - 17 Days

You will arrive at the only international airport in Nepal- the Tribhuvan Airport in Kathmandu. Our representatives from The Great Adventure Treks will meet you outside the airport terminal. They will transfer you to your hotel and help you check in. Our guide will give you all the relevant information about the hotel you will be staying. He will also brief you about the Annapurna Circuit with Tilicho Lake trek. He will also give you other related information and answer your other queries.

You will head out for a sightseeing tour of Kathmandu after having breakfast. Modern buildings are complimented well by the ancient religious temples of this city. You can see the influence of this in the architecture of this city. Most of these temples were made in the medieval Nepal. You will visit the various UNESCO World Heritage Sites this day. You will go to two important Buddhist pilgrimages in Kathmandu - Boudhanath temple and Swayambhunath temple. You will also visit two Durbar Squares- Patan Durbar Square and Kathmandu Durbar Square. Finally, you will also go on a tour of the Hindu pilgrimage- Pashupatinath Temple.

Pashupatinath Temple:

The largest as well as the most popular Hindu temple in the world-Pashupatinath Temple- lies on the banks of the river Bagmati. Tens of millions of Hindu devotees visit this temple yearly. Lord Shiva is the main deity. The temple is especially full on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri. It is a two-storied temple that has various other temples surrounding it.

Boudhanath Stupa:

The peaceful eyes of the Boudhanath temple is the greatest symbol of Buddhism in Nepal. This UNESCO World Heritage SIte made in in 1979 A.D. The temple was made about two thousand five hundred years ago. You can find people of all faiths in Boudhanath. The prayer wheels of this stupa are beautifully carved.

Kathmandu and Patan Durbar Squares:

Kathmandu Durbar Square and Patan Durbar Square lie in the districts of Kathmandu and Patan respectively. The kings of Kathmandu and Patan resided in the palaces in these squares in the past. Displays of the Newari artists and craftsmen’s skills are replete in these squares. Krishna Mandir in Patan Durbar Square and Hanuman Dhoka complex in Kathmandu Durbar Square are the most important places there along with the museums there.

After an early breakfast, you will go on a scenic drive leading to the Pokhara highway. This interesting drive takes you along the foothills of the hills surrounding the Kathmandu valley. Just a few hours before the road that leads to Pokhara, the driving route diverts from Dumre town towards north eventually Besisahar. Beshishar is the district headquarter of Lamjung region. You will spend your night here. Besisahar lies at an altitude of 823 meters. You will reach here after a 7-8 hours ride from Kathmandu.

Trekking starts from Besisahar with fascinating scenery of the gorge, high hills, waterfalls, and snow-capped peaks. The trail is quite steep for half an hour leading you to lush farm terraces fields. As you trek further, you will reach the top of a ridge, which gives you a magnificent view of waterfalls. As you walk along some local villages and terrace farms, you will get to Chamje village. From Chamje, you will cross a bridge before another steep climb to Tal.

This village lies by the side of the river Marsyangdi on a gorge-valley. As you leave Tal. the trek gets easier as there is a gentle path to a large bridge. After crossing the bridge, you will reach the village of Dharapani, where you will stay overnight. Dharapani lies at an altitude of 1860 meters and takes about 5-6 hours of a trek from Besisahar.

From Dharapani, there is a change in vegetation. The air gets cooler. The landscape changes too. You will trek through forests before reaching Bagarchhap, which is the first village on the trek with typical Tibetan architecture. After a pleasantly cool morning walk, you will slowly gain altitude before reaching the apple country at Dhanaqi.Fr om Dhanaqi, you will pass through the farm area, orchards and beautiful pine forest with views of Lamjung and Annapurna II peaks.

The trail then follows the upstream of Marsyangdi river as you pass by the villages of Ratamanang and Koto. From Koto, a half hour of easy walk brings to the village town of Chame for the overnight stop. Chame, which lies an altitude of 2720 meters, is the district headquarters of Manang region. Today’s trek will be 4-5 hours long.

Today, you will trek from Chame to Pisang (3200 meters). It will take you 5-6 hours in order to get to Pisang from Chame. The walk from Chame follows the other side of the river on the northern bank. After you leave Chame, the path passes through pine woods and small villages along some gentle uphills and downhills before reaching Bratang. From here trek continues on the gradual path that leads you to a bridge. From the bridge, a short steep climb through the pine forest brings you at the top of the ridge of Pisang village.

After walking past the tree lines, you can catch splendid views of Pisang peak and the Chulu peak. After a gentle descent for an hour brings you to the windswept village of Pisang.

From Pisang onwards, the trekking trails offer you constant views of the high snow-capped peaks. The trail climbs steeply up for half an hour after a short gradual walk from the Pisang village before reaching the top of a small hill. This grand spot offers dramatic views of the valleys and Hongdre village with its short air-strip. You can also catch some mesmerizing views of peaks like Gangapurna, Annapurna II, III, Tilicho, Chuli, and Pisang peak. You will trek downhill from here all the way to Hongdre.

From Hongdre to Manang, the trek is more or less flat. You will gain slight altitude as you near to the village of Braga and Manang. You can spend some time in Barga to visit Braga Monastery. The largest in the district, it has an outstanding display of statues, thangkas, and religious manuscripts. From Barga, it is only an hour walk to Manang for the overnight stop. Manang lies at an altitude of 3540 meters. Today’s hike will be 4-5 hours long.

You will spend this day acclimatizing and exploring Manang this day. Manang is home to about 500 flat-roofed houses. This village is set amongst some spectacular scenery compromising of Annapurna II, Annapurna III [7,555 meters], Gangapurna [7,454 meters] to the South – Tilicho [7,132 meters] and the Grand Barrier to the West – Chulu West [6,583 meters] and Chulu East [6,059 meters] to the North.

From Manang, you will walk along the main trail of Annapurna circuit for a while. As you trek further, you will reach the last village of Manang. From there, you will leave the main trail towards Tilicho. Walking along the south-west route for four hours will take you to Khangsar (3735 meters) in 4-5 hours’ time. You will stay here overnight. Khangsar is the last village before Thinegaon and Jomsom.

As you begin your trek from Kangsar to Tilicho Lake Base Camp, you will come across wide grassy fields initially. After that, you will make a slight ascent to a small hill. You can witness the glorious views of the entire Manang valley from this hill. After trudging down a steep inclination from this hill, you will get to Tilicho Base Camp (4140 meters). Camping is the only option as there are not many lodges in the Tilicho Base Camp Area. Today’s trek from Khangsar to is merely 3-4 hours long.

Today’s initial ascent will be tough. After the initial hike, the trail traverses onto a moraine and then cuts along the side of the mountain before reaching Tilicho Lake (4920 meters).

The spectacular views of Tilicho, Nilgiri, Khangsar and Muktinath peaks will always be by your side. You can admire the beauty of the turquoise blue waters of Tilicho Lake and its splendid setting. Depending upon the season, you can catch see in its bluish form with the reflection upon the mountains on it. Or you may see it in a frozen form. After spending some time here, you will head out to Yak Kharka (4040 meters). The trail leads out of the Marsyangdi valley. You can notice an abrupt change in surroundings you leave behind the trees and alpine vegetation greets you.

The trail continues through the ruins of the old Khangsar village before you cross a log bridge over a river that lies between Gumsang and Yak Kharka. After trekking a total of 7-8 hours today, you will reach Yak Kharka. The Himalayan village of Yak Kharka has its name so because you can see a lot of yaks grazing and standing around. From here we also get breathtaking views of Annapurna III.

The trail from Yak Kharka leads to a slow climb up to reach the last settlement of Ledar. The trail then winds up offering grand views of the Annapurna II, Gangapurna, Tilache and the close-up view of Chuli peaks. Then you will ascend as you trek along the barren windswept terrain before reaching Thorong Phedi.

The trail from Thorung Phedi(4450 meters) then depends upon your fitness. If you are willing to and the time permits, you will continue along a zig-zag track towards Upper Phedi or High Camp. There are a few tea houses and lodges here. If you can make it to Upper Phedi or High Camp, it makes the walk easier start for the next day. It also shortens the number of trekking hours as you head towards the pass.

The trail from Yak Kharka to Thorong High Camp (4882) meters) is about 5-6 hours long.

You will be starting your trek early after breakfast so that you can reach the top of the pass on time before the cold wind starts to blow. The trek can be quite strenuous in the beginning as you trek along a steep zig-zag path for an hour.

After reaching the first ridge, the hike continues on the narrow gradual track for half hour or more till yu reach a small glacial pond. Around it is a small teahouse. From here, another hour and a half trek leads to the top of the pass. Finally, you will reach an altitude of 5,416 meters at Thorong-La. You can catch the best views of the northern Annapurna, Damodar, Bhrikuti and Dhaulagiri range of mountains from Thorong La. Despite the rough, steep descent from Thorong la, you can have excellent views of the Dhaulagiri 8,167 m. The descent will lead you to the sacred village of Muktinath (3800 meters). This will be the longest day in terms of trekking. You will trek 7-8 hours this day.

After reaching the bottom, there are about two or three teahouses for refreshment. After a break here, you will continue for another hour before reaching Muktinath, which is the holiest of all holy places. During Hindu & Buddhist festivals, this place is full and busy with pilgrims from all over Nepal and India.

Starting at Muktinath (3,710m) , a revered pilgrimage site for both Hindus and Buddhists, the trail descends towards Jharkot , a traditional Tibetan-style village with ancient monasteries and stunning views of the surrounding landscape. After exploring Jharkot, the trail leads to Kagbeni (2,804m) , an atmospheric village situated at the entrance of the Upper Mustang region. Kagbeni’s narrow alleyways, old houses, and spiritual significance offer a unique glimpse into Mustang's rich culture. The final stretch of the journey follows the Kali Gandaki River valley to Jomsom (2,740m) , a bustling town and the gateway to Mustang, where trekkers can catch flights or continue further adventures in the region.

You will fly to Pokhara from Jomsom. The flight offers some spectacular views of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges. This 15-minute long flight takes you over the deepest gorge in the world. The warmer climate in Pokhara will definitely make us feel better. You can head out to enjoy the serene waters of Phewa Lake, Begnas Lake, and Rupa Lake.

You can also get some boating experience here. Pokhara (828 meters) is also home to some adventurous caves like Gupteshwor Mahadev Cave, Bat Cave, and Mahendra Cave. So there are plenty of exciting things you can do in Pokhara on this leisure day. Or you can simply take a break and rest in your hotel.

On this day, you will drive back to Kathmandu from Pokhara.

The route of the bus takes you along the beautiful, scenic hills along with sights of Trisuli and Marsyangdi River. It is also possible for you to catch views of Ganesh Himal and the Manaslu peak during this bus ride.

After a ride of 6-7 hours from Pokhara, you will reach Kathmandu. You can go for some last minute shopping in Thamel to buy some souvenirs or other items you might need.

You will go to international airport for your flight back home today. You will go to the airport on a private transport along with our representatives from The Great Adventure Treks. You will reach the airport approximately 3 hours before your scheduled flight. Make sure that you have your confirmed air ticket with you along with other necessary travel documents. The Great Adventure Treks will be glad to arrange another tour for you in Nepal if you want to.