Tilicho Trek (20 Days)

The capital city of Nepal, Kathmandu, being the historical and cultural heart of the country, is a popular destination for tourists, trekkers and other types of adventure seekers. The city is a marvelous amalgamation of Hinduism, Tibetan Buddhism, and Western cultures and influences. Patan and Bhaktapur are its two major neighboring cities. These two cities, like Kathmandu, have a rich historical, cultural and religious legacy which is reflected in the many temples, monuments, and artifacts that they contain. You will be taken on a half-day guided tour of Kathmandu and Bhaktapur cities. In Kathmandu, you will be visiting Pashupatinath, the most famous and revered Hindu shrine in the country; Boudhanath, the largest Buddhist stupa in Nepal, Soyambhunath, which contains both Buddhist and Hindu shrines and stands as testimony to the religious harmony that exists in the country; and the 15th-century 55-window palace in Bhaktapur. An orientation session for the trek, which commences the following day, will be organized in the evening.

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.

The first part of the trail passes on a flat level along the bank of the Marshyangdi River. You can enjoy the sceneries and the local culture of the Gurung community. After lunch, the trail goes steeply upwards to Bahundanda which takes about 2 hours. From this point, you can see the area surrounded by eye-catching scenarios with snow-capped mountains. Stay overnight at a lodge.

We will leave for Chamje after having breakfast. We hike a trail that goes downwards to Syange (1070m). On the way, you can have beautiful views of waterfalls making sounds as it strikes with stones. After that, we will cross Marsyangdi River by an airy suspension bridge and then following the same river up to Jagat. After we reach Jagat, we will have to climb up to Chyamje. Overnight at lodge/guesthouse.

The journey today will be tiring as we will have to walk on the rocky trail. We will take a rocky path going with by side of Marshyangdi River upwards up to Tal (1675 m). Then we will cross a valley, and going ups and downs we will arrive at Dharapani (1890 m). After hiking a bit more, we will finally reach Bagarchap where we can see typical stone roofed houses. We crash out Overnight at a lodge/guesthouse.

You climb through forests of pine and oak as you pass through Danaque (2210m.). Soon, there comes a small wooden bridge that will take you on a steeply ascending path up to Timang which lies at the bottom of Lamjung Himal. The trail goes then on a flat level until you reach Chame, where you will find government offices, shops, and hotels. Chame is the administrative headquarters for the Manang district. Stay overnight at a lodge.

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.

Today is the last day of our trek on these beautiful mountains, we will move through the trail of Kagbeni or Lupra to reach Jomsom. This day we will trek along Kali Gandaki River to reach Jomsom. Jomsom is a strong windy little town in a cold valley. You can get startling memorable views of Tilicho Mountain and beautiful wet hills. Overnight at lodge.

This takes about 25 minutes and stays overnight at our hotel in Pokhara. The flights are available during the morning time. The strong breeze blows during the afternoon and frequent change of the weather prevents the flight landing and taking off in the afternoon. During the flights in the morning, the sky looks very clear which makes you able to enjoy the splendid views of different mountain peaks. Overnight at the hotel.

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.