Annapurna circuit with Tilicho Lake trek

As soon as you land at Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu, our staff will pick you up and bring you to our hotel in Thamel. If your day/evening is free, you can stroll around the streets of Thamel, or go to one of the many bars/pubs or restaurants for drinks or dinner. If you are interested, you can also visit religious temples inside Kathmandu, specifically Pashupatinath where there is a group worshiping or “Aarti” program every evening around 6.

6 hours by bus
Early in the morning, you will be introduced to our travel supervisors who will give you the details of the trek. The bus ride will begin shortly. You will travel for about 6 hours right alongside the Marsyangdi river.

6-7 hr walk
This day will be your first trekking day. The distance from Bhulbhule to Jagat is 16km and around 7.5 hours walk. You will have to follow a tiny hiking trail through the small villages called Nagdi, Ghermu, Bahundanda, etc.

6-7 hr walk
On the fourth day of this trip you will be ascending from 1300m of the beautiful village ko jagat towards Dharapani which is at the height of 1860m. This route can be completed in 6 to 7 hours. You will encounter some really great waterfalls along with some wildlife, with of course a beautiful view from villages like Chyamche and Tal.

4-5 hr walk
This trail is filled with amazing scenery and you can catch glimpses of several snow covered peaks. You will also walk through some pine covered forests. For around one hour the road is steep and you gain a lot of height (around 600m) in a short time. Timang village is a good point for taking a break and after that the trek gets easier.

Around 4hr walk
Chame is a great stop and you can stock up on your supplies here. You would want to get an early start from Chame towards the village of Bhartang, which boasts a big apple farm worth exploring. From there the road again is steep uphill until Dhukur Pokhari and then a bit downhill till Lower Pisang. You can stop for a break here and then take an acclimatization walk upto Upper Pisang later in the day.

Walk About 7hr

There are two routes you can choose between here: the road which takes 3-4 hours, or the trekking route that takes 6-7 hours. Although the road is significantly easier and quicker, the trekking route gives you the most majestic views on the entire trek. But make sure to get enough rest to your body the night before if you decide to take the trekking route and watch out for signs of altitude sickness as well.

Over the next few days you will need to gain a height of 2000m to reach the Thorong-La Pass (5416m) so an acclimatization day is very important. You can spend your day just hanging out around cafes in Manag, talking to the locals, enjoying the landscape, or there is also an option to hike to Ice Lake which is a 7 hour walk that can help you acclimatize. There is also a clinic that gives sessions on altitude sickness so you can check that out as well.

5-6 hours
As the trail gets higher and higher, the walk gets tougher. You may feel a drain in your physical energy quicker than usual. But the views on the other hand, get better and even more majestic than before. You will spot many goat herds, yak and mules on this walk.

5-6 hours
The trek is moderately strenuous and involves walking on a narrow trail with loose rocks. Hence it is important to put safety at the highest concern.

Finally, this is the day you will reach Tilicho lake. The majestic lake sits on the lap of majestic peaks: Muktinath Peak, Nilgiri, Khangsae and Tilicho. The view is simply astounding and all of that walking to reach here will seem worth it once you reach here.

4-5 hours
The walk from Siri kharka to Yak Kharka will take about 5 hours. You can walk admiring the beautiful landscape. On the way, you will find an old monastery, over a 1000 year old one called tare Gumba and pass through Kangsar village and Thorong Khola valley.

About 2.5 hrs
From Yak Kharka to Thorong Phedi the trail is not really difficult but even with just 2.5 hours of walking you might feel more exhausted than usual because of the altitude. Even though you might choose to have a longer walk and stay at High Camp at an altitude of 4900 meters, it is not recommended to gain an elevation of more than 500 meters per day.

Around 8 hrs
This is the toughest walk in the entire trek. You will need to wake up super early, around 3 am and get walking. The first stop is the High camp that you will reach in about 1 to 1.5 hours. From there it will take more than 2 hours to reach another most awaited destination of this trek: The Thorong La Pass. This is the highest point of our trek. After you are done admiring the view and clicking enough pictures you can begin descending towards Muktinath, which houses the famous Hindu temple of Nepal that attracts thousands of pilgrims each year.

Around 4 hrs
In the early morning, you can visit the famous temple and after a good breakfast at one the the many places available you can begin walking towards Kagbeni. The landscape change might be astonishing for some people as now you can view almost desert like dunes on the side of the road. Kagbeni is an interesting traditional village with Tibetan like architecture all around and narrow alleyways and you can get a stunning view of the Upper Mustang region from here. After lunch break at Kagbeni you can resume your walk towards Jomsom.

Around 3.5 hrs
Taking a steady trail alongside the river to Marpha. Marpha is famous for its apple farms and even more for the apple brandy that is produced there, also called “Marpha”. You can find a lot of apple products in this small town including dried apples, apple jams, apple juice and many more. You will arrive in Tukuche around late afternoon that will give you ample amount of time to visit the local villages and have a good filling lunch.

Around 7 hrs
In the first half of the trek from Tukuche to Ghasa, you can find small villages and forested areas overlooking the river along with a dense pine forest and mountains in the background which is a pleasant sight for the eyes. But around the second half the scenery isn't so great as you will have to take the main road, which can get very dusty and there will be jeeps and buses taking that road too which makes it worse. You can finally relax when you reach the picturesque valley of Ghasa.

Around 4 hours
This trail however does not consist of any main roads so you can really enjoy the scenery and the trail itself. There are thick forested areas and towering mountains around the trail. The temperature starts to get noticeably warmer as you descend more than a 1000 meters this day.

Around 8 hrs
This is the last day of your walking journey so you’d expect a downhill trail. But this circuit surprises you with a sudden uphill trail with a 1700 meter ascent, that is the biggest ascent you will have in the whole trek. You will pass through the villages of Ghara, Sikha, Chitre, and finally reach Ghorepani after about 8-9 hours. This day is certainly a long one, but once you reach Ghorepani you can relax and start planning your departure.

You can head to Pokhara the next day by bus or another public transport (about 2 hours) and return to Kathmandu from flight as soon as possible. But Pokhara is a lively city with trendy cafes, rock bars and marketplaces that you might want to extend your trip by one night.