feedback

How to do Tilicho Lake Trek

Posted on Mar 27, 2018 by NepalTravel under Trekking

Tags: Tilicho Lake Trek, Khangsar , Tilicho Base Camp

Trip to Tilicho Lake-the lake at highest altitude in the World!

Tilicho lake is the lake at the highest altitude in the world. Its lies on the Annapurna Circuit and is one of the best trekking routes in Nepal. The lake is a formed out of glacial activity at the laps of magnificent Himalayas. One can go beyond the lake and complete the whole circuit via Thorang La Pass (5416 m) or the Mesokanta La Pass (5100 m), both of which end up in Jomsom. Crossing the passes isn’t that easy and depends on the amount of snow at the time of trek. Our trek was only till the Tilicho Lake as we were more fascinated by the fact that this was the lake at highest altitude (4919 m) on earth.

5 Days of Tilicho Lake Trek: Day 1

The whole trip was 5 days long. We started early from Kathmandu on micro-bus from Gongabu bus park to Lamjung. It took around 8 hours to get the Lamjung. From there, we took a Sumo to get to to Chame, the headquarter of Manang district. Its an offroad drive for almost 6 hour to get to Chame via Dhukur Pokhari and Chame. We stayed at Chame. There are good hotels at Chame for overnight stay. You’ll find ATMs, hospitals and good mobile phone reception until Chame.

Tilicho Lake Trek: Day 2

Next day, we took another Sumo to Khangsar. This is a small settlement with many hotels. One can take a bike until Khangsar. It took around 6hrs to get to Khangsar from Chame. The road passes through some breathtaking scenes of green fields on the banks of Marshyangdi river, and offers great views of Mt. Manaslu, Mt. HimalChuli, Mt. Machhapuchre, Mr. Dhaulagiri and many more.

We stayed a night at Khangsar. The apple farm and Agro Manang are some interesting places to go in Khangsar. There are no ATM’s beyond Khangsar and the next stop is Tilicho Basecamp. It takes a day’s walk to get to the BaseCamp. Also, make sure to book your hotel rooms at the Base Camp from Khangsar.

Tilicho Lake Trek: Day 3

We started early morning from Khangsar to get to Base Camp. The trail is narrow and often get through areas with landslides. Its always good to go slow and walk in a group. It takes 2-3 hours to get to ShreeKharkha, another small settlement on the way. There are 3-4 hotels at Shreekharkha for lunch or overnight stay. We reached Base Camp around 5 PM and the sunset views over the glorious mountains were just amazing. We were luck enough to find Roti tarkari at the Base Camp hotel. The 12-room Base Camp hotel was a popular stay for tourists. A cup of water costs NRs. 90 and for a thermos of water it would be NRs. 900. The hotels at BaseCamp have decent wifi coverage. We paid NRs. 100 per head for the stay.

Tilicho Lake Trek: Day 4

Next morning, we left as early as possible to get to the Basecamp. Its around 5hrs of walk from BaseCamp. The feeling after you reach the Lake cannot be expressed in words. We spend couple of hours taking pictures and some of our friends even took a dip in the lake. Tilicho lake and surroundings are the best places for Photography. Mountains over the lake make a perfect picture. The lake, itself is beyond one’s imagination.

We left for Basecamp at around 3pm and walked down to Shreekharka. We spend the night at Shreekharka and got to Besisahar the next day.

Tilicho Lake Trek: Day 5

Its almost 7 hours of drive from ShreeKharka to Besisahar. You might find direct buses from Shreekharka but its always better to take microbuses from Besisahar to Kathmandu. We reached Kathmandu in the late evening of the 5th day, all tired but filled with amazing memories of the trip of a lifetime.

Things to Do at Tilicho Lake

Start Early in the day so you get good rest.

Eat Local and Stay local

If you feel uncomfortable, get down to lower altitude

Acclimatize your body, walk slow but steady

Drink enough water to keep up with the change in altitude

Don’t just take pictures, do talk your time to enjoy being close to some magnificent peaks of the world

Respect the locals, ask before taking pictures 

Things not to do at Tilcho Lake Trekking

Don’t litter, carry your trash and dump it at designated spots

Best time to Travel Tilicho Lake

Mid Sept-October

Few more insights about Tilicho Lake Trek

Its crowded during the Dashain season. Its moderate during Tihar

How to get to Tilicho Lake

You can take local microbus (KTM-Besisahar, Besisahar-Shreekharka/Khangsar). We recommend taking a hired 4WD 4-wheeler so that you get to places on time.

Level of difficulty of Tilicho Lake Trekking

This is a moderate level trek for those who can walk for just a couple of days. Still, proper acclimatization is advised.

For foreigners, it requires a TIMS and ACAP permit to get to Tilicho Lake.

Note: Following Tilcho Lake trek was experienced by: Shekhar Chalise

Photo Gallery

Have Your Say

comments powered by Disqus
more  information about Nepal

Sponsored Links


Related Posts

Popular Posts

Archives


more  information about Nepal