Destination
Annapurna Region, Nepal
Region
Annapurna Region
Trip Grade
Grade 3: Hard/challenging
Accommodation
Tea House
Total Distance
160–260km /100-161miles
Start / End Point
Kathmandu/Kathmandu
Durations
16 Days
Max. Altitude
5,416m at Thorung la high pass
Meals Included
Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner
Group Size
above 1 pax
Best Season
All season
Activity per day
Approx. 4-6 hrs walking
Transportation
Kathmandu to Jagat private Jeep, & Muktinath to Tatopani by Public transportation, Birethanti to Pokhara by private transportation, Pokhara to Kathmandu by Private Jeep
Trip Highlights
Thorong La Pass at 5,416 meter
Tilicho Lake (4,949m) - one of the highest lakes in the world
Stunning journey to Tilicho Lake, the highest lake in the world at 4920 meters
Spectacular views of Mt. Annapurna, Thorung Peak, Nilgiri, Chulu West and East, Tukuche Peak, Dhaulagiri, Lamjung Himal, Annapurna II, and Annapurna IV
Discover the Annapurna massif's cultural and natural splendor.
Blue sheep at Yak Kharka
Magnificent lakes, glaciers, gorges, and waterfalls
Get amazed while crossing the world's largest pass, Thorong-La (5416 meters)
Manang district and embrace the beauty of the place
Barge Monastery - the largest monastery in the Manang district
During the Annapurna Circuit Trek featuring Tilicho Lake, encounter gorgeous lakes, gorges, glaciers, and waterfalls.
Witness the magnificent views of Mt. Annapurna, Thorung Peak, Nilgiri, Chulu, Tukuche Peak, Dhaulagiri, Lamjung Himal, and Annapurna.
During the Annapurna Circuit Trek with Tilicho and Poonhill, encounter gorgeous lakes, gorges, glaciers, and waterfalls.
Explore the Annapurna region's charming landscapes, Rhododendron forests, and small settlements of Gurung People, while exploring Ghorepani and Poonhill
Views of the Annapurna mountain range and other snow-capped summits will astound you.
Admire magnificent sunrises across the Dhaulagiri and Annapurna mountains from Poonhill.
Muktinath - a sacred site for both Hindus and Buddhists
Visit the 108 stone faucets at the Muktinath Temple, which is revered by both Hindus and Buddhists
Relaxing in Tatopani hot springs
Get mesmerized by watching the amazing Narchyang waterfall on the route to Tatopani from Ghasa
The most beautiful vistas of Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Machhapucche, Hiunchuli, Nilgiri, and Mardi
The stunning villages of Ghorepani, Nangethanti, Ulleri, and Tikhedhunga will enchant you.
Get excellent hospitality from the natives and forget all your fatigue and walking ache.
Enjoy your quality time at the picturesque Phewa Lake in Pokhara.
The Annapurna Circuit with Tilicho Lake Trek is a popular Himalayan trek offering stunning mountain views, diverse landscapes, and cultural experiences. Highlights include visiting Tilicho Lake, crossing the Thorong La Pass, exploring scenic villages, and witnessing the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri mountain ranges.
Sunrise at Poon Hill: A popular viewpoint offering panoramic views of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges.
Scenic Villages: Exploring villages like Manang, Pisang, and Chame, which showcase local culture and traditions.
Trip Overview
Around Annapurna with Tilicho Lake
This is one of the most rewarding treks in the Annapurna region that lets you experience Himalayan flora and fauna, beautiful landscapes, holy temples & monasteries, stunning waterfalls, varied climate regions, diverse culture, high passes, deep gorges, and the Tilicho Lake (one of the world’s highest lakes).
Your Annapurna Circuit With Tilicho Lake Trekking starts with an early morning Privte Jeep ride from Kathmandu to Jagat while enjoying the views of beautiful villages, terraced farms, and mountain region views.
The Annapurna Circuit with Tilicho Lake trek starts from Jagat (1,300m/4,265ft) and ends at Dharapani (1,860m/6,200ft) on the second day. The third trek starts from Dharapani to Chame (2,610m/8,890ft) – the headquarters of the Manang district. From the way, you will get to enjoy incredible views of Lamjung Himal, Annapurna II, and Annapurna III. After spending a night at Chame, you will head to Pisang (3,115m/10,200ft), through the trial that lets us see the Paungda Danda Rock face.
The fifth-day Tilicho Lake and Annapurna Circuit trek journey takes us from Pisang to Manang (3,540m/11,300ft). From the path, you will see Tibetan-style settlements and giant high peaks, including Gangapurna, Tilicho, and Pisang Peak. You will spend a day in Manang acclimatizing and then head to Siri Kharka (4,060m/13,320ft) the next day.
On our eighth day, from Siri Kharka, you will trek to Tilicho Base Camp (4,150m/13,583ft) and spend the night there. The next day will be special as you will reach majestic Tilicho Lake, also called “The Great Ice Lake” itself. From Tilicho Lake, you can enjoy the fantastic views of pristine lake water and superb snow-capped high mountains that are incomparable to anywhere in the world. Tilicho Himal, Annapurna Range, and Nilgiri Himal surround Tilicho Lake as if they are hiding nature’s gems. After reaching Tilicho Lake, you will return to Siri Kharka for the night.
The following morning you will wake up at Siri Kharka and start the trek to Yak Kharka (4,060m/13,020ft) – the destination for this day. Yak Kharka is famous for its blue sheep, and if the time is right, you can even see a snow leopard. You will spend a night at Yak Kharka, and on our eleventh day, you will reach Thorong Phedi – a small settlement optimally placed for a successful Thorong La Hi-Pass (5,416 m/17,756 ft) crossing. If the situation is favorable at Thorong Phedi, we might trek to High Camp for the night.
To prepare for the Thorong La Hi-Pass crossing, we wake up early at Thorong Phedi and push against the icy air and high-altitude fatigue to reach Thorong La Pass. From the Thorong La Pass, you will see the Himalayas stretch up north to Tibet and the Annapurna mountains to your south. You will cross the Thorong La Pass and descend to Muktinath(3,760m/12,623ft) – a Buddhist and Hindu holy site. By the time you reach Muktinath, you will be tired so we will be spending the night at Muktinath.
After a night at Muktinath, we will take local transport to Tatopani (1,200m/3,940ft). On the way, you will pass Jomsom – a bustling market in this region. Tatopani means hot water in Nepali, and at Tatopani, you will get a chance to dip in the naturally warm water.
Another popular destination for this trek is the viewpoint – Poon Hill (3,210m/10,525 ft), but to get to Poon Hill, you have to start at Tatopani and head to Ghorepani through Sikha and Chitre village. You will stay at the Ghorepani for the night, and the following morning, head to Poon Hill to see the dawn breaking at the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri massifs. After seeing the early sunrise from Poon Hill and returning, we will drive you to Pokhara – the tourist capital of Nepal. In Pokhara, you will be staying at a hotel with all the modern amenities.
On the sixteenth day, you will take a Privte Jeep to Kathmandu, where your Annapurna Circuit Trek with Tilicho Lake will end. But by then, the experiences you will have gained on this trek, and the determination that helped you succeed will influence how you think for years to come.
Detailed Itinerary
Early morning we drive private Jeep from Kathmandu for about 8-9 hours (175 km) to Jagat. On the way, you can see beautiful villages, farms, fast-flowing rivers, and glimpses of mountain ranges.
After breakfast, we begin the 2nd day of our trip. First, we leave Jagat, cross a suspension bridge, and reach Tal Village. At Tal, you can witness several waterfalls forming a river by the sandy beaches. However, we will continue the journey that takes us through barley, rice, and potato fields leading us to Kodo – one of the biggest villages in Manang Valley. But, we will continue our trek, and after crossing a suspension bridge, we climb to stone Kani to finally reach Dharapani, where we will be spending the night.
Today’s trek takes us through a forest with pine, fir, oak, and maple trees, eventually leading us to Chame, the district headquarters of Manang district. You will be surrounded by green forests, and above, you’ll see remarkable views of Lamjung Himal, Annapurna II, and Annapurna IV (7,525m). We will also stop by small hot springs to relax for a while, and if you wish, you can take a dip in these hot springs.
We walk through a steep and narrow valley to catch the views of Paungda Danda Rock Face – a curved rock face rising 1500m from the Marshyandi River. From here, you will also see clear views of Annapurna II in the south and Pisang Peak in the northeast.
After viewing the Paungda Danda Rock Face, we descend to the Manang Valley floor, eventually reaching Pisang – our destination for the day.
We leave Pisang behind and trek on the upper trails of Pisang via Geru. This path offers outstanding north face views of Annapurna II, III, IV, Gangapurna, Tilicho, and Pisang Peak. Since we are ascending, you will feel the air turn cold, dry, and harsh. Even in this harsh environment, you will find Tibetan-style settlements, and we will not miss visiting the Barge Monastery – the largest monastery in Manang.
By reaching Manang, we will have gained a lot of elevation, and our body needs time to adjust to high altitudes, so we will stop at Manang for a day.
We will use this day to explore Manang. In the early morning, we hike up to Gangapurna Lake / Ice Lake, and during the day, we will enjoy the outstanding views of Annapurna III, Tilicho, Pisang, and Chulu Peaks. Of course, you can also explore the Manang village. Most trekkers visit the Himalayan Rescue Association in Vraga village to learn about Acute Mountain Sickness, its symptoms, and ways to prevent it.
The trek from Manang to Siri Kharka is an easier one. We take the upper route that leads down to a river, which we will cross, and then continue on a path that takes us through the coniferous forests. After walking for about three hours, we reach Tibetan settlement Khangsar, but we will continue our journey forward to reach Shiri Kharka. On the trails, we will get to see gorgeous views of Gungang Himal and Mt.Chulu.
On our eighth day, we will leave Siri Kharka in the morning and trek towards Tilicho Base Camp. The path should be easy, but it passes through landslide-prone areas. From the trails, we get to enjoy the impressive rock formations along with magnificent snow peaks – including Tilicho Peak.
Tilicho Lake 4,920m / 16,138ft
This is one of the special days of the trek as we will be viewing Tilicho Lake itself. But we start our day early in the morning at Tilicho Base Camp to avoid afternoon wind. The path is quite steep, and after laboring for two to three hours, we will reach Tilicho Lake – one of the highest lakes in the world. A well-known French expedition team referred to Tilicho Lake as The Great Ice Lake. Tilicho lake sits surrounded by the majestic peaks – Tilicho Himal, Annapurna Range, and Nilgiri Himal. After enjoying the views of Tilicho Lake, we retrace our path back to Siri Kharka, where we will be spending our night.
From Siri Kharka, we descend to the uninhabited Khangsar Village. On the way, we pass Tare Gumba, a thousand-year-old monastery, but our journey continues following a rock wall that takes us out of Khangsar and leads us to Thorong Khola Valley and finally to Yak Kharka. From Yak Kharka, you can get glorious views of the Annapurna mountain ranges. If lucky, you may see blue sheep or even a snow leopard. Moving forward, you will cross a historic Mani wall just before arriving at Ledar.
You will walk uphill from Ledar to reach Thorong High Camp. Thorong High Camp is the last hamlet before the Thorong La Pass. While walking uphill, you will see mesmerizing views of several mountains – including Gudang, Syagang, Khatungkan, and Thorong Peak.
Thorong La High Pass (5,416m / 17,756ft)
Today’s trek will be the most challenging part of this trip, as we will be crossing Thorong La Pass – one of the highest passes in the world. It is also the highest point of the trek. To avoid the afternoon wind, we wake up at Thorong Phedi at 3 am and push ourselves against high altitude and icy air.
When you reach the Thorong La Pass, just by seeing the incredible scenery, you will feel that nature has paid back your efforts handsomely. From here, you can see the Himalayan peaks extending to Tibet in the north, and if you look back, you will see Annapurna standing proud and tall.
We descend from Thorong La Pass to reach Muktinath – a sacred site for Hindus and Buddhists. The Buddhist name for Muktinath is Chumig Ghasa, which means Hundred Waters in Tibetan. And, of course, Muktinath hosts 108 stone sprouts through which flows the icy cold water of Kali Gandaki. In addition to the water sprouts, you will also see the eternal flame at Muktinath, which has been burning there for more than 2000 years.
Muktinath to Tatopani drive 6 hrs
After a holy visit to Muktinath Temple, we continue our journey, this time in a local Jeep takes us to Tatopani. The drive is pretty rough, full of twists and turns, in a region that is home to the world’s deepest gorges. Our path will take us through the bustling Jomsom Bazaar and finally to Tatopani – known for natural hot springs. Before the night sets in, it would make great sense to enjoy a bath in these hot springs.
On our fourteenth day, we ascend to Ghorepani through the ethnic Sikha and Chitre villages. We will be passing through the lush rhododendron, birch, and magnolia forests to reach Ghorepani, which sits on top of a ridge. During the blooming season, the rhododendrons add pink and bright red colors to the entire forest.
Poon Hill (3,210m / 10,525ft)
Trek time 6hrs/Drive 2 hrs
Poon Hill is one of the most famous viewpoints in the world. So, early in the morning, we wake up at Ghorepani and climb up a steep trail for about an hour to see the magnificent views of dawn breaking on Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges. From here, you will also see Mustang and Pokhara in addition to over 20 high mountains. Poon Hill, with its glorious beauty, provides a favorite venue for photographers, and we will not miss the chance of clicking some pictures here. After spending some time at Poon Hill, we will descend to Birethanti, from where we will take a private jeep to Pokhara via Nayapul.
On our sixteenth day, after breakfast, we will take a private jeepfrom Pokhara to Kathmandu. You may also choose to return by a 25-minute flight (not included in the package) for an extra cost. Our trek package completes at Kathmandu. Good Karma Trekking will also host a farewell dinner at Kathmandu later in the day.
We hope, by completing this trek, you will have formed lifelong memories.
Cost Includes
- Hotel in Kathmandu with 3 Stars Bed & Breakfast.
- Hotel in Pokhara 3 star bed & breakfast 1 night
- Your daily breakfast, lunch, dinner- during the trek as per itinerary.
- One experience English speaking trekking guide & one porter for each two tourist.
- Transportation from Kathmandu to Jagat trekking starting point by private jeep or Scorpio & Pokhara to Kathmandu by private jeep your trekking ending point.
- Annapurna Conservation Permit.
- Trekkers’ Information Management System (TIMS).
- Insurance for Guide & Porters.
- All accommodation During the Trek Available Lodge /Tea Houses. (run by Nepali families).
- Airport - Hotel - Airport transfer.
- Muktinath to Tatopani to Pokhara by Local jeep.
- Our service charge.
- Farewell Dinner typical Nepali cultural dance program.
Cost Excludes
- Nepal visa which is open arrival in Kathmandu per person.
- Personal Equipment for Trekking: sleeping bag, down jacket, Trekking shoes, gloves, sunscreen, sun glass, hat. Trekking stick, some pair socks, hiking shirt , hiking pant.
- Personal Insurance for travel to Nepal covers helicopter rescue, accidents
- Lunch & Dinner in Kathmandu and Pokhara.
- Emergency Rescue evacuation.
- Kathmandu sightseeing entrance fee.
- Tipping (Tips) for guide & porter according to your main interest.
- All the alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. (Tea, coffee, mineral water, hot water, soup)
- Sweet things like chocolate and desert.
- Hot shower during the trekking.
- Personal expenses, personal hygiene.
- Laundry, internet call, phone.
