Annapurna Circuit Trek with Tilicho Lake and Ice Lake

Meet our airport representative at the arrival terminal of Kathmandu airport. As soon as you get out of the arrival terminal, you will see a person with your nameplate and our company’s name waiting for you. After a brief welcome greeting, the representative will transfer you to a hotel in Kathmandu. Check in to the hotel and rest for a while. Your guide will meet you at the hotel and brief you about the plans and programs ahead. if you have any queries, you can ask it to your guide. Finally, the guide will leave you at the hotel after a short introductory session on the plans for the coming days of the trip. There are no scheduled plans/programs for the day. You can enjoy your time at the hotel on your own. In the evening, we have a surprise dinner for you at the authentic Nepalese restaurant. Overnight at Kathmandu.

Get set for a long drive today! In the morning, your guide will pick you up and transfer you to a vehicle that will drive you all the way to Besisahar. The vehicle follows a highway route along the Trishuli river and passes the beautiful countryside landscapes. The drive will offer some wonderful scenery of hills, trees, villages and farmlands as we head towards Besisahar. From Besisahar, we further drive to Jagat. Jagat is an old settlement area of that region. After travelling through a bumpy roadway halfway from Arughat, the rest at Jagat is well deserved. Overnight in Jagat.

Today, we continue with our driving journey towards the Lower Pisang. From Jagat, we take a ride that will drive us towards Lower Pisang via Chame. It’s a rough route that receives seldom vehicles. The road can be bumpy but the appealing views of hills, waterfalls, forests and mountains will keep you captivated. After 5-6 hours’ drive, we reach Lower Pisang. Lower Pisang is very dry and arid with barren land that consists of few teahouses and lodges to cater the food and accommodation need of travelers. The place offers some close up views of mountains such as Pisang peak, Annapurna II and Lamjung Himal. The inhabitants here are mostly of Tibetan origin. Hence you can notice the Tibetan style houses, people, culture and tradition here in Lower Pisang. Overnight in Lower Pisang. 

On the fourth day of the trek, we begin our walking journey. We set off for our Annapurna Circuit Trek with Tilicho Lake and Ice Lake. We warm up ourselves with a gradual walk which is followed by a steep ascent along a dry and arid landscapes in the backdrop of beautiful Annapurna massif. We pass various settlements like Ghyaru, Nyawal and Braha to Manang. The villages are similar to Tibetan traditional villages. We can feel the dominance of Buddhism religion in those villages. The prayer flags, mani stones and monasteries on the way enlightens us on the Buddhism religion prevalent there. As we reach the beautiful village of Manang, we stop for the day halt. Overnight in Manang.

It’s a wonderful day today. We stay in Manang exploring some wonderful sites and acclimatize ourselves with the rising elevation. Manang is a beautiful village that lies in the foot of Annapurna III. The village offers some close up views of mountains such as Mt. Annapurna and Mt. Gangapurna. After breakfast, we set off for a hike to Ice Lake which is also locally called as Kicho Tal. The trail winds up along the northern slope of Chulu East peak to Ice Lake. Once you reach the lake, you can immerse into the divine beauty of the place. The lakes, mountains and surrounding landscapes, everything looks awesome! After some beautiful moments in Ice Lake, we return back to Manang for the night. Overnight in Manang.

We are heading towards high elevation region in upcoming days, so proper acclimatization is a must.  As Manang is an interesting place to explore, we stay in Manang today. We explore the village in the afternoon. We visit monasteries in Manang and interact with the local people. There is a Himalayan Rescue Association Clinic in the village, established in 1981 to help trekkers who suffer from altitude sickness. We visit the clinic and explore the village for the day. In the evening, we return back to our guesthouse. Overnight in Manang.

After two nights at Manang, we head towards Sri Kharka today. We follow a trail that climbs up to cross a bridge over the Manang river. Crossing the river, we climb up for few hours until we reach Khangsar village. From the village, we continue through a trail that climbs up to Sri Kharka. The route for the day is scenic with views of wild Himalayas, villages, farmlands and many more. Overnight in Sri Kharka

From Sri Kharka, we follow an easy trail that ascends up to Tilicho Base Camp. Though easy, we have to be careful while crossing the landslide prone area. The loose rocks, stones and muds keep on falling in that area therefore you may get you. We take our steps carefully and cross the area. We continue through the trail until we reach Tilicho Base Camp. Here, you will be blessed with some amazing views of Tilicho peak and surrounding area. Overnight at Tilicho Base Camp

From the base camp, we climb up until we reach Tilicho Lake. It’s going to be one of the most memorable days of our journey because will be standing beside the highest lake of Nepal i.e. Tilicho Lake at an elevation of 4920 meters. As we reach the lake, we shall be astonished with the serene lake water of Tilicho in the backdrop of beautiful Himalayas. The snow clad mountains, mountainous terrain and crystal clear lake, it’s quite a captivating moment. After enjoying some stunning views of mountains and lakes from the Tilicho Lake, we head back to Sri Kharka. We descend down via same path until we reach Sri Kharka. Overnight at Sri Kharka.

Today, we leave Sri Kharka and move ahead to join the trail of Annapurna Circuit Trek at Yak Kharka. From Sri Kharka, we gently ascend up towards Yak Kharka. We pass various settlement areas and farmlands on our way to a point. From that point, we start descends down for a while and then again ascend up to the pastures of Yak Kharka. At the Kharka, we can see the yak grazing and small summer settlements of yak herders. There are few lodges and teahouses here. We stay in one of them for the night. Overnight in Yak Kharka. 

Today, we head towards Thorong La Phedi. It’s our last day walk before we cross the Thorong La pass, the great challenge of our trekking journey. Leaving Yak Kharka, we climb uphill for some time to Ledar village. From Ledar, we further ascend up to Thorong La Phedi enjoying some astonishing views of snowy mountain peaks such as Mt. Syagang, Mt. Gundang, Thorong Peak, Mt. Khatungkan, etc. As soon as you reach Thorong La Phedi, have dinner and take rest because you have to wake up early for your adventure tomorrow. Overnight at Thorong La Phedi

It is one of the most awaited and toughest days of your entire journey. Today, our target is to cross Thorong La Pass, the highest mountain pass of the world. We start our day early so that we can cross the pass before noon. We climb up the steep path to reach the Thorong La pass. From the pass, we can enjoy some majestic views of mountains, glaciers and Tibetan plateaus.  We cross the pass and make our way to Muktinath – a sacred pilgrimage site in the region. The trail from the pass descends down all the way to Muktinath. It is a holy site for both Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims. We visit the temple and explore the periphery. The periphery area offers some incredible views of mountains in Annapurna region. Overnight in Muktinath.

Early in the morning, we visit the temple. The temple is a holy temple of Lord Vishnu with 108 waterspouts around it. A holy bath in their waterspouts is believed to help people attain liberation. After exploring the temple, we make our way all the way down to Jomsom. We descend down along a scenic route and pass various settlement areas on the way to Jomsom. Jomsom is a small but vibrant town in the region full of cyber café, bakery shops, restaurants, bars, hotels, lodges, etc.  The local people in Jomsom are known for their warm behavior. Today, we celebrate our accomplishment of trek at a guesthouse in Jomsom. Overnight in Jomsom.

We take an early flight to Pokhara today. It’s a short around 25 minutes’ flight from Jomsom to Pokhara. From airport, a vehicle that will drive us back to Pokhara city. you will then be transferred to the hotel room. Check in to the hotel in Pokhara and freshen up for a while. If interested, in the late afternoon, we can walk for a while towards the lakeside. The evening fresh sir, serene lakes, paragliders flying over the sky and buzzling restaurants, lakeside has an energetic aura. One can enjoy the liveliness of Pokhara city tonight. Overnight in Pokhara

Get set for leaving Pokhara city and driving back to the capital city of Nepal i.e. Kathmandu. After breakfast at the hotel, you will be picked up at your hotel and transferred to a vehicle that will drive us back to Kathmandu. It takes us around six to seven hours to reach Kathmandu After arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel in Kathmandu. Enjoy your time at hotel or stroll around the streets of Thamel for some shopping! Overnight in Kathmandu

It’s time to fly back to your homeland. Three hours before your scheduled flight, you will be transferred to the departure terminal of Tribhuwan International Airport. We hope Tour Fun Nepal was able to give you some wonderful memories! See you very soon for your next adventure in Nepal. Namaste!