Overview
The Tilicho Lake trek from Kathmandu is a seven-day trip to the turquoise lake of Tilicho at 4,919 metres, one of the highest in the world. Instead of walking the lower Annapurna Circuit, you drive up the Marsyangdi valley by jeep, sleeping at Chame and then Manang, where an acclimatisation walk prepares you for the remote trail via Khangsar to Tilicho Base Camp and the early-morning hike to the lake. You walk back to Manang and drive out via Besisahar to Kathmandu. It is strenuous because of the height rather than the distance, with simple lodges each night, and it suits fit walkers who want a genuine high alpine lake in one week. If you can spare an extra day, a rest day at Manang makes the climb more comfortable.
The itinerary
- Private jeep from your Kathmandu hotel along the Trishuli and Marsyangdi rivers via Besisahar
- Rough, slow mountain road beyond Besisahar through gorges and past waterfalls
- A long day on the road, with stops for tea and lunch
- Overnight at Chame (2,670 m), the district headquarters of Manang
- Short jeep drive up the valley through pine forest and the Bhratang gorge
- Past Pisang into the wide, dry upper valley below Annapurna II, III and IV
- Check in at Manang (3,540 m), then an acclimatisation walk towards Gangapurna Lake or Praken Gompa
- Back down to Manang to sleep low after walking high
- Leave the main circuit and walk west via Khangsar village
- Barren alpine landscape with rocky cliffs and landslide-prone sections, walked with care
- Overnight at Tilicho Base Camp (4,150 m) below Tilicho Peak
- Early start for the steep climb through rugged, rocky terrain
- Reach the turquoise Tilicho Lake at 4,919 m, one of the highest lakes in the world
- Time at the shore if the weather holds, then a careful descent
- Overnight at Tilicho Base Camp
- Retrace the trail through Khangsar towards Manang
- Easier walking downhill with fresh views of the Annapurna range
- Overnight back in Manang, with its bakeries and cafes
- Jeep down the Marsyangdi valley past Pisang and Chame
- Waterfalls, cliffs and riverside villages along the rough valley road
- Overnight at Besisahar, where the road improves
- Drive back along the Marsyangdi and Trishuli valleys
- Pass rural towns, markets and terraced farmland
- Drop-off at your hotel in Kathmandu
- End of the trip
What the price covers
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Things to carry
- Layered clothing with a warm down jacket for the cold high on the Tilicho approach
- Broken-in trekking boots and warm socks
- A warm sleeping bag or liner, insulated hat, gloves and a buff for the alpine base camp
- Sunglasses, sun hat, high-factor sunscreen and lip balm
- A refillable water bottle with purification, a daypack and a power bank
Good to know
Complete guide
Tilicho Lake is the trek for people who want the high, remote heart of the Annapurna region without committing to the full two-week circuit. This version drives up to Manang, then walks out to a glacial lake at nearly five thousand metres and back. Doing it from Kathmandu means the road transfers at both ends are built in. Here is how the trek works and what to know.
What the Tilicho Lake trek from Kathmandu covers
The route runs Kathmandu to Chame and on to Manang by jeep, then on foot via Khangsar to Tilicho Base Camp and the lake at 4,919 metres, before walking back to Manang and driving out via Besisahar. There is no Thorong La crossing, so it is shorter and lower than the full circuit while still reaching genuine alpine country. The first two days and the last two are mostly travel; the heart of the trip is three days of walking at altitude. If you would rather warm up with something gentler first, many trekkers start on the shorter budget Annapurna Base Camp trek before taking on Tilicho.
How hard it is and how the altitude feels
This is a strenuous trek, mainly because of the height and the exposed final approach to the lake. The days are long and the last push to Tilicho at 4,919 metres is steep, with the air holding well under two thirds of the oxygen of sea level. Because the jeep does the lower valley, you gain height faster than on foot, so the plan includes an acclimatisation walk at Manang and we suggest adding a rest day there if you can. Take it slowly and tell your guide about any symptoms early. Walk at an easy pace, hydrate well, and treat any headache seriously. A few weeks of hill walking before you come make the biggest difference to how much you enjoy it.
Permits, guides and teahouses
You need the Annapurna Conservation Area permit. A licensed guide walks with you on every trek we run, and we arrange all of this. Nights are spent in teahouses, family-run lodges with simple twin rooms and a warm dining room, so you carry only a daypack. Bring a warm sleeping bag or liner, a power bank and small cash for charging, Wi-Fi and hot showers, which are more basic as you climb towards the lake.
A gentler alternative
If a lake at nearly five thousand metres feels like a lot for a first trek, the same region has an easier introduction. The Ghorepani Poon Hill trek reaches a famous sunrise viewpoint over Annapurna and Dhaulagiri in a few days, on shorter walking hours and lower altitudes, and makes a natural stepping stone towards higher country like Tilicho later.
