Annapurna Circuit Trek with Tilicho Lake 12 Days

Pokhara → Besisahar → Chame

We set out early from Pokhara, following the Prithvi Highway through lush mid-hill countryside before turning onto the rougher mountain road at Besisahar. From there, we switch into a 4WD jeep for the climb alongside the Marshyangdi River.

The road tightens into gorge country as we pass through deep river cuts, terraced hillsides and roadside waterfalls, with small villages like Tal and Dharapani marking the changing character of the valley. Every switchback brings the surrounding peaks a little closer.

By late afternoon we reach Chame, the administrative headquarters of Manang district, tucked beneath towering rock walls with the first real sense of the high mountains still to come. It's a good spot to settle in before the trekking properly begins tomorrow.

Chame → Bhratang → Pisang

Leaving Chame, the trail winds through thick pine and oak forest, crossing the Marshyangdi on a series of suspension bridges as the valley narrows further. The morning's walking stays shaded and cool under heavy tree cover.

Past Bhratang, the valley pinches into a dramatic corridor beneath Paungda Danda, a curved rock face rising more than 1,500 meters directly above the trail — one of the more striking geological features on the entire circuit. We pause here before continuing upward.

As the forest thins and the air turns noticeably drier, we climb into Pisang, our first proper glimpse of the high Annapurna range. Pisang Peak rises directly ahead, with the broader Annapurna wall stretching along the horizon as the village comes into view.

Chame → Bhratang → Upper Pisang

Dense pine forest gives way gradually to steep rock walls as we walk toward Bhratang, the trail hugging close to the river for most of the morning. A suspension bridge crossing offers our first proper look at Paungda Danda, a curved rock face rising some 1,500 meters directly above the trail.

Past Bhratang, the alpine terrain begins turning noticeably drier, tree cover thinning with every kilometer of altitude gained. It's a clear signal that we're leaving the wetter, forested lower valley behind for good.

We climb the final stretch into Upper Pisang, rewarded with views of Pisang Peak and the long wall of Annapurna II filling the skyline ahead — a strong preview of the high mountain terrain still to come over the next several days.

Manang → Chongkor Viewpoint / Gangapurna Lake → Manang

With the altitude climbing fast over the past two days, we build in a full rest day here — though it isn't a day spent sitting still. A short morning hike up toward the Chongkor Viewpoint gives the lungs and legs gentle, controlled exposure to thinner air.

From the viewpoint, the Gangapurna Glacier spills down almost directly opposite, with Annapurna III, Tilicho Peak and Chulu West all visible in the same sweep of horizon — one of the better panoramic rewards on the whole circuit for a relatively short walk.

Some of us detour instead toward Gangapurna Lake, a glacial pool fed directly by the melting ice above, its color shifting between grey and turquoise depending on the light. Either way, we're back in Manang by early afternoon to rest, sort gear, and prepare for the demanding stretch ahead.

Manang → Khangsar → Landslide Area → Tilicho Base Camp

Today we branch off the main Annapurna Circuit trail, turning southwest through the so-called Western Gates of Manang toward Tilicho Lake. The change in direction marks the start of a noticeably quieter, wilder stretch of the route.

We descend briefly toward the river before climbing again into Khangsar, an old farming village that marks the last proper settlement before the high terrain begins in earnest. Stone walls and barley terraces give way quickly to bare slope beyond the village.

The trail's defining stretch comes next — a narrow path cut directly across the aptly named Landslide Area, where steep scree and eroded shale demand full attention with every step. Crossing it safely, exposed and without shortcuts, is what makes reaching Tilicho Base Camp feel genuinely earned.

Tilicho Base Camp → Tilicho Lake → Tilicho Base Camp → Siri Kharka

We're up well before sunrise, setting off around 5:00 AM to climb the zigzagging switchbacks that lead to Tilicho Lake while the trail is still frozen firm underfoot. The early start also gives us the best chance of calm winds at the lake itself.

Arriving at the shoreline, the water sits in an almost unnatural shade of turquoise, boxed in by the sheer glacial walls beneath Tilicho Peak (7,134 m). At 4,919 meters, this is among the highest lakes of its size anywhere on the planet, and the scale of the surrounding basin only becomes clear once you're standing at its edge.

After time spent taking in the view, we retrace our steps down to Tilicho Base Camp for a late lunch, then continue on lower ground to Siri Kharka, rejoining quieter grazing pasture for the night.

Siri Kharka → Old Khangsar → Yak Kharka

After the long push to Tilicho Lake, today's walk feels comparatively gentle. We leave Siri Kharka along a trail that curves back to rejoin the main Annapurna Circuit route, passing the crumbling ruins of Old Khangsar along the way.

The path crosses a suspension bridge over the Thorong Khola gorge, the river running fast and pale with glacial silt below. From here, the trail climbs gradually through open juniper meadows where yak herds graze freely on the sparse high pasture.

We arrive at Yak Kharka by mid-afternoon, a scattered settlement of stone lodges with little else around it besides grazing land and mountain silence — a fitting, low-key stop before the altitude begins climbing again in earnest tomorrow.

Yak Kharka → Ledar → Thorong Phedi → Thorong High Camp

A short but steadily steep day carries us upward through increasingly stark alpine terrain. We pass through Ledar, little more than a handful of stone buildings, before crossing the river and continuing on to Thorong Phedi.

After a brief rest and a hot drink at Phedi, we tackle the final, steeper stretch — a scree slope switchbacking up to Thorong High Camp. The air is noticeably thinner here, and pacing becomes the priority over speed.

Arriving at High Camp by early afternoon leaves plenty of time to rest, hydrate, and get gear ready for an early departure. With Thorong La Pass looming just above, there's a shared, quiet focus among the group tonight rather than the usual evening chatter.

Thorong High Camp → Thorong La Pass → Muktinath

We start in the dark, usually between 3:30 and 4:00 AM, to reach the pass before the wind picks up. The climb is slow and steady over snow-lined trail, headlamps marking a thin line of light against the black mountainside.

Reaching the top of Thorong La Pass, strung with faded prayer flags snapping in the wind, is the high point — literally and otherwise — of the entire trip. On a clear morning, the view stretches out toward Mustang and Dhaulagiri, with little else at this altitude to interrupt the horizon.

After a short celebration and a hot drink at the pass, we begin the long descent — roughly 1,600 vertical meters — down into the dry Mustang region. By the time we reach Muktinath, legs are tired but the hardest physical stretch of the trek is behind us.

Muktinath → Jharkot → Kagbeni → Jomsom

We begin the morning with a visit to the Muktinath Temple complex, its 108 water spouts and eternal natural flame drawing pilgrims of both Hindu and Buddhist faith. It's a calm, contemplative start after yesterday's exertion.

From the temple, we descend through the old stone alleyways of Jharkot, its weathered gompa still standing above the village, before continuing down toward Kagbeni — the walled gateway to Upper Mustang, marked by prayer flags and a checkpoint that few trekkers on this route continue beyond.

The trail flattens out along the broad, windswept riverbed of the Kali Gandaki, dust picked up by the valley's notorious afternoon gusts. We reach Jomsom by early afternoon, Mustang's district hub, with the sharp outline of Nilgiri visible above the valley.

Jomsom → Marpha → Rupse Chhahara → Tatopani

Boarding a local jeep, we descend through the Kali Gandaki Gorge, sandwiched between Annapurna I and Dhaulagiri I and often cited as the deepest gorge on Earth relative to the peaks flanking it. The scale only becomes obvious once you're inside it.

We pass through Marpha, known for its whitewashed houses and apple orchards, before the road drops past the cascading waters of Rupse Chhahara, one of the more dramatic roadside waterfalls on this stretch.

By afternoon we arrive in Tatopani, whose name literally means "hot water" — a fitting reward after nine days above 3,000 meters. Most of us spend the remaining daylight soaking in the natural thermal hot springs along the riverbank, muscles finally allowed to properly unwind.

Tatopani → Beni → Nayapul → Pokhara

Our final day begins with breakfast in Tatopani before boarding the vehicle for the last overland stretch, tracing the Kali Gandaki and later the Modi Khola river valleys as the landscape turns steadily greener with every kilometer.

Passing through Beni and Nayapul, the terraced mid-hills return in full, a marked contrast to the bare, windswept terrain we crossed just days earlier near Thorong La. The road eventually joins the main highway back toward Pokhara.

Arriving in Pokhara by afternoon closes out a 12-day journey that took us from subtropical valley floor to one of the highest lakes on the planet and over one of the highest trekking passes in the world — a genuinely complete circuit of the Annapurna region.