Overview
Destination: Tilicho Lake(4919m)
Days required: minimum 4 days
Difficulty: Easy till base camp, hard from base camp to the lake
Price:12k is enough if spent wisely
Day 1(Kathmandu to Khangsar)
On the cold December morning, I and my brother started our journey to tilicho lake. The first day was a full riding day. It was Christmas time. We started our journey early at 5:30 am and reached besisahar by 10 am. The road till besisahar is good so we could maintain speed and cover distance fast. After having food and refueling at besisahar, we continued our journey.Besisahar is the last city area. The road after besisahar is full offroad so my brother started riding the motorbike and I sat on the pillion seat. The first hour was a pain in the ass for me. The road was so worst at some part that I was feeling pity for my motorbike. We rode and rode and rode until we reached a famous waterfall on the way to tilicho
.We further rode uphill. The view was getting good and the temperature was falling with every passing time. There was ice on the side of the roads. The road is an adventurous part of the whole trek. Man, I still remember the moment when my heart escaped a beat as we were crossing one of the many water crossings along the way our bike slipped and we fell. We fell hard. I quickly turned the bike off and tried to lift the bike up. Due to the ice, we could not lift the bike up. I was so pissed and worried. After using our joint effort we managed to push the bike by the side of the road. I don't know what would be my situation at that time if I were there alone. The shoes were soaked and it was getting numb. All of a sudden, we were let down. We rode till chame where we stopped at a hotel for tea. There was all ice formed in our shoes and I could barely feel my feet. We changed our socks and dried our legs on the bike's engine LOL. It was about 4 pm.
The road from chame to khangsar is a real heaven. The beauty of the place left me spellbound. We were surrounded by pine trees and the mountains. The place seemed surreal at that golden hour. It is a dreamland for both riders or backpackers. We reached khangsar by evening.Khangsar is the last place for the vehicle.
Day 2(Khangsar to Tilicho lake base camp)
It was comparatively the easiest day of the trip. We had plenty of time to reach the base camp. At 8 am we started our trek all fresh and excited. At distance, the zig-zag trail could be seen. It was our trekking trial for the 3rd day. We had our food in Shree kharka and we walked the whole day. The terrain started to change as we reached the famous landslide area.
It was spectacular. One fall below was certain death. It was dangerous and exciting at the same time. At about 4pm, we reached the base camp. The place was too cold and everything was frozen. The river was frozen and so were the waterfalls. By evening it was too cold. We sat inside our room waiting for the big day ahead.
Day 3(Tilicho base camp to tilicho lake to khangsar)
One of the hardest days ever hands down. At about 6 in the morning, we started our trek.10 minutes into the trek and we could already feel the problem of breathing at that altitude. It was so cold but at the same time, I was at the place where I wanted to see for so long.
After some more walking, we were approaching the lake. I was so overwhelmed with joy. The place and the surrounding are out of the world. The lake was half frozen. It looked 100 times better than what I saw in the photos. The wind was so strong that my camera shut itself down for idk for what reason.
We were astonished by the vibe of the place. We were all alone there. I screamed at the top of my lungs before starting our walk back.
It was a great day. The plan was to make it to khangsar by evening. It was 7pm in the evening and it was completely dark. We could see the village light in the distance. It was too cold and just after reaching the hotel, it started snowing. I laughed so hard when I saw ice formed on my brother's mustache and eyebrows.
Day 4(Khangsar to Kahmandu)
Last night of snowfall completely changed the view of the place.
We had our breakfast and left for Kathmandu. But the adventure was still not over. My brother gained my respect for his riding ability in that terrain. Due to the snow on the road, we fell off the bike 6 times that day. The ride from khangsar to chame is an experience to die for. By evening we reached Kathmandu. That's the blog guys.
Came to know from your post that we can make it in easy way and short period of the time. Thank you for your details information.
ReplyDeleteWelcome!! And thanks for taking ur time out to read.
ReplyDeleteWhat the author unfortunately doesn‘t write or knows is that Nepali people can get altitude sickness like westerners. Often they are not aware of it but every year some die of it. I myself have helped once a guy on Tilicho who was not anymore able to walk on his own feet’s because of altitude sickness. Without help he would have been in very serious problems. The biggest mistake is to plan not enough time for your Journey. Going to Tilicho Lake you should make you first overnight stop at around 2700 m, either in Temang or Chame. Then another night stop in Manang. The third day you then can go to Khangsar but stop in Sree Kharka. The trail from there to the Tilicho base camp is extremely dangerous in the afternoon when you have very often rock fall. In the very early morning this happen not so often. When you start the fourth day before sunset you reach the lake in the early afternoon and you can come back to the base camp. The 5th day you start again in the very early morning and you reach Manang at noon. That would be the safe way for a perfect journey. It is stupid to die on your holydays just because you think you want to be very fast.
ReplyDeleteAltitude sickness is real.One should really listen to the body.In our case,we were fine.Had there been any sign of altitude sickness we would have acclimatize in khangsar.Thanks for reading.
DeleteThis post reminds my years old Tilicho Lake Trekking But can't wait to follow your trail with my bike soon.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this amazing travel journal
Hey thank you for the taking your time out to read❤️
ReplyDeleteLove It.
ReplyDeleteKeep Exploring the Hidden Treasure of Nepal. If possible Please Visit our Mohare Danda: The First Community Trekking of Nepal.