Annapurna Circuit Trek with Tilicho Lake - 16 Days

Trek Highlights

• 16-day private trek combining the Annapurna Circuit with the side trip to Tilicho Lake (4,919m), one of the highest accessible lakes in the world.
• A rest day in Manang and a short day to Tilicho Base Camp build in time to acclimatise before the lake and the Thorong La crossing.
• The full classical AC route: Jagat to Manang to Thorong La (5,416m) to Muktinath to the Mustang-side descent. The Tilicho extension adds the lake to the route.
• A private trek with your own licensed guide. Porters by tier: none on Budget, one for every two trekkers on Standard, one each on Luxury.
• 10% deposit to lock dates, balance paid in person in Kathmandu.
• Every booking helps fund our Nagarjun Learning Center work at Saldum, where 70 children are taught by one dedicated teacher.

Why I built this trek the way I did

I am Shreejan, the founder of The Everest Holiday. The 16-day AC plus Tilicho is the route I send people on when they have already decided to do the Annapurna Circuit and want the most rewarding side trip on the route. Tilicho Lake at 4,919m is one of the highest lakes in the world, and the side trip from Manang takes three days.

The Tilicho side trip also doubles as acclimatisation for the Thorong La (5,416m) crossing 3 days later. Sleeping at Tilicho Base Camp (4,150m) and the day hike up to the lake at 4,919m gives your body more time at height before the Thorong La day.

We follow the standard anti-clockwise direction (Jagat to Muktinath) because the descent on the Mustang side is gentler than the reverse. The road that now reaches Manang has shortened parts of this route, and we drive to Jagat on day 1 and start walking from there the next morning. The 16-day shape gives you a rest day in Manang before the climb to Tilicho.

We run this as a private trek by default, and we never add strangers to your booking. If you would rather have company on the trail, you can choose to join one of our fixed departures instead. Either way the price per person is the same. Your guide is with you whether you are one person or twenty. Porters depend on the tier: none on Budget, one for every two trekkers on Standard, one each on Luxury.

Every booking on this trip helps us pay the teacher’s salary at our Nagarjun Learning Center in Saldum, where 70 children get free education. The salary is currently funded out of my own pocket. Your trek is what makes that sustainable.

The lake appears without warning. You crest the final moraine ridge above Tilicho Base Camp, lungs working hard in the thin air at 4,919 metres, and there it is: a vast sheet of frozen turquoise wedged between sheer limestone cliffs and the north face of Tilicho Peak. No trees. No sound except wind scraping across ice. At nearly 5,000 metres, Tilicho Lake is one of the highest lakes in the world. Three days later, you’ll be climbing again, this time toward Thorong La Pass at 5,416 metres (17,769 ft), the highest point of the Annapurna Circuit and one of the great Himalayan crossings. Two high-altitude milestones in a single trek. This trek is the Annapurna Circuit with Tilicho Lake.

This 16-day itinerary takes the classic Circuit route and adds a detour to Tilicho Lake. You'll walk from the subtropical lowlands at Jagat, past Chame and through pine forests and apple orchards, past ancient Buddhist gompas and Gurung and Magar villages, up into the stark high-altitude desert of Manang, then branch off to Tilicho before rejoining the Circuit for the crossing of Thorong La. On the other side, the sacred temple of Muktinath and the wind-carved Kali Gandaki gorge await, with Jomsom and the apple-brandy village of Marpha on the road down to Tatopani. After the hot springs you walk up to Ghorepani and Poon Hill before the drive back to Pokhara. Every night, we spend time in a teahouse, eating dal bhat and local dishes that families have cooked for generations in these lodges. Shreejan Simkhada personally designed the itinerary, and his family has guided people through these mountains for three generations.

What Makes This Trek Special

• Stand on the shore of Tilicho Lake at 4,919 metres (16,138ft), one of the highest lakes in the world, surrounded by 7,000-metre walls of rock and ice that few trekkers ever see up close
• Cross Thorong La Pass at 5,416 metres (17,769ft), the highest point of the Annapurna Circuit
• Experience two major high-altitude milestones in a single trek, something the standard Circuit alone cannot offer
• Walk through the full climate spectrum of Nepal: subtropical forests, terraced rice paddies, pine and rhododendron woodland, alpine meadows, and high-altitude desert above the treeline. The best months are October to November and March to April
• Explore Manang, the ancient trading village at 3,540 metres, where acclimatisation days let you wander past Buddhist monasteries, yak pastures, and ice-lake viewpoints
• Visit the sacred temple of Muktinath (3,710m), a pilgrimage site for both Hindus and Buddhists, with its 108 water spouts and eternal flame burning from natural gas beneath the rock
• Walk through Marpha, the whitewashed apple-brandy village in the Kali Gandaki gorge, and Jomsom, the gateway to Upper Mustang
• Travel down the deepest gorge in the world (Kali Gandaki, between Annapurna and Dhaulagiri), with 8,000-metre peaks rising on both sides. Bring your camera for this stretch
• All permits included (ACAP and TIMS), so you don't spend a day in Kathmandu queuing at government offices
• Small groups of 1 to 20, always with a Nepal government-well-trained guide who knows this trail intimately and monitors your health with a pulse oximeter daily
• Three tiers (Budget, Standard, Luxury) allow you to choose your comfort level. Read about luxury trekking or our budget tips to find your fit
• Every booking supports education for 70 children in rural Nepal through the Nagarjun Learning Center

16-Day Overview

Your journey begins and ends in Kathmandu, but the trek itself starts from Jagat, which is reached by a long drive from Kathmandu via Dumre and Besisahar. From Jagat, the trail climbs steadily through rice terraces and river gorges. The first days follow the Marsyangdi River valley through Chame and into the increasingly dry plains approaching Manang, where you'll spend an acclimatisation day before the Tilicho detour. The trail to Tilicho Lake branches northwest from Manang, climbing through Siri Kharka and Tilicho Base Camp before the final steep ascent to the lakeshore at 4,919 metres. After returning to Manang, the main Circuit resumes: Yak Kharka, Thorong High Camp, and the pre-dawn crossing of Thorong La at 5,416 metres. The descent to Muktinath takes you into the rain shadow of the Annapurna range. From there you drive down the Kali Gandaki, through Jomsom and Marpha, to Tatopani. After crossing Thorong La and visiting Muktinath, this itinerary continues through Tatopani and its famous hot springs, then climbs to Ghorepani for the classic Poon Hill sunrise before descending to Nayapul and driving back to Pokhara, then Kathmandu.

Before You Arrive

Please arrive in Kathmandu the day before your trek starts. This gives you time to recover from your international flight, meet your guide, and do any last-minute gear shopping in Thamel if needed. We arrange your airport transfer, so you can step off the plane knowing we have sorted everything. Make sure your Nepal visa and trekking insurance are in order before you fly. Your insurance must cover up to 5,500 metres and include helicopter evacuation. A helicopter cannot land on the Thorong La itself; rescues are made from lower ground on either side. This trek reaches 5,416 metres at Thorong La and 4,919 metres at Tilicho Lake.

Online Briefing

After you book, we schedule a video call to walk you through everything: what to wear, what to pack, what the teahouses are really like, how acclimatisation works on this route (especially important given the double high-altitude exposure at Tilicho and Thorong La), and anything else on your mind. This stage is also when you share your hotel preferences in Kathmandu and Pokhara, so we can match the right accommodation to you. No question is too small. We'll also share advice on layering for the altitude range and whether to buy gear in Kathmandu or bring it from home.

Transport

All three tiers travel the same route. Outbound: Kathmandu to Jagat by road on Day 1, a long drive of around 9–10 hours via Dumre and Besisahar. Return: drive from Muktinath via Jomsom to Tatopani on Day 13, then trek through Ghorepani and Poon Hill (Days 14–15), descend to Nayapul and drive to Pokhara on Day 15, then drive from Pokhara to Kathmandu on Day 16. The difference between the tiers is the type of vehicle. Budget trekkers travel in a local shared vehicle, used by Nepalis and travellers alike. Standard trekkers ride in a shared tourist vehicle. Luxury trekkers get a private luxury vehicle. There are no internal flights on this itinerary; everything is by road, which keeps costs down and gives you more of Nepal's countryside. Read our budget trekking tips or our full breakdown of what trekking in Nepal actually costs.

Your Trek, Your Way

Every trek we run is arranged privately for your group. You won't be paired with strangers unless you choose to join a public departure. Whether you book as a solo trekker, a couple, or a group of friends, this itinerary is yours. Want to add an extra acclimatisation day in Manang? Spend longer exploring Muktinath? Should we skip the Tilicho detour and stick to the standard Circuit? We can adjust. Our three tiers (Budget, Standard, and Luxury) give you genuine choice over accommodation, meals, porter support, and transport without affecting the route itself. The guides and safety standards are the same on every tier. Read more about what the price difference actually buys or explore our budget trekking guide.

Difficulty

We rate this trek Strenuous. That rating reflects the combination of extreme altitude, long trekking days, remote terrain, and the double high-altitude exposure that sets this itinerary apart from the standard Circuit. You'll reach 4,919 metres at Tilicho Lake and 5,416 metres at Thorong La, both well above the threshold where altitude sickness becomes a serious concern. The Tilicho trail involves exposed sections along steep scree slopes with significant drop-offs, and the Thorong La crossing starts before dawn with a relentless climb through snow and loose rock. Daily walking ranges from 5 to 8 hours over varied terrain, and the overall distance covered across 16 days demands genuine cardiovascular fitness. Our guides carry a pulse oximeter and monitor your oxygen levels daily. We build the itinerary with a steady altitude gain profile and include acclimatisation time in Manang. We also recommend consulting your doctor about Diamox before departure. If you can comfortably walk 6-8 hours a day on hilly terrain and have done some altitude hiking before, you can do this trek. If you have concerns, read our beginner's guide to Nepal trekking.

Annapurna Circuit with Tilicho Lake at a glance

Best time to trek Annapurna Circuit with Tilicho Lake

Permits

This is an ordinary Annapurna route, so there is no restricted-area permit. You need the two below, and we arrange both and include them in your trek price.

Trekking as a group?

Bring your own group — friends, family, a club, a university society, your workplace, or a cause you are raising money for — and any of the three comfort levels can run as a private group on your own dates. Private or group, the price per person is the same; we never put strangers in your group. The more of you there are, the less each person pays:

The organiser treks free. Get fourteen or more paying trekkers together and whoever organised the group joins the trek free. The one thing the organiser still pays is their own flights and permits, since those are fixed costs we pay out for every person and cannot absorb, and we cover the rest. Your departure is guaranteed on your own dates — from a solo traveller up to a group of twenty, and we never merge you into another trip.

Planning a group? Message me on WhatsApp with the trek, roughly when, and how many of you, and I will send you a price and a plan.

Compare Our Three Packages

Himalayas for Every Budget. You will receive the same guides and the same safety, but with three different comfort levels. Every tier includes all permits (ACAP and TIMS), a well-trained Nepal government guide, airport transfers, a sleeping bag and down jacket, and 24/7 emergency support. The only things that change are the comfort details. Note: in Pokhara, only breakfast is included at your hotel across all tiers; other meals in Pokhara are at your expense and choice, giving you the freedom to explore the city's lakeside restaurants. Meals during the drive between Kathmandu and Pokhara are not included. At high altitudes near Tilicho and Thorong La, accommodation options are limited, and all tiers receive the best available rooms at each stop. Check our guide on WiFi and charging on the trail so you know what to expect above Manang. Explore our luxury trekking guide if you want to understand what premium service looks like at altitude.

The longer the route, the larger the contribution.

Tilicho is one of the highest lakes in the world, and adding it to the Annapurna Circuit adds four extra trekking days. Those four days also add to what we forward to the Nagarjun Learning Center, the village school in Saldum that my family has been running since 2019. Seventy children attend free of charge and eat two hot meals there each school day. The center is registered with the Nepal authorities, and verified and listed on the UN Partner Portal.