Tilicho Lake Trek in 11 Days: Cost, Difficulty and Best Time (2027)

Last updated 15 October 2026.

Short answer: Tilicho Lake sits at 4,919 m (16,138 ft), and our Tilicho Lake Trek, 11 days goes there and back from Kathmandu without crossing the Thorong La. It costs USD 770 (Budget), USD 1,505 (Standard) or USD 2,465 (Luxury) per person for 2 to 4 people, and USD 1,345, USD 1,940 or USD 3,995 for a solo trekker. It is graded Strenuous: a very long road day, a steep climb of nearly 800 m on the lake day, and nights as high as 4,150 m. The best months are late October to mid November, then late March to April.

I am Shreejan. Tilicho is the name I hear most from people who write to me about the Annapurna Circuit, and many have not got fourteen or sixteen days. So I built this trip to be the lake and nothing else.

Tilicho Lake trek in 11 days at a glance

How many days does the Tilicho Lake trek take?

Eleven days is the shortest version I am willing to sell. I could have started you at Chame and saved a day. I did not. You drive to Dharapani (1,860 m) on day 1, walk to Chame on day 2, and let your sleeping height rise slowly from there.

Two of those days are above the 300 to 500 m a day I like to keep to once you are over 3,000 m: day 3 climbs about 630 m and day 6 about 520 m. That is why the Manang rest day matters.

How hard is the Tilicho Lake trek?

It is hard in three ways, and none of them is technical. The first is the road: day 1 is a drive of 10 to 11 hours. The second is the lake day. You leave Tilicho Base Camp in the dark and climb nearly 800 m over loose moraine in thin air, then walk about 15 km in total back to Siri Kharka. Our page lists it at 5 to 6 hours, which depends on how you feel in the thin air. The third is the cold. Tilicho Base Camp is a plateau with a few basic lodges, and the night there is cold whatever the month.

You need to be able to walk five to six hours a day with a day pack for several days in a row. I would not send a first-time trekker.

How dangerous is the Tilicho Lake path, and what do you do about it?

The risk is on the way to base camp. The trail is narrow in places, it passes under cliffs where rockfall is possible, and it crosses glacial streams. Your guide knows the safe line, and in the exposed sections you walk where he tells you, one at a time.

Your guide looks at the weather, the path and how everyone is feeling, and if it is not safe we do not push on. We cannot promise the lake on a fixed day.

I have written about Siri Kharka and Tilicho Base Camp, and there is a longer guide to Tilicho Lake itself.

How high is Tilicho Lake?

4,919 m (16,138 ft) is the figure on our itinerary. You never sleep that high: the highest night is at Tilicho Base Camp, 4,150 m, and you sleep lower again at Siri Kharka after the lake.

Does the Tilicho Lake trek cross the Thorong La, and should you add the Annapurna Circuit?

It does not cross the Thorong La. You go up to the lake, come back to Manang and take a jeep down the valley on day 10.

My advice is simple. If the lake is what you came for and your time is short, take the 11 days. If you want the pass too, take the Annapurna Circuit with Tilicho Lake, 14 days and see the lake on the way. The 16-day Annapurna Circuit Trek with Tilicho Lake adds the finish through Tatopani and Poon Hill, and the standard 12-day Annapurna Circuit skips the lake. My page on which Annapurna Circuit length to choose works through the longer ones, and the guide to the best trek for the days you have puts all our lengths side by side.

One honest point. The 14-day and 16-day trips reach the lake on the same days as this one, so the lake is no easier on them. What they add is the pass, and a night at 4,900 m before it.

How much does the Tilicho Lake trek cost?

These are the prices on the package page on 15 October 2026, per person, and they hold for 2027. The price is the same for a private trip and a group of the same size.

All three tiers walk the same route on the same days (what each tier includes). Budget means shared rooms, no meals on the trail and no porter, so you carry your own pack. Standard means private rooms, all meals and one porter for every two trekkers. On Standard, a solo trekker has no porter and the guide helps with a light bag. Luxury means private deluxe rooms, all meals with fruit and nuts and soft drinks, and one porter for each trekker, solo included. Road travel is by local bus and jeep on Budget, shared vehicles on Standard and private ones on Luxury.

One night in Besisahar on day 10 is included. Kathmandu hotel nights are not in any trek price. You can stay at our family homestay for USD 15 per person per night, and it supports the Nagarjun Learning Center. An extra porter is USD 25 per day, plus 13 per cent VAT and the 3.5 per cent bank charge. Flights, visa, insurance, tips and personal spending are not included.

What permits do you need for Tilicho Lake?

Two: the Annapurna Conservation Area permit (NPR 3,000) and the TIMS card (NPR 2,000, or NPR 1,000 for SAARC nationals). Tilicho Lake has no separate permit, because it is inside the Conservation Area. We apply for both and pay for them, so you only send your passport details early.

When is the best time to trek to Tilicho Lake?

These are 1991 to 2020 averages from the weather station in Manang (3,401 m). They are a guide and not a forecast, and the lake is colder than Manang. For 2027 I would aim for April, or the second half of October into mid November. My month-by-month guide to the Annapurna Circuit has the full rain figures.

Is the road to Dharapani open?

As of 14 October 2026, I was told the Besisahar to Chame road is repaired and open to vehicles, and cars and jeeps use it again. We check the road and the trail 48 hours before you leave, and if a stretch is closed we move your dates free of charge. My guide on whether the Annapurna Circuit is open explains a closed road against a closed trail. Delays happen on the Manang to Besisahar road, so keep one spare day before your flight home.

The walk passes through Chame and Manang. Your guide checks everyone's oxygen level every day, and the Himalayan Rescue Association post in Manang gives a free altitude talk that I ask everybody to attend.

What insurance do you need for Tilicho Lake?

Buy it at home, before you fly, and make sure it covers trekking and helicopter evacuation up to 5,000 m. The highest point of this trek is 4,919 m, and I round up to the next 500 m. I do not recommend insurance bought in Nepal.

Questions people ask

How hard is the Tilicho Lake trek? Strenuous. There is no technical climbing, but there is a 10 to 11 hour drive on day 1, a climb of nearly 800 m on loose moraine on the lake day, and cold nights at 4,060 m and 4,150 m. You need to be fit and used to long days.

How high is Tilicho Lake? 4,919 m (16,138 ft). The highest you sleep is 4,150 m.

What is the best month for the Tilicho Lake trek? Late October to mid November is the classic window, with dry and clear days. Late March and April is the second best. December to February is very cold and snow can cover the path.

How many days do you need for Tilicho Lake? Eleven days Kathmandu to Kathmandu on our trip, which includes 7 walking days and a rest day in Manang. With the Thorong La as well, you need 14 days.

How much does the Tilicho Lake trek cost? From USD 770 per person on Budget, USD 1,505 on Standard and USD 2,465 on Luxury for 2 to 4 people. Solo it is USD 1,345, USD 1,940 or USD 3,995. Kathmandu hotels and flights are extra.

Do you cross the Thorong La on this trek? No. You go up to the lake and return to Manang, then take the jeep down the valley.

Can a beginner do the Tilicho Lake trek? I would not send a first-time trekker. If you have walked at 4,000 m before and slept well, write to me and I will say honestly whether it suits you.

What are the terms for this trek?

We take groups of 1 to 20, so solo is fine. You book with a 10 per cent deposit. You can move your trip free within a year, with at least 72 hours notice, but the deposit is not refunded if you cancel. You pay the balance when you arrive in Kathmandu, in USD or EUR, cash or card. Paying by card adds 3.5 per cent, and cash in Kathmandu adds nothing. Foreign clients cannot pay in Nepali rupees.

How do you plan this with us?

Write to me on WhatsApp, +977 9810351300. Tell me when you want to go, how many of you are coming and the highest you have trekked. I will tell you which tier and which route I would choose, and send you the exact quote.

Written by Shreejan Simkhada, CEO of The Everest Holiday, from a family of three generations of family guides. TAAN Member #1586. WhatsApp +977 9810351300.