Tilicho Peak

01 / THE EXPERIENCE

Discover the journey

It is not easy to make a mountain climbing decision and requires an outstanding mental and physical state. A single day or a month's dedication leads nowhere but at least six months to a year of training is needed to climb especially for mountains above 7000 meters. Technical knowledge and skill to use equipment useful for climbing is the most important part you need to accomplish any type of mountain expedition. A peak above 7000 meters called Tilicho Peak can be found close to Annapurna in the Nepalese Himalaya. It is the Great Barrier's highest point and connects Khangsar Kang and Nilgiri North. The North West Shoulder, which has since been adopted as the standard climbing route by the Nepalese government and the Department of Tourism, was used for the first time by a French expedition led by Emanuel Schmutz in 1978 to reach the summit. Since Tilicho Peak is rated D+ (Fitness level), potential climbers must have at least 1X 7000M or 8000M+ of prior high-altitude climbing experience. Some of the few details of the peak are as follows: Elevation: 7,134 meters (23,406 feet) Location: Annapurna region, Nepal Best time to climb: April to May and October to November Climbing duration: Generally takes 28-30 days Difficulty level: Technically difficult, requires previous mountaineering experience Permit required: Climbing permit from the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) and Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP) Route: There are multiple routes to climb Tilicho Peak, the most popular one is via the North-West Ridge Equipment required: Mountaineering gear including ice axes, crampons, ropes, harness, etc. Guided expedition: It is recommended to climb Tilicho Peak with a local guide or a reputable mountaineering company.

03 / YOUR ROUTE

Journey at a glance

Day Day 1: Arrival in Kathmandu — Upon arrival in Kathmandu, you will be picked up by our representative at the airport and taken to the hotel. You will meet your guide, discuss the trek program, and make final preparations for the trek. If you have an early arrival, we will take you for a sightseeing trip in the UNESCO world heritage site in Kathmandu and later, in the evening, you’ll have dinner in the hotel. From 20th March 2020 due to heavy congestion, all flights to and from Lukla depart from Ramechhap airport, 130km, a 4-hour drive from Kathmandu. It means now it’ll take an extra day to get to Lukla from Kathmandu though the flight price is the same. Day Day 2: Welcome brief, Gear check and Official formalities in Kathmandu — Today, you will go on a sightseeing tour of the city, visiting some of the popular tourist attractions. In the afternoon, you will have a pre-climbing briefing with your guide and do some final preparation. Day Day 3: Drive to Besisahar (760m/2,490 ft) and Chame (2,700m/8,858 ft) — Kathmandu - Besisahar - Chame We will ride in a jeep for 5 hrs to Besisahar and another 4 hours to Chame following the Marshyangdi River. Its about 230 km total ride from Kathmandu through some roller coaster off roads and spine shilling cliffs. You will pass through Bagarchhap, Danakyu, and Timang before reaching Chame, which is the administrative center of Manang. We will rest overnight in Chame. Day Day 4: Trek from Chame to Pisang (3,300m/10,826.77 ft) — Chame - Pisang After breakfast, you will trek towards Pisang, passing through dense forests and beautiful apple orchards at a place called Brathang. We will stop at the apple farm for Tea and snacks. Along the way, you will have stunning views of the Annapurna Mountains and Pisang peak. It’s a moderate hike with a few uphill stretches. Trekking distance: 14-15 km/ 8.7-9.3 mi Trekking time: 5-6 hours Total ascent: 600 m /1,968 ft Total descent: 200 m /656 ft Day Day 5: Trek from Pisang to Braka (3,540m/11,614.17 ft) — Pisang - Braka Today, you will trek through the beautiful upper Pisang route, which offers stunning views of the Annapurna range. Annapurna 2 looks imposing from the trail. You will pass through the beautiful local villages of Ghyaru and Ngawal. Then the trail descends down to the pine forest and we will reach Braka. Trekking distance: 4-5 km/2.5-3.1 mi Trekking time: 2-3 hours Total ascent: 200 m /656 ft Total descent: 100 m /328 ft Day Day 6: From Braka, trek to Ice lake (4,620 m/15,157 ft ) and back, Trek to Manang (3,519m/11,545 ft) — Braka - Manang We will wake up early in the morning to trek to Ice Lake. It is a strenuous uphill trek in which we gain about 1100m altitude. Once we reach the lake, view of Mt. Annapurna II is stunning. We will also see the Manaslu ranges to the south and Mt. tilicho in the North. It takes about 5 hrs to reach the lake and return back to Braka. After lunch in Braka, we will head to Manang. It takes about 1 and half hours from Braka to Reach Manang. After we settle in the hotel, you can stroll around the village in Manang, get to glacial lake Gangapurna and see remnants of the old village. There are nice cafes and bakeries in Manang and you can sip warm tea and coffee in one of the coffee houses. Trekking distance: 7-8 km/4.3-5 mi Trekking time: 3-4 hours Total ascent: 300 m/984 ft Total descent: Minimal descent Day Day 7: Optional Rest day in Manang — We can take an extra day in Manag to loosen our muscles and rest before continuing to TIlicho Lake the next day. Visitors can also explore old Manang village and go across the river to Gangapurna lake just below the glacier. You may play games or cards and chat with your trekking partners making it an easy day. Day Day 8: Trek from Manang to Shree Kharka (4,110m/13,484.25 ft) — Manang - Shree Kharka After breakfast, we will start our trek from Manang to the older part of the town and cross the Thorang River. The trek gets steeper after the bridge. First we will reach Khangsar and we will stop for lunch there. Then we will continue to Shreekharka. Along the way, you will have stunning views of the Mt. Gangapurna and Annapurna 2, Annapurna 3, GlacierDome Chulu Mountains and Pisang peaks. Views extend all the way to Mt. Manaslu ranges. Distance: approximately 12 km/7.45 mi Trekking time: around 5-6 hours Total ascent: about 1,000 m/3,280.84 ft Total descent: around 200 m/656.17 ft Day Day 9: Trek from Shreekharka to Tilicho Base camp (4,144 m/13,596 ft) — Shreekharka - Tilicho Base camp This part of the trek is challenging and beautiful beyond imagination. We will leave the treeline behind after an hour from Shreekharka and trek in the rocky trail filled with caverns and then rocks and pebbles taking precaution. We can hear Marshyangdi river flowing below us and the foot of Mt. Gangapurna across the swooshing river. Distance: approximately 7 km/4.35 mi Trekking time: around 4-5 hours Total ascent: about 500 m/1,640.42 ft Total descent: around 300 m/984.25 ft Day Day 10: Tilicho Base Camp to Mesokanto — Tilicho Base camp - Mesokanto The walk follows a slender road from Tilicho's base camp, an exhilarating walk through tough, entirely dry terrain. A little flat region surrounded by rocks and a moraine can be found near the foot of Mesokanto La pass. Day Day 11-30: Climbing Period — By the time you reach, the difficult chores, such as moving and establishing additional camps above base camp, providing hygienic meals during our climbing days, and selecting the optimum ascending route, will be handled by our Sherpa strong team. We will take enough days to acclimatize with the high altitude along with practicing climbing. We shall adhere to the guidance and directions of our skilled climbing specialists once we are fully outfitted with all the required climbing equipment. We progress towards the top of Tilicho Peak, negotiating many difficult climbing sections, and taking the weather into consideration. We will spend a short but important time at the peak before descending and returning the same way to base camp. Day Day 31: Tilicho Base camp to Manang — Tilicho Base camp - Manang The climb will have been successful by today and start the return journey to Manang from Tilicho Base Camp. There are now motorable roads as well as trails where goods are transported on jeep or mule trains or carried by porters. You can also explore some agriculture and herding of yaks. Lunch on the way and overnight stay at Manang. Distance: approximately 16 km/9.94 mi Trekking time: around 6-7 hours Total ascent: about 200 m/656.17 ft Total descent: around 1,600 m/5,249.34 ft Day Day 32: Trek from Manang to Tal — Manang - Tal It is the last day of the trek and we walk from Manang to Tal which includes a lot of ascend and descend. It takes 7-8 hours to reach Tal which is approximately 20 km or 12.43 miles away from Manang. Ovenight stay at Tal Distance: approximately 20 km/12.43 mi Trekking time: around 7-8 hours Total ascent: about 500 m/1,640.42 ft Total descent: around 1,000 m/3,280.84 ft Day Day 33: Drive from Tal via Besisahar to Kathmandu and transfer to hotel — The trek finally ends and we hire a private jeep for a drive to Kathmandu via Besisahar from Tal. You can enjoy the scenery on the way. Day Day 34: Leisure day at Kathmandu — This is a free day in Kathmandu. Visiting Durbar squares, temple and stupas some of which are also listed in UNESCO world heritage sites or strolling around Thamel area for some souvenir shopping are the few activities you can enjoy in Kathmandu. Try various Nepali and newari cuisines if you are a food lover and want to try something new in Nepal. On top of it, people in Nepal are really humble and hospitable. You can try talking to locals and learn a few Nepali words. In the evening, you can go to local bars or pubs if you love live music where local bands perform live every night especially on weekends. Day Day 35: Depart — If your flight is in the evening, we will take you for sightseeing in one of the Buddhist stupa; Boudhanath/Swayambhunath which is also listed in UNESCO World Heritage Site. Then, Our representative will receive you from the hotel and drop you at the airport for your return journey back home.

YOUR DAY-BY-DAY ROUTE

Day-by-day itinerary

Day 1Arrival in Kathmandu — Upon arrival in Kathmandu, you will be picked up by our representative at the airport and taken to the hotel. You will meet your guide, discuss the trek program, and make final preparations for the trek. If you have an early arrival, we will take you for a sightseeing trip in the UNESCO world heritage site in Kathmandu and later, in the evening, you’ll have dinner in the hotel.+