Unveil the mystery of Tilicho Lake – Bird-eye view series of Nepal

The Annapurna circuit is one of the most famous trekking destinations in the world. It offers tourists who come to Nepal opportunities to trek within Himalayan ranges, along trails that take one as high as 5,416 meters at the Thorang-La pass; and at the foot of the pass, at a height of 4,919 m, lies the mysterious Tilicho lake.

This lake is located at an elevation that makes it the highest in the world. Crystal clear and emerald green, it sits quietly below Tilicho peak, which towers above at 7,132 m. It is off the main trekking route, but is actually quite a spectacular side trip for the experienced trekker, and serves the additional purpose of providing two or three days of acclimatization in and around Manang, prior to going over Thorang La. Some glaciologists believe that Tilicho lake in its unique geographical location, situated in an area protected by Tilicho peak as well as the Annapurna Range, has allowed a unique phenomenon to occur. The lake according to them is positioned in a natural cavity between the mountains, which has left it pretty much as it was before the ice age.

The Tilicho trail starts from Manang, and takes around three days to reach and should only be undertaken by well equipped and experienced parties. The Tilicho route has some sections that crosses massive boulder fields. However, most important fact is that one has to remain at high attitude for considerable period of time. Once one has ascended and crossed the rim around the lake, there is no quick way down in case, one is suddenly struck by the acute mountain sickness and timing is extremely important. As a large section of the trail is at high attitudes and it is necessary to camp high one has to be properly acclimatized, or allow time for it. One needs to have excellent camping gear, food, and clothing for high altitude on this trail.

The trail out of Manang descends to a wooden bridge spanning the Marsyandi river, climbs to a long flat ridge leading into a beautiful pine forest, and finally descends to another wooden bridge across the Kangsar Khola – before climbing up to Kangsar
(3,700 m) where there are two small lodges. From Kangsar, there are three trails to Tilicho Base Camp, taking 4-6 hours, depending on the trail.

The shortest, and usually least dangerous path descends from Kangsar to the river, crosses a metal suspension bridge, and follows the riverbank through wooded areas. Unfortunately, this path can be blocked by landslides, or high river water. It is best to ask the locals in Kangsar about trail conditions. After about 3 hours walking up-river, you cross a primitive bridge, ascend steeply, and follow the ridge along a path to Tilicho Base Camp.

The seconds path from Kangsar arrives after about two hours at Gompa, which is an interesting place to visit. A short distance from Gompa (monastery), the path enters a wide crossing over a landslide of very fine scree at an extremely steep angle. It is a dangerous path, and in places, the path actually disappears. This trail should only be taken by experienced trekkers who have crossed scree landslides before. Eventually, this path joins up with the lower path.
The third trail rises steeply and circuitously, and takes about two hours longer. It descends rapidly down a switchback landslide into Tilicho Base Cam, at about 4,300 m. From Tilicho Base Camp, the path continues up along moraine ridges and grassy slopes to some large switchbacks carved out on the slope till you reach a watershed. On the other side is Tilicho Lake. It is not possible to go around the edges of the lake, so it is best to ascend to a ridge at 5,000 m, overlooking Tilicho lake. Campsites are also found on its north eastern shore.

At the lake, one often feels symptoms of altitude sickness like shortness of breath, exhaustion, headache, etc. Staying at the lake for more than an hour is not a comfortable experience so it is best to descend quickly to the base camp within an hour. One can also descend to the base camp at Manang on the lower path, which is another four hours plus. Another option is to make the trip from Base Camp to the Tilicho Lake and return to Manang in one long, rather tiring day. From Kangsar at Manang, you can also go straight to Thorang La and descend either to Muktinath (eight hours) or walk another three hours to Jomsom from there.

There are two possible passes from Tilicho Lake to Jomsom, the first one is the Meso Kanto La (pass), which unfortunately leads to a restricted military training area. An alternative option is to cross and find the traverse to Thini. Going that way will bypass the restricted area and solve this problem. The crux is that the west slope of Meso Kanto La is very steep. When it is snow covered, it may at best be an excruciating snow trudge but it can also be avalanche prone or not negotiable at all without crampons, ice axe, and ropes. Snow and ice can be expected there from early September to May. The second trail is famous among tourists and is known as the Tourist La (pass). As the name suggests, this is much easier to negotiate and from the passs trekkers have a view far into Tibet and Mustang.

The start of the Tilicho trail is common to the Annapurna circuit trail or one can take flight from Pokhara to Jomsom. The best seasons to visit Tilicho lake are June, July, and August. But, during the monsoon season, Tilicho is at its best, when other areas are experiencing rain. It is freezing cold between October to May and snow, which rarely melts, can fall any time. Furthermore, one has to cross some steep slopes that are avalanche prone when snow covered.

The lake is said to be very deep, besides being extremely cold, and there are stories of a few people who came years ago with diving equipment to explore it, but having dived never resurfaced. The Sherpa native believe in the existence of a mysterious flying amphibian creature in this region. There are also several secret ceremonies devoted to the “Creature of Tilicho”. Some of these include a full moon night ceremony, a horse race in Muktinath, and a goat sacrificed to the so-called “creature” at the Tilicho lake itself. The mysteries of Tilicho remains elusive and unspoken of. But whatever the case be, this lake sits at its height calmly and beautiful, challenging the people who try to defy it.