Preparation before Trekking

Trekking is rigorous activity that requires high energy hard work, dedication, persistence and focus. Before starting any trekking there are few things that you must do. Yes, you need to prepare /shortlist your things that you will need during the trekking.   One thing that you have to understand is Trekking is not a calculative event/program, it is an unconditional program that is highly affected by various elements like climate, time, situation, natural calamity etc so the first thing one should be prepare for is uncertainty and  situation. You just have to be fully prepared for the coming.

Trekking is considered high energy draining activity so one has to be physically fit as well as need to hydrate constantly during the trip, so be well prepared for sweat and heat.

Generally during the trekking, all equipment and other items are carried by the porters. It is only necessary for you to carry a camera or small day pack, but one have to understand that trekking is not a solo activity. It is something of a team that needs proper coordination and team work so helping your guides and porter is always the best way to be friends and to know more about the place and region.

Prior trekking always do a research and search for blogs searching clues and regarding the health hazards, priorities, cultural oops, dos and don’ts

The following is a list of clothing and accessories that are recommended. This is not intended to be a comprehensive clothing and equipment list, rather it is intended to act as a reminder of those items that we feel are essential for your comfort and convenience. However personal preferences for clothing and equipment can shortlisted be which may be equally as suitable.

Before trekking always let your guide know about any physical conditions or deformity that may intrude during the trekking at times such condition can be life threatening due to carelessness.  

Needed items during the trekking 

-Trekking or running comfortable shoe- Make yourself comfortable with the shoe

-Sandals (lodge)- Gripped anti slip

-Some pair of trekking socks

-Warm jacket,

-Hiking pants

-Pile jacket

-Sun hat
-Some pair of shorts
-Fleece Jacket

- 1 medium sized quick drying towel

- Tooth brush/paste (preferably biodegradable)

- Multipurpose soap (preferably biodegradable)

- Deodorants

- Nail clippers

- Face and body moisturizer

- Feminine hygiene products

-Wet wipes (baby wipes)

 -Tissue 

-Anti bacterial hands wash

-Sleeping bag ( can be hired in Kathmandu and Pokhara)

-Sunscreen lotion

-sun glass, lip bam

-Mosquito repellent for Chitwan

-Personal medicines ( Most)

-Day bag pack

-Camera

-Trekking Poles

-Water bottle

-Head Torch

-Binoculars

-Reading book

-Trail Map/Guide book

-Journal & Pen

-Walkman

-Pencils and small notebooks

-Travel game i.e. chess, backgammon, scrabble

-Swimming customs (for Kathmandu)

Just for precaution always have a small knife; some useful medicine, a match box, compass and a detail map of the region.

A new way to see Adventure with wings …

How would you feel? If you are flying hundreds of meters above in the sky, just to witness the
magnificent birds Black Kites and Egyptian Vultures. Insane or crazy or adventurous whatever you
might say but for bird lovers, it is a treat. To be precise, Parahawking is an art of training birds of prey
to fly with paragliders; it was developed and pioneered in Pokhara by combining paragliding with the
ancient art of falconry. Parahawking provides a unique insight into these birds in-flight behavior from a
completely unique perspective as well as giving an experience of adrenaline. You can imagine yourself
flying like a bird with the attention and focus of another giant bird.

Especially being recognized as one of the number 1 adventure activity in Pokhara, by BBC, Nat Geo,
Discovery Channel and recommended by the Lonely Planet, the Parahawking Tandem has been taken
seriously by adventure enthusiast.

Parahawking was developed by British falconer Scott Mason in 2001. Mason is a common name in the
Nepal rescue and rehabilitation of birds’ conservation society. With Parahawking, birds of prey are
trained to fly with paragliders, guiding them to thermals for in-flight rewards and performing aerobatic
maneuvers. During the flight the pilot or passenger will place small morsels of meat onto their gloved
hand, the birds will come and gently land on the hand to take the food, and then gracefully fly away to
find the next thermal.

On average Parahawking costs around 130 pounds where is feasible from October to mid April. Training
and flying birds are done during the dry season between September and March. Parahawking supports
Vulture conservation by donating 10 Euros from every Parahawking activity in Nepal. The Parahawking
project not only supports the Vulture conservation but during the spare time its volunteers are actively
seen in saving and raising awareness about the project of these big giant birds.

The concept of Parahawking began when Mason was on a round-the-world trip in Pokhara, Nepal,
where he was studying about birds behavior specifically griffon vulture, steppe eagle and black kite.
During one of his research session, while taking a tandem paragliding flight with British paraglider Adam
Hill, he had the opportunity to see raptors in flight, and realized that he could combine the sports of
paragliding and falconry. He figured out it was interesting as well as exciting as people were unaware
about the giant birds and people had many question regarding their in flight behavior.

The team started by training two black kites, but have since added 2 Egyptian vulture. With a lot of
restrict and limitations Parahawking has been fight against legal grounds with the wild life protection
act. Adapting the norms and regulation only rescued birds are used none of the birds have been taken
from the wild as the wild life protection act of Nepal Prohibits the use of any wildlife in any commercial
purpose.

Still struggling with controversy, Parahawking is an amazing experience where the bird guides you
through the skies. The experience is totally unique and unforgettable where you get to learn a lot about
these gentle beasts. On one hand surfing in the sky with the giant birds, you have the fun of a lifetime
where as on the other you play an important part in saving the bird by donating a certain amount for the Jatayu Restaurant.

Tamang Heritage Trail a unique way to see Nepal's cultural heritage

Located between Langtang and the Ganesh Himal, the 'Tamang Heritage Trail' offers an immersive
cultural experience and scenic views of the adventurous Mountain Range. It covers an area of
outstanding natural beauty with a rich cultural heritage preserved by its ethnic Tamang Community.
Richness in both cultural and natural aspects of this area truly fulfills your desire to make your holiday
for lifetime experience. The main inhabitants of this area are believed to be the descendants of Tibetans
from Kerung who intermingled with Tamang of the Helambu area. Tamang communities are generally
found on higher elevations with the peasants engaging in shifting cultivation and extraction of forest
products. They are mainly sheep and yak herders but grow some hardy grains and vegetables. Their
daily life activities include raising livestock, agriculture and trade with Kerung in Tibet. They also make
baskets and mats from mountain bamboo.

Practicing a unique and rich culture, it is considered as one of the prized cultural heritages of Nepal.
The people, craftsmanship, dress, traditionally built stone houses and the beautifully carved wooden
porches reflect the solitude and the serenity of the Himalayan scenery make this are an ideal model
trekking destination in Nepal.

The Tamang culture mostly searches beliefs of Shamanism that is still used in daily lives of the people.
The trek takes you through a number of settlements where these communities live, while also taking
you to a high mountain ridge to give you breathtaking views of the surrounding mountain peaks of
Langtang, Ganesh Himal and peaks in bordering Tibet. The valley offers pine forest, swift mountain
streams, rugged rock and snow- capped peaks, grassy downs and meadows strewn with daisies and wild
primula. During the trekking one can we enjoy the panoramic mountain views of the nearby peaks and
soak in the natural hot springs at Tatopani.

If you love wild life then there are great chances of spotting bears, leopards, red panda’s and musk deer
that however are no danger. In March and April the Rhododendron forests have many different species
of trees, birds and butterflies while trekking you can discover the rough history of the Tibetan ancestors.

The trail starts either from Dhunche or Syabrubesi and passes through Goljung, Gatlang, Thuman,
Timure, Briddim, Lama Hotel, Langtang valley and Kyangjin Gompa. Goljung, Gatlang and Langtang are
traditional Tamang villages culminating cultural features. The visit to beautiful local Tamang monastery
and the holy Parvatikunda Lake at Gatlang adds exhilaration to your trekking.

Trekking in Tamang Heritage Trail offers; to the mountains lovers’ opportunity to observe Syabru, Mane
and other local dances at Goljung, Brimdang and Gatlang village, this is nearby Tibetan border. The
villages also sell exclusive handicraft items like traditional caps, mufflers and other items, where the
stay is a unique experience. The ancient monasteries and houses adorned with rich wood engravings
at Thuman is an unforgettable experience. At Briddim one gets to experience the famous Tamang
hospitality, where there is home stay facility in two dozen houses.

Brief Itinerary:

Day 01 : Drive from Kathmandu to Syabrubesi (1467 m.) via Trishuli

Day 02 : Syabrubesi to Gatlang (2238m.).

Day 03 : Gatlang to Tatopani (2607m.).

Day 04 : Tatopani to Thuman (2338m.) via Nagthali (3165m.).

Day 05 : Thuman to Timure (1762m.).

Day 06 : Timure to Briddim village (2229m.).

Day 07 : Briddim village to lama hotel (1900M).

Day 08 : Lama Hotel Trek ThuloSyabru (2100.):

Day 09 : Thulo Shyabru to Dhunche

Day 10 : Drive from Dhunche to Kathmandu

Detailed Itinerary:

Day 01 : Drive from Kathmandu to Syabrubesi (1467 m.) via Trishuli

The trip starts from Kathmandu with a bus ride and it takes about nine hours to reach Syabrubesi. You
will stay overnight in Syabrubesi. You head north out of Kathmandu driving through scenic foothills
and ridgeline vistas to Syabru Besi passing through Dhunche. While passing along the road at the bank
of Trishuli River you catch a glimpse of Ganesh Himal, terraces and green hills. As you pass through
Dhunche you feel as if you are heading towards deep land.

Day 02 : Trek from Syabrubesi to Gatlang (2238m.).

Walking for about six hours you will experience the Tamang culture. You can see scenery from view
point. This day you walk through village. The cultural show at Goljung and Gatlang makes your trekking
a memorable one. Gatlang set high on a hillside among terraced fields is a Tamang settlement. One can
visit a Tamang monastery and beautiful Parvatikunda Lake at Gatlang.

Day 03 : Trek from Gatlang to Tatopani (2607m.).

On the way you will enjoy sightseeing of Langtang range and Ganesh Himal. At Tatopani which naturally
signifies 'hot water', you can take hot bath in natural hot springs with bathing areas in the lap of the
mountains. It is believed that taking a dip into this spring would heal you from your aches and pains. This

day's trekking provides you an opportunity to experience of the Tamang culture.

Day 04 : Trek from Tatopani to Thuman (2338m.) via Nagthali (3165m.).

Trekking about 5 hours via Bimthang you can encounter animals like red pandas, monkeys and deers.
The panoramic view of Langtang, Kerung, Ganesh Himal, Sanjen ranges can be distinctly experienced
from Nagthali. Nagthali used to be a popular meditation center for the local monks and priests. Another
cultural village Thuman is popular for its Shamanic performances and beautiful view of Langtang.
Beautiful view of the mountains can be seen from every house in Thuman.

Day 05 : Trek from Thuman to Timure (1762m.).

It takes about five hours, while trekking from Thuman to Timure you can visit nearby historical
Rasuwagadi. This day's trekking grants you an opportunity to observe Tibeto Burman Tamang culture on
the two villages on the way. Timure is on the old trade route to Tibet. A fort here is a historical reminder
of the Nepal Tibetan relations that has existed for many centuries. A suspension bridge here links Nepal
and Tibet.

Day 06 : Trek from Timure to Briddim village (2229m.).

It takes about six hours. You can experience village life of Briddim. Moreover you can enjoy cultural
show performed by community members. You can also experience of home stay and Tamang culture.
To mention about Briddim is a Tibetan Buddhist village in the bosom of Langtang Himal. As direct
descendant of ancient Tibean immigrants, the culture and tradition of Briddim closely resembles that of
nearly Tibetan villages.

Day 07 : Trek from Briddim village to lama hotel (1900M).

From Bridim village to Lama hotel it takes about 4 hour easy walking, the trek starts in the morning then
after 2 hours we will pass through forest and along the river.

Day 08 : lama Hotel Trek ThuloSyabru (2100.):

It takes 4/5 hours easy downhill walking along the river and the trail moves gentle descent passing
through forest , terraces and magnificent views of surrounded hills and Ganesh Himal and Langtang
Lirung etc.

Day 09 : Thulo Shyabru to Dhunche

It takes about 4 hours easy walking passing trough tamang village where we can explore their rich
culture, life style as well as beauty of Nature and landscape. The journey then will stop after 2 hour
trekking where you can get a breath taking views and wild experience. Then we will reach Dhunche

Day 10 : Drive from Dhunche to Kathmandu

It takes about 9 hours. It is a pleasant drive back to Kathmandu with splendid views of hills, mountains,
terraces and villages.

The first climb to Everest

It has been decades, from the day when Humans laid their first step on the highest point of earth. It
was a historical movement that marks history of human domination over nature. Edmund Hillary and
Tenzing Norgay were people who made this possible and were part of the British Everest Expedition,
1953, led by Colonel John Hunt. For this expedition Hunt had selected a team of people who were
experienced climbers from all around the British Empire. With specific criteria, Edmund Hillary was
selected as a climber from New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay, though born a Sherpa was selected for
being native to the Himalayas. More or less, the team was setup with a strategy for laying the historical
step over Mt. Everest. The team also included a filmmaker to document their progress and a writer to
record the details of the expedition.

After months of planning and organizing, the expedition began to climb. On their way up, the team
established nine camps, some of which are still used by climbers’ today. Due to harsh climatic condition
and bad weather only four of the team member would get a chance to make an attempt to reach
the summit. Hunt, the team leader, selected two teams of climbers. The first team consisted of Tom
Bourdillon and Charles Evans and the second team consisted of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.
The first team left on May 26, 1953 to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. Although the two men made
it up to about 300 feet shy of the summit, the highest any human had yet reached, they were forced
to turn back after bad weather set in as well as a fall and problems with their oxygen tanks. With the
failure of the first team there were less hopes but Edmund and Tenzing were determine to concur
Everest. They had the pressure as well as the motivation to do something which no one had done. The
first step on Everest was not just a dream but a legacy where number of people had already lost their
lives.

Nearly at 4 a.m. on May 29, 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay awoke in camp nine and readied
themselves for their climb. Like always the weather was harsh and due to heavy snow fall things were
frozen solid. Hillary discovered that his boots had frozen and thus spent two hours defrosting them.
Mount Everest has an extreme climate. The summit temperature never rises above freezing or 32° F (0°
C). Its summit temperatures in January average -33° F (-36° C) and can drop to -76° F (-60° C). In July, the
average summit temperature is -2° F (-19° C). In such harsh climate condition it is nearly impossible to
do anything.

With determination and strong will, the two men left camp at 6:30 a.m. Upon their climb, they came
upon one particularly difficult rock face, but Hillary found a way to climb it (The rock face is now
called "Hillary's Step) Stepping up in the harsh climate every step was a hard blow in the face but
determined with the objective of making history. At 11:30 a.m., Hillary and Tenzing reached the summit
of Mount Everest.
“A symmetrical, beautiful snow cone summit,” said Edmund Hillary.

Hillary reached out to shake Tenzing's hand, but Tenzing gave him a hug in return. The two men enjoyed
only 15 minutes at the top of the world because of their low air supply, but they spent their time taking
photographs, taking in the view, placing a food offering (Tenzing), and looking for any sign that the
missing climbers from 1924 had been there before them (they didn't find any).

Edmund Hillary took several photographs of the scenery and of Sherpa Tenzing waving flags
representing Britain, Nepal, the United Nations and India. Tenzing buried some sweets and biscuits
in the snow as a Buddhist offering to the gods. They looked for signs of George Mallory and

Andrew "Sandy" Irvine who had disappeared in 1924 in a similar attempt to conquer Everest, but found
nothing.

Then they began the slow and tortuous descent to rejoin their team leader Colonel John Hunt further
down the mountain at Camp VI.

When he saw the two men looking so exhausted Col Hunt assumed they had failed to reach the summit
and started planning another attempt.

Prior Hillary and Tenzing successful scaling Mount Everest had long been considered un-climbable due
to innumerable number of failures but Edmund and Tenzing mark the history with their accent. Till date
more than 5,000 people have climbed Everest and 219 have died trying. About 77 percent of those
ascents have been accomplished since 2000. Currently the permit fee of climbing Mt Everest is USD
10,000 and still the craze of Everest has not gone down in fact the human domination nature has grown
so much Nepal ha established itself as a mountaineering country.

Adventurous White water rafting in Nepal

White water rafting is one of the most exciting and sort after activity in Nepal, people from all over the
world come here just to enjoy and relax the nature’s exotic creation.

The Bhote Koshi, which runs alongside the Arniko Highway to the Tibetan border northeast of
Kathmandu, is probably the steepest and hardest commercial rafting river in Nepal. It has been rated
Class 4+ river which in normal terms mean high adventurous.
It is a Twenty- Six Kilometers of continuous white water that soaks rafters as they shoot through a
veritable maze of canyons and boulders and requires a lot of concentration. Starting above Barabise, the
river moves toward Lamosangu with a twist and turns.

Passing by the big rapids and facing waves arouses the sense of emancipation where fear and
excitement melts down and the splash of cold water refreshes you. Dare to challenge nature, come face
it at its best form with an exciting taste of adrenaline and you will know the real meaning of adventure.
This river of Nepal is ready to take you up for a rollercoaster ride that is more than fast and furious.
Full with excitement and exhilaration White Water Rafting in Bhote Koshi is accustomed to the real
adventure of what Nepal has to offer. Within the swiftly flowing rivers and tantalizing sheer music,
the rivers seem stalled in time. Shattering its image the river comes alive with raging attitude to an
aggressive twists and turns. Fear takes a new form of excitement creating an enthusiasm to testify your
will where no one can keep themselves from the adrenal rush. Divine to sight, the natural raw terrain
and unexploited greenery adds satisfaction to the eyes. The journey on the flowing torrents could thus
be an exhilarating and fun-filled adventure.

After a series of Class III rapids, easy yet so adventurous, then comes the first Class IV rapid popularly
known as Gerbil in the Plumbing followed by the technical rapid Frog in a Blender, which makes us
fearless while tackling the churning waves in a big swirling pool. After a long gutsy ride, which feels like a
ride on the back of a giant dragon?

This river is one of the most fun things you can do right out of the Kathmandu and a great way to get
an adrenaline fix during the low water months. It is one of the most exciting ways of exploring Nepal.
The Government has opened 16 rivers graded on a scale of 1 to 5 for commercial rafting. Continuous,
challenging and action-packed, the Bhote Koshi offers nothing less than the ride of a lifetime.

Bhote Koshi River rafting is also an idyllic rafting trip for the experienced Rafters and Kayakers.
During the rafting you cruise through a stupendous setting, thrilling drops, gorges and limestone
formations welcome you into another dimension where your instinct becomes your driving force and
your body is your best ally. Both experienced and novice paddlers will agree that this is the Ultimate
Rafting Experience.

Rafting in the Bhote Koshi is a full body activity, with much more than mere paddling. You learn how to
throw your body weight around the raft in desperate, yet effective attempts to swing the raft around
boulders and through the hydraulics. Owing to its sharp gradient, this is a fast flowing river, offering a
unique combination of exceptionally fun and challenging rapids without it ever getting past the point of
recreation. Suitable for both novices and expert rafters, Bhote Koshi offers the ultimate adrenaline rush.

The best time for rafting along this Bhote Koshi river is from October to December and From February
to April. This is an ideal package either for veteran or beginner on river rafting. If you have never rafted
before but want to get an experience Bhote Koshi is a wild ride. Awesome scenery of the territory,
gorges, formation of limestone and thrilling drops of river makes your adventure an ever memorable.

Jatayu Restaurant (JR) A Bird conservation project

Jatayu Restaurant (JR), the name might give you an eccentric feeling of curiosity and oddness but reality
is, it’s not a conventional restaurant that address the apatite, perhaps it’s a bizarre of its kind, a feast
that has been dedicated to birds conservation. To be specific, it is a conservational site, established
with the theme to conserve the decreasing population of three rare species of vultures’ namely white-
rumped vulture, slender-billed vulture and red-headed vulture.

Practically settling down from its name and visualizing its periphery is yet another amazement. The
restaurant not only evades the bad image of the natural scavengers but provides an overwhelming
platform to learn and to observe the behavioral aspect of this king of birds.

Nevertheless, synchronizing the graphic and bloody scene might be an interest for researchers but for
lighthearted people, it’s just a scene of a horror which explicates an open fest of bloody and fleshy
carcass where hundreds of birds line up for their meal. It has been recorded that vulture numbers
arriving at restaurant from 60 to as high as 274 vultures at one feeding scene.

The restaurant also houses a hide for the visitors to watch the fest where interested bird enthusiasts
can learn more about the bird species. The restaurant is famous among travelers, tourists and bird
enthusiasts as a wonder land where as for the locals, it’s a new concept of conservation adapting
the ecological demand. In the year 2006, when the number of Vulture population plumed down, a
situation of ecological turmoil ruled in. Suddenly attention was diverted towards the reasons behind
the turmoil where researchers came to know about implication of the Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory
Drug (NSAID) Diclofenac on the bird species. Highlighting the need of time, Bird Conservation Nepal
(BCN) played a crucial role in raising awareness about the issue. As the number of vulture population
decreased, the dead carcasses were left aside to decay, spreading diseases and threatening the
environment. The cause behind was the bird feasted on the contaminated dead animal carcass treated
with Diclofenac, which was toxic to the bird species. In addition, the consumption of the medicine
from the death carcass resulted in the death of the bird which slacked the vulture population. On the
result of that the BCN established a community-run sanctuary named Jatayu (Vulture) Restaurant at
Pithauli, Nawalparasi District which catered the extinct species with the fresh carcass uncontaminated
with Diclofenac. They first setup a community shed where cows and buffalos outgrown their productive
age are sheltered and after their death. They would be skinned out and fed at the JR to the birds.
Additionally, adapting the trend the community shelter pays NRs 200 per animal to the donors which
were previously exported to India. The community shed currently is running under the financial
support of United Nation Development Programme’s Global Environment Facility and Royal Society
for Protection of Birds (RSPB). The entire management of this restaurant is managed under the local
community with technical support from BCN. Likewise, a study of Nepal’s 75 districts by BCN finds that
the use of Diclofenac has dropped by 90 percent since 2006, thanks to work of BCN and its partners
like Nepalese government (Department of Drug Administrative and Department of National Parks and
Wildlife Conservation) the numbers are growing creating and alerting people about their ecological
importance and conservation of these nature scavengers. JR has established itself as a unique and
model sanctuary managed under public partnership.

According to BCN, “In addition to this, the centre also features collected fauna specimen, others birds,
mammals and natural history of area. There is increase in tourist numbers. A number of training such
as specimen collection and preservation for biodiversity museum management and cow rescue centre
management were held at the community level and a total of 96 beneficiaries directly benefited
from these training and seminars. Besides, these, various training for livelihood improvement of local
communities such wormi-composting ecotourism/nature guides, bee keeping, fisheries training,

ornithological training training have been conducted to encourage active participation of local people
in conservation. Conservation education and different awareness activities are also held to different
groups in the community which helped to generate a positive attitude towards vulture conservation.
Local VDCs/Veterinary professionals and vendor of East Nawalparasi declare area as Diclofenac Free
Zone (DFZs). There is home stay facilities if visitor want to live with local communities and simple
restaurants are also available in the quiet village Hotels are also available close by. There is opportunity
to gain experience of Tharu culture and religion and enjoy the delicious food made by them. There
is a religious temple of Tharu community. Visitors can take advantage of the trained guides that are
available for nature walks and cultural tours of Chitwan National Park and the nearby villages.”

Challenging your limits, the Tilicho Trekking….

Challenging your limits, the Tilicho Trail is one of the most popular trekking routes in the world. Most of
the tourists who come to Nepal go through this trekking route as it gives an overwhelming experience
of both adrenalin as well as natural beauty. It gives you the opportunities to trek within the Himalayan
range, along trails that takes one as high as 5,416m at the Thorang-La pass and at a height of 4,919
meters. Another attraction of this trekking route is the mysterious Tilicho Lake that holds the reputation
of being located at an elevation of being the highest lake. Its reputation precedes by its image of crystal
clear and emerald green water that sits quietly below Tilicho Peak, which towers above at 7,132 meters.
The unique geographical location of the Lake, situated in within the Annapurna Range, gives it the
adventurous essence. With a three days trek, the Tilicho trail starts from Manang, and should only be
undertaken by well-equipped and experienced guides. The route is highly challenging and demands a
high alert safety.

However, another most important fact is that one has to remain at high altitudes for considerable
period of time so altitude sickness is yet another obstacle. With this trekking one needs to have
excellent camping gear, food, and clothing for high altitudes on this trail as a large section of the trail is
at high altitudes and it is necessary to camp high one has to be properly acclimatized, or allow time for
it. The descending trail out of Manang follows the 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 (3,700m) 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. It is best to ask the locals in
Kangsar about trail conditions. 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 second path from Kangsar arrives
after about two hours at Gompa, which is an interesting place to visit.

The third trail rises steeply and circuitously, and takes about two hours longer. It descends rapidly
down a switchback landslide into Tilicho Base Camp, at about 4,300m. 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 5,000m, overlooking Tilicho Lake. Campsites are also found
on its north eastern shore.

Altitude sickness like shortness of breath, exhaustion, headache, etc is the often felt symptoms so
travelers and trekkers have to be smart. 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. 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 Tilicho Lake and return to Manang in one long, rather tiring day. From Kangsar at Manang,
you can also go straight to Thorung Phedi (4,420m) and cross Thorung La (5,416m) and descend either
to Muktinath (eight hours) or walk another hour to Jharkot. It is only 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 Meso
Kanto La from the north 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 pass trekkers have a view far into Tibet
and Mustang.

The best seasons to visit Tilicho Lake are June, July and August. Conventional wisdom has it that it is not
only stupid, but nearly suicidal, to trek during the monsoons. But, during the monsoon season, Tilicho is
at its best, when other areas are experiencing rain. Anyone venturing up in the other seasons will find
Tilicho, although stunningly beautiful, cold and inhospitable. 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.