Travel Blog

“Excuse me, register please” said the tourist police at Humde Airport. My 6 feet tall friend said, “Yes(हजुर दाई)”. Then the police laughed and said, “Oh I thought you were a foreigner because of your height”.

It was during October 2018 that five of my friends including me planned on going to the Tilicho Trek. We packed our bags, met at Kalanki, and got into a microbus which took us to Lamjung, Beshishahar. We were super excited about this journey and had high expectations. We arrived at the place at 3 pm and we hopped into a jeep instantly, which took us to a place called Chame at 2650 meters altitude. This was a long drive lasting six hours.

On our way down the river, Marsyangdi was the lovely Tal village, the same as the one in my childhood sketches. The village was right next to a massive waterfall, where we paused for some photos. We arrived at Chame at approximately 9 pm.

We started our trek with much more exuberance in the early next morning. Our destination was Pisang 3250 meters, which was a 3-4 hour trek. The scenery was so gorgeous and surreal. Astounding was the transition from lush green tree hills to barren and bare slopes.

We eventually reached our destination and went off to explore Upper Pisang, 3540 meters.  We wandered a little and stayed in for pictures.

The next day was a really long day, as the journey was roughly seven hours. We ensured not to hang around on the way and get to our destination Manang, 3519 meters swiftly but we were held back by the raw natural beauty. We came across Humde airport and lingered around a bit.

We halted a little ahead to have a snack break close to the apple farmhouse and one of my friends began looking for places to wander around in Manang. We uncovered about a 4610-meter side trek called Ice Lake and opted to stay at a place called Braga for the trek next day.

We stayed in a hotel afterward and saw a herd of yaks grazing in the field. We went outdoors to take a closer look at it and it began to snow. What could we have expected better right? It was so incredible.

We got up at 4 a.m. the next day.  In the ice-cold morning, we all got ready and went outside and saw a massive, sparkling mountain straight in front of our faces. The sight was incredible for someone who lives in a chaotic city. We began our uphill hike, which should have been 45 minutes, but it took us four hours.

However, when we saw the glance of the lake, it obliterated all the tiredness. The ice layer over the water was glistening as the rays of the sun fell upon it. The view from the top was jaw-dropping with the panoramic view of the mountain.

Due to the precipitous downhill trail, our way back was quite frightening. One wrong move and you could fall down of the hill promptly. We eventually made it back to Braga though. And we traveled towards Manang without staying around.

We checked out of the hotel the following day and left for the next destination Shree Kharka, 3800 meters. We had to relinquish the trek for the day sadly as one of our friends felt nauseated.

But we were not so unfortunate after all because guess what, we checked in a hotel which had an attached bathroom with a HOT WATER SHOWER, that too for FREE. This was like eating तातो तातो जेरी (Nepali dessert) after an awesome meal and mountain travelers sure can relate to it. We got a chance to take a hot water shower after about 4 days of sweat, mud, dirt, and whatnot. It had been quite refreshing.

Later we went to Lake Gangapurna, about a 30-minute walk from Manang.  A small park with a seating area and a coffee shop ensured visitors to conveniently embrace the scene.

We woke up the next day and only got ready to discover that due to altitude sickness two of our friends were unable to continue the journey. They headed towards lower altitudes as the rest of us proceeded forward.

We reached Shree Kharka pretty quickly and spent the rest of the day in relaxation.

Our next destination was Tilicho Base Camp at 4200 meters. We woke up early and began walking along on the steep hill.  After about an hour of walking, we reached the notorious “Landslide” area. It was the most frightening trail I ever went on. We reached the Tilicho base camp within the next hour. We got there at around 10 am and played cards with the other travelers for the rest of the day. The outside temperature was too cold to bear so we called off early in the evening.

Finally came the day we anticipated desperately. We continued our trek at 7 am and reached the lake at about midday. The trail was extremely steep and challenging.  I have absolutely no words to express the magical view Tilicho has to share. The clear blue water with the Tilicho peak’s reflection is the glimpse to strive for.

   No matter how intense and weary we felt throughout the hike, all of it flowed aside with that single view, the sight that not everybody is fortunate to behold. We all wanted to stay around and cherish the marvelous nature for just a little longer but we were not let by the freezing weather and high altitude.

Yet those moments we spent there are the most treasured remnants that one could ever have wished for.

We returned to Tilicho Base Camp, and then to Khangsar, 3756 meters. We stayed there for the night and headed home the next morning with all the experiences and thrill that will be revered forever.

Moreover, I found the love of my life during the trip and it’s already been two years. So, traveling is not always about enjoying the view and living in the moment. Sometimes it gives you precious things in life.

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