We recommend you book this trek as early as possible to avoid a last-minute rush. Most of our clients book their trek at least 4 months in advance. The adequate time from trek bookings to trek start provides them with ample period for trek preparation.

If you want to reserve the 9 days of Tilicho Lake Trek with us, we recommend at least two months in advance. With this, we’ll get adequate preparation time to allocate trek guides, reserve the tea houses, process the trek permits, and more.

However, at times, trekkers make last-minute bookings. Usually, trekkers in Nepal make last-minute bookings.

Our suggestion: Booking the trek at least two months before the desired start date allows ample time for both you and us to prepare for the trek.

We want you to be 100% sure about embarking on this trek before proceeding with the trek booking. Once you send the confirmation fee and decide to cancel the trek, you’ll be subjected to our refund and cancelation policy.

Once you find this trek right for you, you can proceed to book this trek with us. For this, you must contact us. You can email us at mailtoneptrek@gmail.com or send an instant message on WhatsApp (+977-9818553880).

Once you contact us, you’ll get the necessary trek booking information. Moreover, you can request itinerary customization, add-ons, if any, personal preferences, trek cost and details, and more.

And with all things clear, you can proceed to book the trek. We’ll send you our bank account details for the trip confirmation payment.

The advance trek booking confirmation fee is 50% of the total trek cost.

To book your spot on 9 days of Tilicho Lake Trek, you must deposit at least USD 400 (unless specified).

We use advanced trek confirmation payment to purchase trek permits, reserve the tea houses along the trek, appoint a trek guide, manage transportation, and more.

After paying this amount, you’ll get a confirmation email or message regarding the payment.

We respect your trek cancelation decision. However, we have a refund policy regarding the trek cancelation. We hope you’ll be clear with our policy listed below.

–  50% refund on confirmation payment upon canceling the trek a month before

–  25% refund on confirmation payment upon canceling the trek a week before

–  No refund on confirmation payment upon canceling the trek within a week of the trek

–  No refund on confirmation payment upon canceling the trek after starting it for reasons

Note: The deductions include the administrative fees, hotel reservations, and trekking permits (if we purchase before you cancel the trek).

We recommend you arrive in Nepal at least two days prior to the trek’s starting date. Arriving early gives you adequate time for trek preparation, understanding Nepali culture, getting to know your trek guide, and visiting the best heritage sites in Kathmandu. Moreover, you can buy the trekking gear at the local shops if you intend to buy it in Kathmandu.

Thus, to avoid the last-minute rush, it’s better to arrive at least two to three days before the trek.

Nepal gives a visa-on-arrival for most nationals. The immigration office at Kathmandu Airport issues an on-arrival visa. Hence, you must fill out the required forms at the booths provided at the airport.

To learn more about the Nepal on-arrival visa, we recommend you visit this blog. Or, you can refer to the Department of Immigration’s official website for authentic information regarding the Nepal visa.

Yes. Our representative will be at the arrivals at Kathmandu airport to receive you. Following, you’ll get a taxi or a private vehicle transfer to the hotel where you’ll stay in Kathmandu.

Let us know if you want us to book the hotel in Kathmandu.

Yes. Upon your arrival in Kathmandu, you’ll get an airport pickup on a private vehicle. Our representative will pick you up at Kathmandu airport and transfer you to the hotel.

You’ll see our representative holding NepTrek’s banner for easy identification.

We usually provide private transportation for groups of five or more. However, for individual trekkers, private vehicle transfer is expensive.

In this trek, you’ll drive from Kathmandu to Besisahar, Besisahar to Dharapani, Khangsar/Manang to Besisahar, and Besisahar to Kathmandu. It’s all road transport and no flights involved.

For an individual, following ad-ons is a must when opting a private transport.

–  Kathmandu-Dharapani: USD 350

–  Kathmandu-Besisahar: USD 200

Note: A group of five or more gets a private vehicle transport.

Yes. Horse rides are popular and available, even at Tilicho Base Camp.

Suppose you get tired and want a horse ride to Tilicho Lake, you’ll get a horse, sit back, and conquer the lake. On the trek, you’ll see the horses and caretakers lined up at the 22 turns, the steepest section of Tilicho Lake. From here, most trekkers who can’t trek hire horse.

Mind you, the horse ride fares are expensive and the trek cost doesn’t include the horse ride cost.

The number of trek guides depends on the number of trekkers or group size.

We employ one trek guide for a group of at least four trekkers. However, for groups over five pax, we send additional guides to assist the trek leader. And, for groups of 8-10 trekkers, we typically employ three trek guides.

Two trekkers share one porter. Thus, a porter carries a combined weight of 20 kilograms, max. For any additional luggage or private porter, a USD 150 add-on is a must.

Note: For individual trekkers, Trek Porter is available as a USD 250 add-on.

You’ll get an experienced trek guide for 9 days Tilicho Lake Trek. We’ll send you a trek guide who’s completed this trek on multiple occasions.

All the guides at NepTrek Adventures are experienced, with extensive trekking over Nepal.

Obviously. We understand the comfort of female trekkers when they embark on a trek with a female guide.

If you prefer a female trek guide over a male trek guide for Tilicho Lake Trek combined, we’ll send you our female trek guide. We have some of the finest female trek guides with extensive trekking experience in Annapurna and Everest.

Note: Since this is a special requirement, we recommend you contact us at least two months before the trek start date. Female trek guides are often in demand, and thus, we may not allocate one to you in a short period. With adequate time, we can find the right female trek guide for you.

Yes. You’ll get a legally licensed trekking guide for this trek. We employ licensed trekking guides to ensure 100% trek safety, comply with regulations, and complete the trek on a good note.

Moreover, all our guides are certified wilderness first-aid responders. It ensures your utmost safety throughout the trek.

No. You don’t have to pay for the salary and trek expenses for trek guide and porter.

We pay our guides and porters salary, including expenses incurred during, before, and after the trek.

Yes. You’re highly recommended to tip your trek guide and porter once you complete the trek and reach Pokhara.

Tipping to the trek guide and porter is a way of expressing gratitude for the efforts they put into the trekking to make your dream adventure wholesome.

How much you want to tip is up to you. However, in practice, trekkers tip at least USD 8-10 per day or Rs. 1000. In this way, for 9-day trek, you’re highly recommended to tip at least Nepali rupees 10,000 for trek guide and porter.

During this 9-day trek, you’ll get 9 x breakfast, 9 x lunch, and 8 x dinner.

Your meals along the trek will be at the tea houses, which are locally owned lodges.

You’ll be surprised by the variety of meal choices, even at higher elevations like Sri Kharka and Tilicho Base Camp.

As mentioned, the meal choices you’ll get on this trek are extensive, fresh, and savory.

Toast, omelet, pancakes, pies, muesli, oatmeals, porridge, potatoes, tea, coffee, and yak milk (seasonal) are the most common breakfast items. You can enjoy seasonal, fresh juice at the tea houses, which feature locally grown apples.

Other than these, you’ll have noodle soup, Tibetan bread, and more.

You’ll get a meal menu at the tea house to choose lunch and dinner item(s). Since these are the heavy meals of the day, the choices can be similar, but you can opt for different meals.

Typical lunch and dinner meals are:

Dal Bhat, a staple Nepali dish consisting of lentil soup and rice, is highly recommended for adequate energy replenishment.

Pizza, burgers, sandwiches with fries, spaghetti, macaroni, fried noodles with egg veg, Thendek (local dish), and Sherpa stew, are popular meals.

You’ll have dessert options at a USD 150 add-on for the entire trek.

Yes. All the tea houses along the trek provide hygienic and nutritious meals to trekkers. They get fresh supplies every day during the trekking season.

Manang and Khangsar are connected by motor road. Thus, every jeep from Besisahar to Manang carries the supplies for tea houses regularly. From Khangsar, the tea houses use mules to transport goods to Sri Kharka and Tilicho Base Camp.

With fresh supplies, you can have healthy and nutritious meals each day.

You can eat meat at lower elevations. However, we don’t recommend you to eat meat on the trek at higher elevations for reasons.

The primary reason is that you may get food poisoning by eating meat, as the tea houses in higher elevations don’t use refrigerators.

Moreover, digesting meat at altitude can be a problem. Due to digestion problems, eat easy-to-digest meals, and if possible, avoid cheese and butter for 2-3 days at higher elevations.

Another reason is that the entire trekking region is a Buddhist area. And in Buddhist areas, the locals don’t kill animals for meat. Instead, they import meat from lower elevations. Thus, it’s advised not to eat meat during the trek.

Our recommendation: Avoid meat at all costs to prevent food poisoning and digestion issues, and respect the local culture.

You’ll be accommodated at the tea houses along the trek for 8 days. And on the 9th day, you’ll return to Pokhara.

You’ll get a twin-sharing room throughout the trek. The rooms with attached toilets are subject to availability. But at most places, the tea houses provide the attached bathrooms.

You’ll get a tidy room with clean and warm blankets, a pillow, and a mattress.

No. You won’t get heated rooms anywhere on the trek. However, in Manang, some tea houses provide heated blankets, but this is not guaranteed.

The tea houses light fire ovens in the dining halls. It is where you can get warm.

As the tea houses are not heated, you need to carry a sleeping bag with a -20˚C rating. If you have your sleeping bag, bring it. Otherwise, we’ll help you to rent one in Kathmandu.

Yes. If you’re an individual on Tilicho Lake with us, you’ll get a room. However, if you’re trekking with the group, you’ll have a private room accommodation upon availability.

Note: Private room while trekking in a group subject to USD 200 add-on. For individual trekkers, there’s no add-ons.

It’s best to understand that during the trekking season, the tea houses get flooded with trekkers. Thus, at such times, the tea houses get fully occupied and are left with no private rooms.

Tilicho Lake Trek isn’t an easy trek. This trek is easy at times, moderate on most occasions, and tests your limits at the most happening times.

On average, it’s a moderate trek with few demanding sections that even a novice trekker with physical fitness can embark on.

Here’s a breakdown of the trek’s easy, moderate, and demanding sections.

Easy: Trek from Dharapani-Koto, Koto-Pisang, Pisang-Ngawal, Ngawal-Manang, Manang-Sri Kharka

Moderate: Sri Kharka-Tilicho Base Camp, Tilicho Lake-Tilicho Base Camp

Demanding: Tilicho Base Camp-Tilicho Lake, Tilicho Base Camp-Sri Kharka

A physically fit novice trekker can complete this 9-day trek. However, without adequate physical fitness, this trek can get extremely difficult at times. The extreme altitude landmarks, long walking days, and unpredictable weather often challenge the trekkers.

A novice trekker can find this trek demanding at times. Precisely, the walk from Sri Kharka to Tilicho Base Camp and Tilicho Base Camp to Tilicho Lake is demanding. However, for the rest of the trek, for those who can walk well, the trek should be comfortable.

Trekking is mostly about efficient walking and breathing. Hence, physical fitness for a trek essentially means building up strength, endurance, and efficient breathing.

Walking and hiking on the slope for at least 4-5 kilometers a day builds strength in your legs. For cardio, swimming, cycling, and jogging are the best ways.

We recommend you do these exercises for at least two months before joining the trek. The ample preparation builds your fitness and makes you ready for the trek.

Yes. You’ll get one rest day in Manang as an acclimatization stop. On this day, you’ll visit Gangapurna Lake and nearby viewpoints for sightseeing and acclimatization.

The purpose of acclimating in Manang is to adapt to altitude before leaving for Tilicho Lake.

Said this, for some, one day of acclimatization won’t be adequate. Thus, assessing your situation on the trek, you’ll stop for additional acclimatization.

We can’t guarantee that you’ll not get altitude sickness during the trek. But we assure you that we’ll do our best to keep you safe and complete the trek without getting altitude sickness. You’ll get adequate acclimatization, anexperienced trek guide, good tea house accommodation, and an ideal trek itinerary.

Few elements play a significant role in getting altitude sickness.

First, lack of acclimatization can cause altitude sickness. That is why we’ve included an acclimatization in Manang. This acclimatization prepares you for the Tilicho Lake Trek.

Second, inadequate physical fitness and existing health concerns cause altitude sickness. Inefficient breathing and extreme fatigue can cause altitude sickness. Moreover, the existing health issues like blood pressure, heart disease, and lung issues cause severe altitude sickness forms like HAPE and HACE.

Moreover, inadequate diet, lack of sleep, and consumption of alcohol and caffeine (coffee, coke, etc) can result in altitude sickness.

Here are some ways that help you to dodge altitude sickness on the trek. However, not guaranteed.

Acclimatization is a must. On this trek, you have one acclimatization stop in Manang. However, if you need additional rest days, it’s better to acclimate extra days at Manang.

Rehydrate more. Dehydration also causes altitude sickness. With low fluid in the body, the blood becomes thick, and oxygen transportation in cells and tissues gets impacted. Rehydration with oral salt solutions is highly recommended.

Avoid caffeine and alcohol: Caffeine and alcohol cause dehydration, which contributes to altitude sickness. Thus, you must avoid caffeine and alcohol some months before and on the trek.