Annapurna Circuit & Tilicho Lake trekking vacation

COUNTRY:: Nepal
LOCATION:: Annapurna, Annapurna Circuit
HOLIDAY TYPE:: Strenuous trekking vacations
DEPARTURES:: 2012: 5 Jun, 23 Jun, 17 Jul, 9 Aug, 27 Aug, 14 Sep, 21 Sep, 4 Oct, 16 Oct, 28 Oct, 9 Nov, 16 Nov, 18 Nov, 27 Nov, 7 Dec
PRICE:: From US $795 (18 days) excluding flights
MORE INFO:: plus US $148 domestic air fare

Annapurna Circuit & Tilicho Lake trekking vacation

Traveling with a local operator

This vacation is operated by a company based in the vacation destination and they will be able to provide expert local knowledge. They will be able to tailor make your vacation to suit your requirements not only concerning the dates of travel but also typically the standard of accommodation, and thus price. It is rare for local operators to be able to help with the booking of your flights.

How this vacation makes a difference

Our trekking company is wholly committed to responsible tourism. On our treks & tours, tourism helps improve the standard of living for the local people by generating income for the local community through purchasing of local products such as fresh fruits, handloom products, meat, drinks, and fresh vegetables and providing job opportunities.

We employ well-trained & experienced local guides and hire local porters whose load limit is 20-25kg. Our guides will give a briefing about responsible tourism e.g. rubbish disposal, giving food scraps to domestic animals, paying the porters to carry out trash, using a fire pit when camping, not picking flowers, using kerosene instead of firewood, avoiding bathing/washing clothes in streams, using local tea houses or camping sites. In addition the small group size of 4-10 people helps to minimise the impact on the environment.

On this trek, we stay at local lodges/tea-houses operated by local people such as Himalayan Panorama lodge, Mountain views lodge and Tilicho lodge. These lodges manage garbage properly, use gas for cooking and solar energy facilitated.

Our trekking company supports a local school & health post by financial donations and educational and medical materials. We also support the Kavresthali Women society with financial donations which provides goat farming and adult literacy for women. On this trip, our guests will have the opportunity to give donations to these causes, and visit the Annapurna conservation project to explore the activities of environment protection system in this region. This project plays vital role to protect environment and development community of this region. Visitors can share a moment with the project and see how it is moving ahead for the preservation of nature and culture in this region. Visiting Manang School, visitors can learn about the educational activities of Mongolian students and also can support them by contributing educational materials such as copies, art books, pencils, and sports goods.

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Annapurna Circuit & Tilicho Lake trekking vacation

Reviewed 25 Dec 2010 by Jo Homewood

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?

Beautiful vistas and sunsets over the Annapurnas. Meeting locals, and a whole host of animals, along the way. Rowing across the still lake in Pokara.

2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?

The accommodation and facilities are very basic at times; be prepared not to wash for a few days! Diamox can be useful in treating altitude sickness, but it can also have really unpleasant side effects (not unlike altitude sickness!), so don't rely on it being the solution. We trekked solidly for 13 days, with no rest days; the relentlessness was tough at times.

3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

We were a very small group (just two of us, plus a guide and porter), and out of season, so it felt that we had minimal impact on the environment. Because it was end of season, some of the lodges weren't prepared to heat water or wood burners, so I guess that also minimised the impact on the environment. Our guide and porter were locals (well from the Everest region), so they benefited from our custom. Making use of the local lodges and restaurants felt as if we were putting money back into the villages.

4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?

It was an amazing experience, but a tough trek. We were two fit young women, with trekking experience, and we still found the relentlessness of the 13 days walking pretty challenging. The guide and porter were amazingly patient and uncomplaining; the guide's English was good enough to be able to explain the basics and give us some history and cultural insights as we went along. I would only recommend this particular trip to people who were fit and/or had experience of trekking at altitude, and were happy with basic accommodation and sanitation. We went end of November/beginning of December and the nights were very, very cold, and there were few other tourists around. Whilst it was good to be away from the tourist trail, I'd recommend going slightly earlier in the season due to the conditions.

Reviewed 18 Jun 2008 by Claire Southern

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?

Crossing Throng La in perfect weather - the highest pass in the world certainly has great views!

2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?

Take enough local currency on the trek to cover the cravings for expensive chocolate bars - I never realised how good a Snickers would taste. The food on the trail is good but quite repetitive. Take rehydrating sachets and antibiotics to fight stomach upsets.

3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Yes but I think bottle of mineral water should be not be sold and tourists should be forced to fill up from more regular safe water filling stations. There is clearly a problem with plastic disposal.

4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?

Our guides and porters (Des, Ali and Daour) were amazing - they were so helpful and patient. They made the trip for us even though their English was not great.

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