By Belina Thapa

Lamjung, Oct. 16: With the conclusion of Dashain festival, movements of both the domestic and foreign tourists have increased in Tilicho Lake, located at an altitude of 4,919 metres from the sea level in Manang district.
Among all lakes of the country, Tilicho is located at the highest altitude. The lake is situated at Ward No 9 of Disyang Rural Municipality in Manang district.
According to locals, tourists have started thronging the lake immediately after Dashain concluded.
October is the best season to visit the lake having azure water just under blue sky.
“Around 200 tourists arrive in Tilicho on a daily basis,” said Rinjen Dorje Gurung chair of Ward No 9 of Disyang Rural Municipality.
“It is the best season to visit Tilicho. Look, the sky is blue, and the beautiful lake full of blue water that mesmerises every visitor,” he added.
According to him, of the total tourists visiting the lake, locals outnumber the foreign ones.
Locals said that the Annapurna Circuit Trek has become overcrowded due to the increasing number of tourists heading towards the Tilicho Lake.
According to them, most domestic tourists tend to travel in jeeps and motorcycles after Manang, one of the districts located beyond the Himalayas, was connected with road network.
Chairman of Disyang Rural Municipality Kanchha Ghale said that with the construction of road in the district, journey to Tilicho had become more comfortable. According to him, Tilicho has been the main attraction for domestic tourists.
“The main season to visit Tilicho has begun. The number of domestic tourists to the beautiful lake has increased while a large number of foreign tourists is also arriving here. Local hotels are now fully occupied with the increasing movement of tourists,” Ghale added.
The upper part of Manang was connected with the road network five years ago, which has made the journey of the tourists in the district easier.
“A larger number of domestic tourists started pouring in Tilicho with the construction of motorable road here,” Ghale said.
Both the domestic and foreign tourists arrive in Manang from Beshishahar of Lamjung by riding jeeps and bikes.
Many of them could also be seen shooting the songs of films and music videos in Tilicho, Ghale added.
According to Kshetra Gurung, a tourist assistant at the area office of Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP), daily around 200 to 250 tourists travel up to Manang via the Annapurna Circuit Trek.
He said that the number of domestic and foreign tourists had increased immediately after the festival of Dashain concluded.
“Most of the domestic tourists tend to visit Tilicho

while a few of them head towards Thorangla Pass,” he said.
He said the season to visit Tilicho had begun. “A big crowd of tourists throng the Tilicho Lake every day. Of them 50 to 60 are local tourists and a few are foreigners,” Gurung said.
The Annapurna Circuit Trek is world famous trekking route and the Tilicho Lake lies on this trekking route.
Jeep services are available along the 35km fair weather road from Chame of Manang to Khangsar. One has to walk for four hours to reach Tilicho Base Camp from Khangsar and another four hours to reach Tilicho from Khangsar.
Khangsar can be reached from Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan and other towns of central Nepal.