Trek to Tilicho Taal

Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on deep and permanent. Most of my travels have been very planned and systematized, unlike this one, a very brisk decision but by far the most adventurous journey of my life. It was reaching out to a inexplicable location with peerless beauty of nature.

Rewinding back to the memories, the trek was taxing to me on a personal level. A person with agitation of height, climbing the highest lake of the world was not something i would dare to dream. The thought of overcoming my anxiety felt excruciating until i knew to what intensity i would feel at a height of 4990m.

Trek to tilicho was the phenomenal journey of my life. Every night we would unwind ourselves with some drinks but this night was different, we had to sleep early and wake up early tomorrow. We were told to start our trek at the earliest as possible to avoid the cold windy breeze in the afternoon. I remember waking up at 6 and starting a march after a breakfast of 2 scrambled eggs, toast and a tea. And i would definitely suggest a traveller to carry a bottle of water.

30 minutes of brisk walk had already taken me out of breath but With every stride, my nose stung from the fresh and cold air. As my boots touch the gravelly earthed i felt myself dragging with one step at a time. The crazy steep uphill roads, as wide as a tire of a car got me questioned for the decision I made. A 3 hour walk (as we were told), turned out to be a 5 long hours uphill for a lazy human like me.


My continuous complaints slowly faded as I was overwhelmed with a marvelous vista getting closer. My eyes wandered around the panoramic view of the mountains. The sloppy gravel path still freaked me out but the beauty was enchanting. Somewhere inside I felt more courageous. These voguish sky and a prodigious mountains made me comprehend how stunted we are and how petite are our fears.

The closer I marched, the bigger the lake appeared. Almost to the bench and now I see a full view of the big blue lake, the world's highest lake. What i witnessed filled me with euphoria. There was not a thought except being stunned to the view that was infront of me. It was definitely the awestruck moment of my life. I sat on the bench being content with the moment. It was already an afternoon. The cold breeze, the enormous snowy looms, the lake and the bench gave me a sense of peace and tranquility. I resolved to return on day to this halcyon paradise.