Kailash Mansarovar Yatra – A Complete Guide

Nestled in the remote wilderness of western Tibet, Mount Kailash stands as a majestic pyramid of rock and snow, revered as one of the holiest places on Earth. For thousands of years, spiritual seekers have come here to find divinity, purity, and liberation from their sins.

Sacred to Hindus, Buddhists, Bonpo, and Jains, Mount Kailash is known as the “Navel of the Earth,” a place where divine energy is believed to touch the earthly realm. Pilgrims from around the world come to honor its sacred presence, performing the ancient ritual of Parikrama (kora) by walking around the mountain in deep devotion.

The journey is both challenging and transformative. As trekkers pass through surreal valleys and canyons, they experience a profound inner shift. This spiritual journey reaches its peak at Dolma La Pass, the highest point of the pilgrimage, where physical effort meets a deep sense of spiritual awakening.

Ancient texts depict Mt. Kailash as the center of the world. Within 30 miles radius of this snow-clad rock pyramid are the sources of rivers Indus, Sutlej, Brahmaputra and Karnali. According to holy texts of Hinduism, Mt. Kailash is the abode of Lord Shiva. Jains call Kailash as Mount Ashtapada. Rishabhadeva, the founder of Jainism is known to have attained liberation from rebirth at Mount Kailash.

• Hinduism: Mount Kailash is considered the abode of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Performing the parikrama (circumambulation) of the mountain is believed to cleanse sins and grant moksha.
• Buddhism: Buddhists regard the mountain as the home of Buddha Demchok, representing supreme bliss.
• Jainism: It is believed that Lord Rishabhadeva, the first Tirthankara, attained salvation here.
• Bon religion: Followers believe Mount Kailash is the seat of spiritual power and a central axis of the world.

The Lake Mansarovar, a pristine freshwater lake, is believed to have been created by Lord Brahma. A holy dip in its waters is said to wash away all sins and bring spiritual purity.

Visit Mt. Kailash

Pilgrims take on a tough journey to Mount Kailash, walking a kora – a 42 km trek that circles this sacred mountain. This guide is here to help you plan your spiritual adventure to Mount Kailash, known by Tibetans as Kang Rinpoche.

Major Challenges

The journey to Mount Kailash is not just spiritually meaningful, but also physically and logistically demanding. Traveling through high-altitude, remote routes requires both mental strength and good physical fitness. On top of that, reaching Tibet itself can be difficult for many pilgrims. This guide highlights the main challenges you may face and how to prepare for them.

1. Tibet Travel Permit

Getting the Tibet Travel Permit is one of the biggest challenges. The rules and regulations set by the Tibetan authorities often change, and the permit for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra can only be arranged through authorized travel agencies. Occasionally, permits may be delayed or entry could be restricted for reasons beyond anyone’s control, though this is rare.

2. Lack of Basic Services

The route to Mount Kailash passes through some of the most remote areas of Tibet. While travel agencies arrange accommodation, transportation, food, and water, basic services like mobile networks, internet, and health facilities are often unavailable. During peak times like full moon departures, accommodation can also be limited due to the few guesthouses in the region.

3. High Altitude Trekking and Weather

The kora (trek) around Mount Kailash is done at an altitude of over 4,000 meters. The combination of thin air, steep paths, and unpredictable weather makes this a tough challenge. High altitude can cause health issues such as fatigue or altitude sickness, so proper acclimatization and preparation are essential.

Preparing for the trip

The most challenging part of the journey is making the kora, and you need to be well prepared to overcome these challenges. The kora starts at Yama Dwar, 08 km away from Darchen, the base camp of Mt. Kailash.

Step 1: Understanding Your Destination

Climate

The journey to Kailash will take you through various circumstances. Dealing with the climatic variations throughout the journey is one of the most challenging aspects of this journey. This journey requires you to prepare for extreme cold circumstances as you will be trekking through snow covered, dry and windy terrains.

The temperature variation will be between -5 to 20 degrees Celsius. At night it gets chilling cold. During the day, if the Sun is out, it gets around 15 – 20 degrees. Make sure you pack enough warm clothes for these circumstances. Despite the routes, you will have to travel on a bus at one point or the other. Since you will be travelling in large groups, it is going to be stuffy inside. Make sure your clothes are warm yet light. Packing clothes for multiple layers is highly recommended

Altitude

During the kora, you will have to trek at altitudes higher than 5000m. It is not recommended for you to visit Kailash if you are epileptic, or are prone to seizures. Even if you are not doing the kora, you will have to travel to altitudes higher than 4500 m. Make sure you are in an excellent health condition before making this trip. Make sure that your travel agent/agency provides you with oxygen supply under emergency conditions. Pack up medications related to health risks one can face at high altitudes for emergency situations.

Step 2: Planning The Routes and Dates

Mt Kailash can be visited through Nepal and India.

Through Nepal

Going to Kailash through Nepal, only Kailash tour operators affiliated with T.A.R. Foreign Exchange Center (FEC) will be able to apply for the permits for the trip. Previously China India Pilgrim Service Center (CIPSC) who used to handle all the Indian Travelers has been closed and a new organization named as Foreign Exchange Center (FEC) has been established to handle the groups starting 2019. As per their requirements, only after sending the Authorization Guarantee Deposit amount to FEC, one can obtain the certificate to apply for the permits and only those companies will be able to operate the trip in collaboration with them. We inform all the travelers, before booking to ask your travel agent whether they have obtained the authorization certificate or not.

Nepalgunj – Simikot – Hilsa in Nepal route

This is a popular trekking route to reach Mt. Kailash. You can either trek to Hilsa or take a helicopter. Taking a helicopter is quicker and convenient but is comparatively expensive. Through this route, if you take the helicopter, the trip to Mt. Kailash along with the kora takes under 11 days. If you want the trip to be quick, comparatively convenient and spiritually fulfilling, this route is strongly recommended.

Best time to go: May, June, September (July-August tours may be influenced by the monsoon)

Kathmandu – Kyirong – Saga

This is an overland route for the journey to Mt. Kailash. The journey will be around 13 days long on Coach / Bus until Darchen. However, this route is cheaper than the Simikot – Hilsa route despite taking more days to complete. If you want your trip to be more affordable this is the way to go.

Best time to go: May- September (Depends on road conditions)

Private Helicopter Charter

This helicopter charter is another option to visit Mt. Kailash. This will definitely be highly expensive, however will allow you to highly customise your own trip. A 5-person group is recommended if you want maximum economic efficiency, regardless of the number of people, the cost of chartering the helicopter is fixed.

Best time to go: May- September (Independent of Weather)

Through India

Facilitated by the Indian Government only for Indian Pilgrims, a 28 days journey to Mt. Kailash is organised each year in the summer months. This journey takes you through other various religious sites in India, trekking for more than 20 days through the Uttarakhand border.

Pilgrims are required to apply for this program. The application is a rigorous process. Over 6000 pilgrims apply to travel to Kailash through this route and only as many as 400 get selected every year. Even if you are applying in a group, it is not assured that all the members of the group will be selected.

Step 3: Obtaining the Permit/Visa

As per the rules of the Chinese government, it is a must that the travellers apply for the permit through an authorised travel agency. Processes of applying for the permit varies for Indian travellers and for Non-Indian travellers. The travel agency applies on behalf of the travellers in group, as required by the Chinese regulations. Hence, the travel agency set the dates for travel as they will be dealing with multiple people to create a group large enough to apply for a group visa.

First, the travel agencies require you to fill up a booking form purchasing package. On accounts that you are travelling in a large group (numbers may vary between travel agencies), you can also request for a customised trip and select the date of travel.

For Non – Indian travellers travelling through Nepal

The Tibetan permit application process requires you to send colour-scanned copies of your passport through which the travel agency will apply. The time required for the permit to be granted by the Tibetan authority is not fixed, but it generally takes around 25 days. Later you will need to arrive to Kathmandu 03 working days before the trip in Kathmandu for the Chinese Visa as we will require your original passport. You can get a Nepalese Visa upon arrival at Kathmandu Airport.

For Indian travellers travelling to Kailash through Nepal

you will be required to send your coloured copies of the passports to the travel agency, through which they will apply for the permit on your behalf. Later we will require your original passport at our Delhi office about 07 working days before the trip date for the Chinese Visa. Generally, your passport can be collected from Delhi once the visa is approved. However, since Indian citizens do not need a passport to travel to Nepal, you can travel with your Voters card to Kathmandu if flying directly from India. If you travel by road then any valid government Id will do. You can also pick up your passport once you arrive in Nepal.

Note: Regardless of you having a valid Chinese Visa already stamped on your passport, you will still be required to apply for a Chinese Group Visa if you are travelling for Kailash through Nepal. The existing Chinese Visa will be cancelled by the Chinese Embassy and new Group Visa will be provided.

Age Limit

As per the new rules, the age limit has now been removed and Indian travellers above 70 years of age will also be able to join for the trip but there are certain requirements for it. The requirements for such travelers are as mentioned below:

1. You have to submit health examination report made within 6 months from travel date by Indian public hospital above the country level, the content of the report should include the doctor’s judgment and suggestion whether your physical condition is suitable for the plateau area (4000 meters or 13000 ft above sea level).
2. Application by you to express the intention for pilgrimage in Tibet side; the application should be signed and fingerprinted by you and your two direct
3. Tibet side will judge whether to allow your entry according to the documents
4. You should not have high blood pressure, heart disease, asthma and other
5. At least two of your relatives should accompany you on the
6. Also you have to pay USD 1000 as a risk deposit to A.R. Foreign Exchange Center (FEC) which will be returned back after tour completion except, If incase a pilgrim died then the deposit will be charged as liquidated damage by T.A.R. Foreign Exchange Center (FEC).
7. Local medical center of Tibet will make health examination and give a proposal whether you are suitable for parikrama. If doctor’s proposal is “not suitable for parikrama” you have to stop the

For Non-Indian travelers, the above mentioned formalities are not necessary.

General Itinerary During Kora

The kora begins at Yama Dwar, which is 2hrs drive from Darchen, the Base camp of Mt. Kailash. The kora is generally 3 days long. This is the common itinerary during kora.

1st Day of Parikrama

• Drive to Darchen (4650m) & Yama Dwar & Trek to Dirapuk (4880m) – Overnight in Dirapuk After Breakfast – Drive to Darchen (35 km – 1 hr) and Yama Dwar (8 km) – the starting point for Kora.
• We will trek to Dirapuk for 14 km. You will visit the North face of Mt. Kailash and touching the feet of Mt. Kailash (Charan Sparsh). Travelers who do not want to trek around (Parikrama) Mt. Kailash can go back to Darchen wait for the rest of the group to arrive from Parikrama.

2nd Day of Parikrama

• On to Zuthulpuk (4670m) via Trek to Dolma La Pass (5700m) – Overnight in Zuthulphuk After Breakfast – Trek from Dirapuk to Dolma La Pass (8 km).
• About 3 kms before reaching Dolma La Pass is steep hill and quite difficult to walk. Also descending from Dolma La Pass is the same for upto 3 km. While descending you can see Gaurikund on the right. After walking for about 2 – 3 hrs we will reach Phedi. After some rest we will start trek to Zuthulphuk (12 km trek for 6 hours).

3rd Day of Parikrama

• Trek to Darchen – Drive to Hilsa or Saga depending upon the package.
• After Breakfast – After short easy Trek (8 km – 3 hrs), we will reach our Private A/C Coach pick up point. Then drive to Darchen (3 kms) and merge with other members who were waiting. From there drive to Hilsa or Saga depending upon the package the travelers have booked.

Currency

For your travel, you need to manage your currencies and know where to exchange the currencies. The following are the important details to get around with exchanging currencies:

• You can ask your travel agent to exchange the amount to Yuan (Chinese Currency) for you upon your arrival in Kathmandu.
• It is suggested to carry minimum CNY (Chinese Yuan) 2,000 extra for any emergency and personal, if you want to hire a horse for Parikrama then extra 3500 needs to be carried.
• Any unused CNY may be re‐exchanged in Kathmandu.

Potential Extra Expenses

Ponies

Trekkers can hire ponies during the kora to ride ponies in case they are unable to walk. However the rule of the Pony owner and Porter Union is that Pony and/or Porter can be hired for full three days and not partial trip. Also the money has to be paid in advance and no refund is possible if you cancel the Parikrama or return back in two days time instead of doing the full three days Parikrama.

There are very slight chances that you may be able to get a pony for a single day in certain cases but the prices are definitely going to be exorbitant.

Emergencies

You never know when you will get into an emergency situation. It is always safe to have some amount with you if you get into any kind of trouble.

Mobile Phone in Tibet

How to keep in touch with your friend & family during the trip?

Indian and Nepali SIM card doesn’t work at Tibet side but there will be shops at the phone center on the way to Kailash Yatra. You can take your mobile with you and buy a SIM card there to keep in touch with your family and relatives.

Buying a Tibetan SIM Card

Costs: Yuan 100 – Only Incoming, Yuan 200: Both incoming and outgoing). Carry a cell phone and chargers. Recharge facilities available at lodge only during evening generator hours (3-4hrs).

Other En-route Attractions

During your journey to Kailash, depending on your route, you can enjoy various other attractions as well.

Pashupatinath

Joining the trip from Kathmandu you will surely be taken to visit Pashupatinath, one of the Holiest and Sacred Hindu temple which lies in the Eastern part of Kathmandu.

Lake Mannsarovar

To the south of Kailash lies the holy lake Mansarovar. You will be visiting the lake, as it is included in the Mt. Kailash packages offered by the travel agents in Nepal.

Gauri Kund

Travellers who continue for the 02nd Day of Parikrama will be able to visit Gaurikund, which is just below the Dolma La Pass (5700 m). After we cross the pass, you will be able to see it on the right hand side while descending.

Lhasa & Shigatse

Some tour packages to Kailash takes you through Lhasa and Shigatse where you can experience a spiritually well held tibetan culture and the impacts of globalization on the culture.

Booking Guide

You now must have done quite a bit of thinking since you have come to the stage of booking the trip to Mt. Kailash Manasarovar. With Kailash Journeys Pty Ltd & Kailash Vision Treks, we assure you that you will have a great journey to Mt. Kailash with our hardworking team assisting you at each and every step through booking until you go back home after completing the trip.

Step 1: Select your package

You need to choose the route you want to take to select one of our packages that you want to book. These are the routes that we offers to our customers.

Budget Helicopter Trip

Kailash Mansarovar Yatra by Helicopter

Nepalgunj – Simikot – Hilsa is a popular trekking route to reach Mt. Kailash. You can either trek to Hilsa or take a helicopter. Taking a helicopter is quicker and convenient but is comparatively expensive. Through this route, if you take the helicopter, the trip to Mt. Kailash along with the kora takes under 11 days. If you want the trip to be quick, comparatively convenient and spiritually fulfilling, this route is strongly recommended.

Best time to go: May, June, September (July-August tours may be influenced by the monsoon)

Budget Overland Trip:

Kailash Mansarovar Yatra by Road – Kyirong Border

Kathmandu – Kyirong – Saga is an overland route for the journey to Mt. Kailash. The journey will be around 13 days long on Coach / Bus until Darchen. However, this route is cheaper than the Simikot-Hilsa route despite taking more days to complete. If you want your trip to be more affordable this is the way to go.

Best time to go: May – September (Depends on road conditions)

Highly Customisable Quick Trip:

Private Helicopter Charter is another option to visit Mt. Kailash. This will definitely be highly expensive, however will allow you to highly customize your own trip. A 5-person group is recommended if you want maximum economic efficiency, regardless of the number of people, the cost of chartering the helicopter is fixed.

Best time to go: May- September (Independent of Weather)

Step 2: Select your departure

Selecting a departure date is very important according to the kind of experience you want to have. Journey to Kailash is difficult to do during winter. So we don’t organize trips to Kailash Manasarovar during the months of October – April.

One of the popular options for date selection is the full moon departure.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Full Moon Departure

Advantages

• Festivals in Tibet happens during Full Moon (especially Saga Dawa Full Moon Festival: the holiest day in Tibetan Buddhism)
• Full-Moon in Mansarovar: Many travellers prefer doing puja during the Full Moon (Purnima)
• Many want to see beautiful view of the full moon over Mount Kailash
• Prefer doing Kora during Full-moon

Disadvantages

If you are taking a flight or flights in your journey to Kailash, please be aware that there are a limited number of airlines operating in that area. The volume of travellers will be high during full moon, and any weather difficulties may force you to spend additional nights on the way. Airliners will also be under pressure to transport passengers due to the high inflow of travellers and hence is more vulnerable to complications. This may lead to you ultimately missing the full moon at Lake Manasarovar. Also due to very limited facilities in Tibet, there can arise the issues for accommodations as well.

The full moon departure most often is organised with a 100% success rate with overland tours, since weather doesn’t extend the journey while travelling by land.

Step 3: Advance Payments

You will now need to send us the Advanced Deposit when you send your booking form.

There are two different ways that you can make the payment:

• Transfer to Australian Bank
• Transfer to Nepal’s Siddhartha Bank Ltd

Once you have filled up the required details in the form and made the payment, Kailash Journeys Pty Ltd. will confirm your payment and booking.

Step 4: Fill up our booking form

After you have made your booking payment, you will need to fill up our booking form. You can find our booking form here.

In the booking form, you will need to provide us with your personal details, contact details and emergency contact details. You will need to clearly mention the package name in the booking form. You will have the option to include add-on packages to your package with additional costs

The booking form is simple and easy to fill. You will also want to read our terms and conditions available in the booking form to understand what risks and liabilities are borne by Kailash Journeys Pty Ltd & Kailash Vision Treks and what aren’t.

Step 5: Arrange the additional requirements

Once you are done filling up our booking form, you will need to arrange the additional requirements for the booking process. Following are the additional requirements:

1. Colored Scanned Passport Copies (Passport needs to be Valid at least 06 months from the travel dates)
2. Travel Insurance (Recommended for Helicopter Trips)

Send the coloured copies of your passport attached with your booking form as it is necessary for permit application.

Step 6: Permit Application

Kailash Journeys will handle the Permit Application process once you have sent your Advance deposit, Booking Form and colored copies of your passports. We will then inform you once your permit has arrived.

Note: Sometimes due to unknown reasons, the Tibetan Authorities do not provide the permits in time due to which the trip might get delayed. 

Step 7: Completing the Payment

You will have to make the full payment before 35 days of the trip. If you have booked for the helicopter trip, you will also need to send your insurance papers at this point. If you book with the early booking offers then payment must be made as per the schedule provided by the Travel agency.

Step 8: Chinese Visa

After applying for the permits, we will also need a Group Chinese Visa. Without permit we will not be able to apply for the visa. Thus we have to wait for the permits to be received. For the Visa, we will need the original passport for the Chinese Visa. Passport requirements for Indian and Non – Indian Passport Holders are as mentioned below:

Indian Passport Holder:- Passport required at our Delhi office minimum 07 working days before the trip date.

Non – Indian Passport Holder:- Passport required at our Kathmandu office minimum 03 working days before the trip date.

Note: Saturday and Sunday are not counted as working days.

After Booking Guide

So you have booked your trip and made your payments. You are looking forward to the experience of your lifetime at Mt. Kailash and Lake Manasarovar. This is a comprehensive guide that will help you plan for your trip once you have booked for one of our packages.

Packing up for the trip

Mt Kailash and Lake Manasarovar are located at a high altitude, remote and cold place. Packing up to travel in such a place is extremely important. You will need to have enough clothing to manage in the cold and dry environment and yet your luggage should be light enough for them to not exceed the weight limits if you are travelling by aircrafts and helicopters.

Clothing

• Clothing (6 sets. Please avoid Saris and Dhotis)
• Woolen Sweater or Jacket (1)l
• Thermal Inner Wear (2-3 pairs)
• Wide Rim Hat (1)
• Woolen Cap & Scarf (1 set)
• Waterproof Gloves (1 pair)
• Sandals (1 pair)
• Trekking Shoes (01 Pair)
• Thick Cotton Socks (3 – 6 pairs)

Others

• Currency (4000 – 5000 Yuans)
• Travel Insurance Copies Power banks and charger
• Puja Items
• Torch
• Trekking Sticks
• Some Dry Snacks / Dry fruits
• Rain gear
• Sunscreen / Lip balm
• Sunglasses
• Toilet paper / wet wipes / hand
• sanitizer
  First-aid kit / personal medication / Towel
• Thermos Flask
• Water can for holy water
• M-seal to seal your bottles of Mansarovar Jal
• Travel adaptor

Medical Kit

Even though our team will have a medical kit available during the journey, it is smart if you pack for yourself so that you can have convenient access whenever you need it.

• Diamox – 20 tablets *paracetamol (crocin)
• Pain killer
• Eye drops for burning eyes
  *multivitamin pills
• Muscle relaxant *antibiotic
• Motion sickness and high
• altitude sickness medicine
  Vicks vaporub
• Water purification tablets
• Neosporin ointment *band aid *antihistamine (contact cc)
• Knee-cap *electric power
• thermometer

Managing your En-trip finances and budget

Even though earlier we did cover a fair bit on the potential expenses during the journey, there are many other potential extra expenses that one can incur during the journey. This segment provides you with details about potential unforeseen expenses that you may have to bear.

Anticipated Expenses Under Emergency
Following are the costs that you may have to incur under a worst possible emergency circumstance:

1.  Tibet Fee for early return (USD 100 per person per day)
2. Visa Splitting Fees
3. Rescue Operation Fees
4. Ambulance / Private Vehicle Hire
5. Helicopter Charter
6. Food and Accommodation

Note: Flight delays and weather cancellations may also lead you to extend your stay at different process.

Currency Exchange

• We can help exchange the amount to Yuan (Chinese Currency) for you upon your arrival in Kathmandu. You must let us know upon Kathmandu arrival on the first day so that we can proceed immediately.
• We suggest to carry minimum CNY (Chinese Yuan) 2,000 extra money and INR 15,000 for any emergency. Also if you plan to hire a horse, then you will need extra 3500 Chinease Yuan.
• Any unused CNY may be re-exchanged in Kathmandu.

Managing your diet

We will provide you with breakfast, lunch, dinner (vegetarian). All the meals during your tour in Tibet will be freshly prepared and provided by our cook who will accompany you during the trip. These meals will include varieties of Indian Veg meals like rice, curry, rotis, dals, vegetables, curd, etc. You will also be able to buy some supplementary food like chocolates, biscuits, nuts, bhujiya and your tinned products to add variations to the meal once you enter Tibet.
If you have any allergies or conditions related to the food, please let us know beforehand so that we can make the necessary arrangements.

Mobile Phone in Tibet

Keeping in Touch: Indian and Nepali SIM card doesn’t work at Tibet side but there will be shops at the phone center on the way to Kailash Yatra. You can take your mobile with you and buy a SIM card there to call your family and relatives.
Please be aware about the costs of the SIMs mentioned so that you can pre plan your budget:

• Cost: Yuan 100 = Incoming only
• Cost: Yuan 200 = Incoming and outgoing

Note: You will need to make additional recharges to make calls

FAQs