Kailash Mansarovar Tour

Our representative will come to the airport for transfer to the Hotel. After some refreshment in the hotel, Our Tour leader will make pre departure meeting in the Hotel or at our office. The meeting will cover trip-related information & collecting your Documents (passport copy, 2 passport size photos, Travel insurance).

The morning after breakfast as time set for the sightseeing tour, our city guide will lead you for a few hours on our fascinating heritage and cultural tour around places of interest, a tour of holy Pashupatinath temple, Bouddhanath (Little Tibet), Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple) & monasteries, old historical Palaces, courtyard; and then back to the hotel after the wonderful tour, afternoon free for individual activities and preparation for the journey to Mt. Kailash, Tibet.

Early morning heading towards Kodari on the Kathmandu / Lhasa Friendship highway, after necessary visa formalities at Nepal border in Kodari and across the Friendship Bridge into Tibet a Zhangmu, where our Tibetan guide from our counter agent in Tibet will receive with necessary papers for the entry into Tibet soil. From here another 2 hours drive leading in a gorge following the Bhote Kosi River upstream through beautiful woodlands and waterfalls and then climb up on the winding road to Nylam town for overnight and first night in Tibet. Overnight in a guesthouse or lodge and having meals across the road restaurant where there are Chinese, Nepali, and Tibetan foods can be found.

After a long drive and hectic time through immigration on both sides of the border, today is a leisure and necessary spare and rest day for acclimatization in Nylam, where the tree lines disappear from here onwards. Nylam is the start and end point of the Tibetan plateau, which is the world’s highest and largest windswept and arid plateau. In Nylam there are few places where one can take a short walk the best is to visit the Milereppa cave and its monastery just an hour walk on route Laylung pass, Milereppa is a11th Centaury saint known for his good preaching, poetry, folk songs, and miracles performance.

Starting the morning with Chinese time (Beijing Standard Time) 2 hours 15 minutes ahead of Nepal standard time, after having breakfast leaving Nylam towards our destination to Mt. Kailash, drive soon leads to cross a high pass of Lalung-La at 5,050m with stunning views of Shisha Pangma (8,013m), Mt. Gaurishanker (7,134m) Mt. Langtang (7,234m) along with an array of snow-capped peak range which straddles Tibet / Nepal borders, after catching a mind-blowing scenery, the drive continues downhill on the wide windswept Tibetan plateau close to Shisa Pangma base camp, on the wild side of Tibetan landscapes, passing few farm villages with Yaks and sheep grazing over the fields, reaching a small place near Paige Tsho lake from here crossing few smaller passes reaching Brahmaputra River which flows from glacier of Mt. Kailash. Before had to take a ferry with vehicles to cross this big river, since the last ten years a bridge is built making the ride shorter to reach Saga town where the road from Lhasa joins also. A sleepy town, with several guesthouses, hotels, shops, and stores including night clubs, overnight in Saga hotels or Guest Houses.

From Saga, another day of scenic drive on the vast windswept terrain as the ride on four wheels continues, leading uphill and downhill reaching quaint and deserted village at Dromba with few houses and lodge, restaurants after a stop here, drive continues on the wide plain with views of snow capped peaks towards south around western Nepal side, soon after few hours of drive in the afternoon reaching at Paryang a small windswept village, due to harsh climate people are indoors most of the day. Here in Paryang in simple and basic lodge for overnight stop and relax in this high and dry altitude.

Today onwards journey leads closer to our main destination, as the morning starts into more arid, barren terrain, but somehow beautiful in this remote isolated country, drive leads through few nomads camps and villages and then climb towards Mayum-la pass at 5,150 m, around this area chances of seeing some wildlife the most common are gazelle, deer’s and a herd of Kang (wild ass), from here the view of Mayum Tsho (lake) as the drive leads downhill driving past near Mayum Tsho to reach Horpa, a small place but slowly flourishing into larger town, from here leaving the town behind with a short drive towards the eastern side of Lake Mansarovar, an enormous lake with changing colors of light on its deep blue waters, regarded as one of the holiest lakes among Hindu’s and Buddhist.
Here at Mansarovar in tents for overnights with camping facilities of separate kitchen departments of cooks, kitchen helpers, camping staff, and guides including our Tibetan guide (job as interpreter/liaison officer).

A rest day in this beautiful spot with a grassy field for camping overlooking the vast deep blue lake, which is almost the size of Delhi and twice large as Kathmandu valley almost 70 k.m. from east to west and about 30 -40 k.m. wide with several smaller Gompa (monastery) around the four sides of the lake. Pilgrims take nearly 4 days to cover the circuit around this huge lake, on drive 3-4 hours. From this camp view of Mt. Kailash is 6,714 m and of Gurla Mandhata Range at 7,694 m. As Mansarovar floats beneath the shadow of holy Kailash formed in the mind of God (Brahma creator) hence the word ‘Manas’. In any language, this is the holiest and most famous lake in Asia and probably around the world.

After a pleasant time in Lake Mansarovar, today the start towards our main destination to walk around the holy Mt. Kailash, morning dive leads over the great Barkha plain for two hours near Darchen town, with full of Guest Houses and Hotels, a popular pilgrims place as this is the start and ending point of 52 k.m distance of holy circuit, parikrama/kora (circumambulation). Drive finally ends west of Darchen town at a small spot called Tarboche regarded as a holy place, with huge Buddhist flags where the poles are covered with yak skins, this flag is changed every year during Lord Buddha’s birth anniversary which falls on April / May as per Buddhist Luna calendar, this festival is called Saga Dawa. Starting our first day walk across a scree slope and crossing small streams and meadow, before Damding Donkhang with a great view of Mt. Kailash West Face, soon after 5 hours of tiring and good walk reaching at Diraphuk for overnight, this place located North Face of Kailash with an old Gompa and few lodge and stores.

Today, the walk leads to the highest point at Droma-la pass 5, 470m -18,525 ft, the highest point of this awesome journey, as the morning starts on a level path for short while and then after crossing a small wooden bridge, then climbing high, where the trail to inner branches off as our walk leads higher following the path with scattered items of old worn clothes, bangles, etc offering made by the Tibetans pilgrims, finally after a hard struggle uphill with few rest in between reaching Dromo-la highest top of this circuit and kora, on the top a big boulder represents Dolma or Dromo goddess (Tara) the pass festooned with thousands of Buddhist prayer flags, after a physical and spiritual high point of walk where this holy kora completes after heading downhill just near Saraswati Kund (a small frozen icy pond) regarded holy for Hindus. Walk finally descends on the vast grassy plain where you see lots of moles around this area hiding in mud holes, from here on the gradual winding path to Zutul-Puk Gompa, Zuthul meaning cave (Tibetan).
with few lodge and guest houses and stores, close by lies 11th Century saint, poet and tantric guru Milarepa stayed here meditating, where you can see his footprint on the roof of the overhanging cave, overnight in tents or inside the lodge with meals served by our camping crews.

After a hard day’s walk of the previous day, complete this excellent journey towards the starting point of this circuit/parikrama or kora in Darchen, as the trek leads on the easy trail following Karnali River which flows to far western Nepal onto India. Just near Darchen town located south of Mt. Kailash, where some Indian pilgrims mostly Jain religion visits Astapada, a small icy rock next to Mt. Kailash, represents a Nandi bull for Hindus and Tarmo an offering for the Buddhist pilgrims, for Tibetans and Buddhist Mt. Kailash is known as Great Khang Rinpoche and abode of the guru, where’s Lord Shiva for the Hindus. From here drive towards Mayum-la pass to camp on the suitable grassy field after a few hours of the ride.

After a great journey over holy Mt. Kailash and a visit to sacred Lake Manasarover, packing the camping gear drive continues heading back to Saga on the great vast arid plain of the Tibetan plateau with few high passes to cross till Saga is reached for an overnight stop in local hotels/guest houses after driving through Paryang.

Goodbye to vast Tibetan plateau, as the drive today leads back into greenery into forested area, after Laylung -la pass and Nylam town, heading downhill following Lhasa / Kathmandu highway all the way reaching frontier town in Zhangmu, after going through the gorge with lovely alpine forested area and beautiful waterfalls. Zhangmu town, Nepali calls Khasa and in Tibetan Dramu, this town busy with Chinese, Tibetans and Nepali merchants and traders full of shops and restaurants, including bars, night club and discotheque.

After a great time in Tibet, the morning after going through immigration and heading towards Friendship and farewell to our Tibetan guide and drivers, at Kodari in Nepal check into immigration and then a scenic drive back to the hustle and bustle of the city life of Kathmandu.

Today is your last day in Nepal with great memories of Mt. Kailash, Tibet, and Nepal after an amazing experience, transfer to Tribhuvan International airport for final departure towards homeward bound or to the next port of call.