Nepal

Hello everyone. Welcome back to my next blog. Here I am going to tell everything about the Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra. It is the first Trek of mine which I am writing before I have gone there, so there will be no experiences of mine but I will try to provide experiences of others who have visited there. Also this post will be for 2024 or onwards. As the season of Kailash Mountain Yatra has started, I am wanting to provide you with all the itinerary and necessary information so that you can perform this destination. People consider this also as a religious yatra so we will denote it as ‘Trip’. So Let’s start.

History of Mt. Kailash

Mount Kailash is located in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It is considered as one of the oldest mountains in the world having its unique geographical structure.

It is considered as the Sacred Mountain by different religions. For example, Hinduism considers Mount Kailash to be the place where Lord Shiva resides; Buddhism associates it with Buddha Demchok; and in Jainism, this place is associated with the first Jain Tirthankar. Pilgrimages circumambulate (Parikrama) the Mountain by all 360 angles as per religious perspective. It is also considered a spiritual journey for many travelers.   

Best Time for this Trip

Considering the weather conditions of Kailash, it is best to visit there during Summer and Monsoon seasons. To be very specific, following table shows the months along with reasons:

Months	Remarks
May-June	Being period after winter, the temperature starts to warm up there. This period is considered the best period as roads are easily accessible and the weather is at its best.
July-August	Besides it being monsoon, the weather is quite stable at this time. Maximum pilgrimage visits Mansarovar during this period. All travel companies start their package for this period.
September- Early October	At this period also people are visiting Kailash but have to ensure first whether temperature started going down or not. If you want to go in October, then visit in the first half of september.

Note: I find that May-June is the best time for visiting Kailash, as you can also enjoy slight snowfall and also the crowds are less which give you eternal peace.

Estimated Budget for this Trip

It is to be noted very carefully that to perform this trip, you must go through a Tour Operator which is registered. You can not go there individually as it is restricted by the Chinese government for safety and other purposes. 

Having that in mind, you have to check for different travel companies which make packages for different residents. So the actual cost for this trip depends upon, from which company, what kind of packages you want to take. Cost might be high if such a tour operator gives you high facilities. It is suggested to choose your package as per your budget and necessary itineraries.

For the estimation, I have found the budget for Nepali citizens of NPR 1,80,000 to NPR 2,50,000, varying for different travel agencies. If you are a foreigner visiting Kailash from Nepal, the package price might be slightly higher (might be max. up to $3000) and approx. INR 2,50,000 for Indian Citizens.

Note: This estimation is taken from confirmation from different Travel companies of Nepal. Depending upon the time and condition, the estimation may vary. 

Visa Applying Process for this Trip

Following documents are required for performing this Trip:

• Nepalese Passport
• Tibet Travel Permit for entering Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR)
• Chinese Visa
• Group Visa for Tibet
• Alien’s Travel Permit
• TIMS Card

So, you might be worried about where I will get all of these documents but here is a fun fact, you just have to fill the form provided by the Travel Operator and give them your passport. All rest of the documents are prepared by your travel operator. 

But you have to ensure that you have given all your details along with the booking amount to your chosen travel agency in advance as it takes several weeks to process this application.

Things You should Carry

As this Trip can be about 10 days or more, you have to take several items of your regular used things or trip specific things. Except 3-4 days, you will be driving over vehicles only, so you can carry almost all the required things. For the trekking purposes, following are the must have things within you so that you need to have to ask for others:

• Warm and extra clothes 
• Waterproof jackets and Pants
• Hiking boots
• Sunglasses and Sunscreens
• Personal Medications along with altitude sickness medications
• Personal hygiene items like Toothbrush, Paste, Shampoos, Wet tissues, etc.
• Electronics like Cameras, Power Banks, Torchlights and Chargers
• Water Bottles for dehydrations
• Misc. items like Snacks, Earbuds, Towels, etc.

Itinerary for the Trip

Nepal to Mt Kailash trip can also be covered through the Nepalgunj- Simikot route. But here I am providing you the most used route i.e. Trishuli-Rasuwagadhi. As we have to cross the Nepal-China border to do this trip, it is the most followed route.

So here I will be providing the itinerary of 11 days for this trip. Days might vary as per different travel companies. Here is the complete Itinerary:

Day 1: Kathmandu to Syabrubesi

Day 2: Syabrubesi to Kerung

Day 3: Kerung to Saga

Day 4: Saga to Lake Mansarovar

Day 5: Lake Mansarovar to Darchen

Day 6: Trek from Darchen to Dirapuk

Day 7: Trek from Dirapuk to Zuthulpuk

Day 8: Trek from Zuthulpuk to Darchen and Drive to Lake Mansarovar

Day 9: Lake Mansarovar to Saga

Nearby Places: Paryang County- Grassland

Day 10: Saga to Kerung(Gyirong)

Nearby Places: Lhatse County

Day 11: Kerung to Kathmandu

Things to be noted:

• Above itinerary might vary as per different travel operator and packages
• Breakfast, lunch, dinner and stay will be scheduled by Travel operator
• Itinerary might also be change due to severe weather conditions

Conclusions

At last, embarking on the journey of Mt. Kailash not only provides you with religious and spiritual significance but also provides immense beauty of ancient Himalayas and lakes. As this trip will be conquered only after entering China, kindly comply with the rules and regulations of China. Further, the weather of this area is completely unpredictable, so be prepared for both rainy and sunny days. 

At last if you have any questions or wanna know more personally about this trip you can fill out the Contact Me form here and kindly stay connected with My Instagram.

Thanks for reading! All the way from Tourbabari.

Also Read: 9 BEAUTIFUL TREKKING PLACES OF NEPAL FOR 2024