Kailash Mansarovar Tour

On your arrival day, the team member of Nepal Trekking Routes receives you at the Kathmandu International Airport. After welcoming you, s/he takes you to the hotel which is reserved for your accommodation. You can take a rest after taking your lunch. Take a stroll around the tourist center Thamel and manage some trekking gears as by consulting with the trekking guide. In the evening, the trekking guide of our agency gives you all the necessary instructions about Mansarovar Kailash Yatra itinerary.

After taking breakfast at the hotel, you start the holy pilgrimage journey to Mansarovar Kailash Yatra in a tourist couch. From Kathmandu Valley, the bus gradually moves towards the northeastern side along the PasangLhamu Highway either from Kakani or Galchhi. The roadway journey to Syabrubesi rewards you with the panoramic vistas of snowcapped peaks of Manaslu region and Langtang region. The amazing sight of the mountain villages, lush valleys, cultivated farming lands and small towns makes your journey more memorable. Overnight stay at a lodge in Syabrubesi, the gateway to Langtang region, Ganesh Himal trekking and Tamang Cultural Heritage trail.

After breakfast at Syabrubesi, you begin the travel along the newly constructed roadway towards Kerung located in the autonomous region of China. On the way, you go across Rasuwagadhi (1,800m) enjoying the natural landscapes and the snowy peaks of Langtang region. At the border between Rasuwa and Kerung, the trekking guide fulfills the immigration and custom formalities to prepare the legal documents. Afterwards, you move ahead to reach Kerung located in Tibet of China for the night accommodation at a local guesthouse. As the drive from Syabrubesi to Kerung is quite shorter, you can take a short visit around Kerung city.

It is obvious that acclimatization process is the basic requirement to ascend the higher altitude so that you can avoid altitude sickness. Acclimatization day in Kerung helps you to complete the drive to a high altitude place above 4,500m. You can enjoy the stunning views of Ganesh Himal and LangtangHimal located at the border between Nepal and Tibet.Kerung is a popular sacred and historical place which is the home of the 11th Century great Chinese scholar and saint, Milarepa. Milarepa is a saint who did a long devoted penance in the Himalayas of Tibet and Nepal and got enlightened. A revered poet and folk laurate, known for his tantric wisdom is still remembered by the native herdsmen and countrymen.

After taking breakfast in Kerung, you begin a scenic drive towards Dongba along the roadway that leads to Tibetan Plateau. Dongba lies in in the largest plateau in the world, Tibetan Plateau in the Inner Tibet. Moving ahead, the road joins the road that leads to Nylam and Zhangmu, two large salt lakes of the region. During the journey further, you have to go across Thong La and La Lung Pass offering the eye-catching scenery of Paikutsho Lake. After crossing a bridge over the Brahmaputra River (the YalungTsangpo in Tibetan Dialect), you reach Saga. Saga is a moderate type of trade center that is growing day by day and is located en route between Sigatse and Mansarovar region. All the way enjoying the beautiful vistas of the Old Dongba town, you move forward to New Dongba for the night rest. Overnight stay at one of the local guest houses that are increasing in the town of New Dongba.

Today’s drive continues along the large plots of the spreading Tibetan Plateau showing you the distant view of the snowy peaks. En route, you pass by some villages and seasonal sheds built by the yak herders to protect from wind and snowfalls. You drive across Paryang (4,450m) which has about 20 houses serving as the inns to help the tourists spend the nights comfortably. Paryang is an optional stopover and the guest houses provide basic facilities of meals and accommodation to the travelers. Then the road crosses Myam La Pass at an elevation of 5,150m leading you to Mansarovar for the night stay. You spend the night at Horpa Town, by enjoying the very first glimpse of the sacred Mt. Kailash in the north-western direction.

It is the most important day of the entire Mansarovar Kailash Tour as you reach the holy Mansarovar Lake, the main target of this journey. Take a dip into the holy water of the lake to get salvation from the sins (if any) you have committed (un)knowingly throughout the life. You can also perform hawan, special Pooja and other cultural rites and rituals according to your tradition. The tranquil Himalayan beauty of the holy land Tibet makes you feel an abundance of peace in your mind.

After you are done with the rituals around the Mansarovar Lake, you drive towards Darchen, a small beautiful village. You check in to a local hotel for the night stay. After keeping your luggage at the hotel, if you want to spend extra budget, you can take a trip around Astapad. ‘Astapad’ is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘eight steps’ which refers to the eight smaller mountains encircling Mt. Kailash. It is believed that the eight mountains are situated in the form of a lotus flower with Mt. Kailash at the center.

Today is yet another thrilling day as you are going to start the kora (circumambulation/encircle) of Mt. Kailash. Having breakfast at the hotel in Darchen, you will drive up to Yama Dwar (the gateway to the Death Door) to enjoy the Himalayan beauty. Generally, from the religious perspective, taking the circumambulation of Mount Kailash on foot is the holiest work and most of the Kailash trekkers do it so. However, if you are not ready to walk or your health condition is not good, you can take the kora on horse or in a jeep, perhaps! Since you are going to trek to Diraphuk, you can hire a horse or yak to carry your load of camping gears. Overnight stay at a simple lodge or tented camp as per the circumstance.

You begin the walk early in the morning to reach the highest point of the entire Tibet trek, Dolmo La Pass (also Droko La). Dromo La is a holy shrine situated at an elevation of 5,470m/18,525ft where a big rock rests on the land. The rock which is decorated with hundreds of prayer flags, indicates the goddess Dolmo (Dromo or Tara) and revered by the trekkers. Trekking from Diraphuk to Zhulthulphuk is one of the challenging part as the weather of the pass is unpredictable. On later mornings, a blizzard may begin to obstruct your journey further. Therefore, the journey is begun as early as possible in the morning to avoid such mishaps.

After crossing Dromo La, you walk past a village JarokDonkhag and then head towards famous Shiv-Tsal (‘Tsal’ means ‘pond’). It is believed that the Hindu pilgrims go under symbolic death at Shiv Pond. Thus, they leave behind something like cloth or even a hair strand to the pond as a symbol of leaving the mortal world. On the way to Zhulthulphuk, you visit another pond called Gaurikunda and the foot prints of Lord Buddha. Overnight stay at tented camp or mud house as per the availability.

From Zhulthulphuk, you have to trek for about 2 hours towards Saga to reach the bus station. From there you catch a private jeep or other vehicle and drive to Saga along with other trekkers returning from Mansarovar trek. Enjoy the Himalayan beauty during the drive and you can even share the experience of this holy tour with each other. After 6/7 hours’ drive, you arrive at Saga to spend the night at a lodge. Take a complete rest at the lodge with some merry-making to turn the excursion more memorable.

After having breakfast at the hotel in Saga, the journey begins towards Kerung, the border between Tibet and Nepal. Overnight stay at a hotel.

By fulfilling the formal procedure of immigration and custom, you drive back to Kathmandu by relishing the mountain views you had while going there. After 8/9 hours’ drive along PasangLhamu Highway (named after the first Nepali woman to ascent Mt. Everest), you arrive Kathmandu. Nepal Trekking Routes’ representative transfers you to the hotel for your accommodation.

Today is the free day, so, the tour guide of Nepal Trekking Routes takes you around the Kathmandu Valley on a sightseeing tour. You can visit the UNESCO World Heritage Sites like Swayambhunath Stupa, Pashupatinath Temple, Patan Durbar Square and Bouddhanath Stupa. You can enjoy the ancient art and architecture used in these religious, cultural and historical sites of Nepal. You can also visit Budhanilkantha Temple, famous for the giant idol of Lord Bishnu sleeping on the serpent-bed. Budhanilkantha Temple is located in the northern part of the Kathmandu Valley; almost attached with the Shivapuri National Park. You can take a short hike to a couple of Buddhist monasteries opened recently for the tourists just a few kilometers above the temple. In the evening, our agency takes you to a cultural restaurant for the farewell dinner program as a part of hospitality.

Today is the final day of Mansarovar Kailash Yatra 14 days itinerary which you have already completed without any accidents. So, the representative of Nepal Trekking Routes takes you up to the Kathmandu International Airport for the final see-off. We wish you a safe and happy journey to you all and hope to see again next year!