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The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra is an 11 to 13 day pilgrimage to Mount Kailash (6,638 m) and Lake Mansarovar (4,590 m) in Tibet's Ngari Prefecture, most commonly reached from Nepal via Simikot and Hilsa, requiring a Chinese Group Visa and Tibet Travel Permit that only a registered agency can arrange. Mount Kailash is sacred to four religions, Hinduism, Tibetan Buddhism, Jainism, and Bon, and has never been climbed: circling it on foot, the kora, a roughly 52 km route usually walked over three days, is the pilgrimage itself rather than a summit attempt. The route crosses the Dolma La pass at approximately 5,630 to 5,660 m, the trip's highest and hardest point.
This is a different regulatory country from the rest of this site's Nepal-based content: Tibet Autonomous Region requires a Chinese Group Visa issued only to a registered group, not an individual tourist visa, plus a Tibet Travel Permit and an Alien's Travel Permit for the restricted Ngari region. The pages below cover the route, the day-by-day itinerary, and what the permit process actually involves.
Routes
Nepal's TIMS card and national park permits, covered throughout this site's Nepal guides, do not apply here: Tibet is administered by China, and every foreign visitor needs a Chinese Group Visa arranged through a registered travel agency rather than an individual tourist visa issued at a consulate or on arrival. No independent travel is possible anywhere in the Tibet Autonomous Region, and Ngari Prefecture, where Kailash and Mansarovar sit, carries an additional restricted-area classification on top of the standard Tibet Travel Permit. The full mechanics of the Group Visa, the Tibet Travel Permit, and the Alien's Travel Permit are in the Kailash Mansarovar permits and visa guide.
The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra runs 11 to 13 days from Nepal, most commonly via a flight from Nepalgunj to Simikot, then on to Hilsa on the Nepal-Tibet border, crossing into Purang (Taklakot) before the final approach to Darchen, the town at Kailash's base. From Darchen, pilgrims walk the 52 km kora over three days, camping or staying in basic guesthouses at Dirapuk and Zutulpuk, crossing the Dolma La at roughly 5,630 to 5,660 m on the second day. Lake Mansarovar, at around 4,590 m and one of the highest freshwater lakes in the world, is visited separately, usually with time set aside for ritual bathing where local custom and weather allow.
Planning
