Kathmandu to Mount Kailash Tour

This spiritual journey to Mount Kailash follows an ancient pilgrimage route through Western Tibet, combining dramatic Himalayan landscapes with deep religious significance. Starting in Kathmandu, the tour crosses into Tibet via Kyirong and continues to the sacred waters of Lake Manasarovar before undertaking the three-day kora around Mount Kailash. Carefully paced for acclimatization, the journey includes important monasteries, pilgrimage sites, and remote high-altitude regions. Guided by an experienced Russian-speaking guide, this tour offers a profound and transformative Himalayan experience.

Itinerary:

October 14: Arrival in Kathmandu

You may arrive in Kathmandu at any time, but no later than this date. Upon request, we can meet you at the airport and arrange a transfer to your hotel.

October 15: Kathmandu

Free day in Kathmandu. This is a buffer day in case of international flight delays.

October 16 / Day 1: Kathmandu [1,400 m] – Kyirong [2,300 m]

In the morning, your group departs from Kathmandu heading northeast toward the Nepal–Tibet border. The roughly 200 km journey gradually ascends into the mountains. Along the way, you will see Langtang National Park, snow-covered peaks, cultivated fields, and villages of the Rasuwa people. After crossing the border, you will be met by your Tibetan guide and driver and transferred to the town of Kyirong, located on the banks of the Kyirong Tsangpo River in a beautiful Himalayan valley. On both sides of the border, the scenery features pastures, forests, and waterfalls. Overnight at a hotel. Sightseeing includes a cave where Padmasambhava meditated and Pakpa Monastery.

Kyirong town in Tibet

October 17 / Day 2: Kyirong Explore and acclimatization [3,950 m]

The entire day is spent in Kyirong for altitude acclimatization. Kyirong is one of the most beautiful regions of Tibet, known for its alpine landscapes, waterfalls, and rivers. It is one of four regions that form part of the Everest National Nature Reserve. Historically, it was a favored meditation area for great masters, including the Indian teacher Atisha and the Tibetan yogi Milarepa. Milarepa’s songs are still sung here, and there is also a monastery dedicated to him. You will take short walks and light hikes in the surrounding mountains to acclimatize and prepare for the Kailash kora. You will also visit an important pilgrimage site—Drakar Taso (if permits), the cave where Milarepa meditated.

October 18 / Day 3: Kyirong – Saga [4,450 m]

Drive into one of the most remote regions of Tibet. Along the way, you will see small lakes and nomadic camps with herds of yaks and sheep. In the afternoon, arrive in Saga, a small settlement near the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) River. Overnight in Saga.

A lake at the road side on the way to Mount Kailash.

October 19 / Day 4: Saga – Paryang [4,700 m] – Manasarovar [4,558 m]

Traveling through the valley, you will enjoy magnificent views of mountain peaks and wide plains where nomads graze their herds. As you continue southwest, the landscapes gradually change into sandy dunes, rocky mountains, and snow-covered peaks. Depending on the season, nomads and itinerant traders wear colorful traditional clothing. Lunch stop in Paryang, considered one of the highest towns in the world, where the sky feels so close it seems you could touch it. The town has several Tibetan and Chinese restaurants and small shops selling snacks and drinks.

By evening, arrive at Lake Manasarovar, one of the highest freshwater lakes in the world. This turquoise lake is home to fish and swans. Tibetans regard it as sacred and call it “Mapham Tso,” the Invincible Lake. Manasarovar is also sacred to Hindus. Around the lake are two sacred mountains—Kailash and Gurla Mandhata—and Lake Rakshastal. On a hill by the lake stands Chiu Monastery, an ancient monastery of the Drukpa Kagyu school. When Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) brought Buddhism from India to Tibet, he spent 55 years in the Land of Snows. Before leaving Tibet, he meditated for a week in a cave near Lake Manasarovar, where Chiu Monastery was later built. Nearby are hot springs where visitors may bathe. A few kilometers from Manasarovar lies Lake Rakshastal, crescent-shaped and usually windy and overcast. Its waters contain no fish or vegetation. Locals consider it a dark, negative, and unknown aspect of consciousness.

Lake Manasarovar

October 20 / Day 5: Manasarovar – Tirthapuri – Darchen [4,575 m]

In the morning, drive to Tirthapuri, an important sacred site of Western Tibet that many pilgrims visit before beginning the Kailash kora. Tirthapuri Monastery stands on a cliff near famous hot springs and the Vajravarahi Cave, where Padmasambhava and his consort Yeshe Tsogyal meditated in the 8th century. You will have time to perform a kora around the monastery (about one hour), passing other caves and stupas, and at the end of the route there is a rock with a so-called “karma-testing hole.”

If weather and road conditions allow, you may also visit another ancient and mystical place—the Garuda Valley and the ruins of ancient Zhangzhung, the kingdom of the pre-Tibetan Bon religion. The Garuda Valley and the ruins at Kyunglung attract adventurers and seekers from around the world with their mystery, remoteness, and history. Toward evening, continue westward through colorful mountains and the world’s last deposits of white clay, around 1,100 years old. Overnight in a village near the ancient ruins of the Guge Kingdom.

October 21 / Day 6: First Day of the Kailash Kora – to Dirapuk Monastery

The full circumambulation around Mount Kailash is 53 km. The first day is relatively easy. The trail passes the “Cemetery of the 84 Mahasiddhas,” then, on the left slope of the mountain, stands Chuku Monastery of the Kagyu school, which houses a conch shell of the Buddhist master Naropa. In the afternoon, arrive at Dirapuk Monastery, where you will stay overnight.

First day of Mount Kailash

The monastery preserves the cave of Gotsangpa (a lama of the Drikung Kagyu lineage), who was led there by the goddess Senge Dongma, appearing in the form of a female yak, to save him from a severe storm. Dirapuk faces the north face of Mount Kailash, offering a powerful and majestic view. Across the northern slope, Hindus pray to Shiva, believing Kailash to be his abode and the peak a manifestation of Mount Meru, the cosmic mountain at the center of the universe. Buddhists regard Kailash as the abode of Buddha Shakyamuni in the form of the wrathful deity Chakrasamvara, a central figure of Highest Yoga Tantra in Vajrayana Buddhism. Overnight in a monastery guesthouse.

October 22 / Day 7: Second Day of the Kailash Kora – Dolma La Pass [5,650 m] – Zutulpuk Monastery

The most challenging day of the kora, as you cross Dolma La Pass (5,637 m). Buddhists believe that those who reach the pass are purified of sins and negative karma, beginning a new life filled with meaning and awareness. At the pass, you will hang prayer flags, make offerings, and pray for the happiness of all sentient beings.

The trail then descends to Zutulpuk Monastery, whose name means “Cave of Miracles.” This is the cave where Milarepa meditated, leaving impressions of his shoulders and upper back on the rock. The site also bears footprints of Padmasambhava, Yeshe Tsogyal, King Gesar, and his horse. Overnight in a monastery guesthouse.

Tibet trekking

October 23 / Day 8: Third Day of the Kailash Kora – View of Mount Naimona’nyi – Saga

The day begins with a walk along one of the cleanest rivers you are ever likely to see. The path is gentle and lush with vegetation. At the end of the valley, before turning right, a breathtaking view opens onto the snow-covered peak of Mount Naimona’nyi (7,728 m). After completing the kora around Mount Kailash, drive to Saga to begin the return journey.

October 24 / Day 9: Saga – Kyirong

On the way to the Nepalese border, you will enjoy spectacular views of the Himalayan range, including some of the world’s highest peaks—Lhotse (8,516 m), Makalu (8,485 m), Cho Oyu (8,201 m), Shishapangma (8,027 m), and others.

October 25 / Day 10: Kyirong – Nepal–Tibet Border – Rasuwagadhi – Kathmandu

At the border, you will say farewell to your Tibetan guide and driver. On the Nepalese side, your Nepali driver will meet you and transfer you to Kathmandu, arriving in the Nepalese capital late in the evening.