Best Time to Kailash Mansarovar Yatra
Tibet and Kailash both are notoriously known for their dry and harsh weather. However, during your time in Kailash, you can experience all four seasons in just one day.
The mornings can be pleasantly cool, while the afternoons present unrelenting heat. Dark clouds may suddenly gather around in the afternoon bringing with it the forceful winds and the night may surprise you with hail and snow.
Therefore, you have to be prepared for this climatic variability throughout your journey. Considering these factors, the best window for our Kailash Mansarovar Overland Tour is from March through the days of early October when the climate is more stable.
March, April, and May embrace the entire Tibet in lush greenery while September and October offer the mind bewildering views of the high mountains.
These months’ full moon days also hold significant religious value for Hindus and Buddhists. It is during this time that most of the Parikrama takes place with an aspiration to free one’s soul from the burdens of a hundred lifetimes of sin.
We don’t suggest July and August though due to heavy torrential rains and December, January, and February due to unpassable snow at Drolma La Pass.
Difficulty of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra
The Kailash Mansarovar Overland Tour is undeniably a difficult journey that will challenge both your body and your spirit. Fortunately, the advancements in infrastructure have somewhat made this journey less arduous.
The hotels till Saga and Darchen are nice and there are government and monastery guesthouses during the Kora which are also very clean and warm. The lack of toilets and hot water can be felt though. They also provide pretty good local food, so you don’t have to buy so much dry food.
As for the roads, they are in fantastic condition – well-paved, broad and smooth. A comfortable private vehicle (bus, jeep depending on group size) will make the road trip more comfortable. Even long passes are easy and there will be also enough time to take photos and see the areas.
In addition, the entire three-day Kailash Parikrama can be completed on horseback or yaks. The major challenge comes from the high altitude and unpredictable weather conditions. The threat of altitude sickness is also large, making proper acclimatization essential.
The second day of the Kora demands a lengthy trek and may require supplemental oxygen. However, with careful planning and precautions, these discomforts can be effectively managed.
Who is Kailash Mansarovar Yatra for?
The Kailash Mansarovar Overland Tour 15 days journey is certainly a demanding expedition yet it is achievable by many individuals of varying fitness levels and health.
With the experience of many years, we have come up with this tour designed with the comfort of every faithful making this travel open to Yatris between 18 to 75 years of age.
Over the years, from youthful teenagers to those in their seventies, we have led many pilgrims and travelers to the majestic Kailash. While some have faced slight altitude sickness, but their overall journey has been smooth and enjoyable.
If you are in good physical and mental shape, then certainly this tour is for you. In addition, we have a fantastic team in Nepal and Tibet who will ensure your well-being during the entire trip. In accordance with your preference, our Tibetan guide can also provide you with horses and porters for the Kailash Parikrama.
Health Requirement, Preparation, and Training
Your health is very important for our Kailash Mansarovar Overland Tour so please ensure you are in excellent condition. If you have any serious health issues, especially concerning your circulatory, kidney, or respiratory systems, please obtain medical advice before joining our tour. This is because the altitude of Kailash may pose additional risks to these conditions.
For those who have an active lifestyle, a bit of running and jogging will prepare you for this adventure. If you are more sedentary, you can start engaging in light aerobic exercises like walking, stair climbing, and stretching.
You should also be mentally prepared to work together in a team and yield to basic comfort. Start reading and watching videos that will reveal what exactly awaits you at Kailash.
Acclimatization for Mountain Altitude Sickness
Except for the three-day Kailash parikrama, our entire trip will be in private transport. On the fifth day, you will reach an altitude of about 3,000 m, and by the seventh day, you will be sleeping above 4,500 m.
In the case of a driving journey, elevation changes will be quicker which thus increases the threat of altitude sickness. To help you adjust, we will therefore spend a few days in Kathmandu, take a rest day in Kerung, and then make a short journey to Darchen from Lake Mansarovar.
Still, some of you may feel some chest tightness, mild headaches, or body aches. If so, Diamox or Ibuprofen can provide relief. If you experience breathing difficulties, our guide will evaluate your condition and offer oxygen.
In very rare cases, your trip may be halted or you may need to descend. We advise all our Yatris to rest for a few hours before going out to explore Tibetan towns and drink plenty of fluids and water from Kerung onwards to prevent altitude sickness.
Accommodation, Meals and Drink
As part of our service in our Kailash Mansarovar Overland Tour, you will be accommodated in a lovely double room with a private bathroom and hot shower at a pleasant three-star hotel in Kathmandu.
In Syabrubesi, a cozy lodge will provide you with a comfortable place to rest, and in Tibet up to Darchen, we will arrange for you to stay in very nice and comfortable hotels.
At Dirapuk and Zuthulpuk, you can expect to sleep in clean and well-managed government shelters and monastery guesthouses, where rooms are available in a hostel-like arrangement.
We will ensure you have a warm bed, so you won’t need to sleep outside in tents. If necessary, our team will also set up a warm and comfortable tent for your sleeping arrangements.
When it comes to your meals, a full vegetarian board awaits you during the entire tour, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with drinks not included.
The food is both varied and delicious during your travels. Once you reach Darchen, the menu will especially highlight Chinese and Tibetan flavors, and the guesthouses in Dirapuk and Zuthulpuk today serve some surprisingly tasty local dishes.
You can find yogurts and a variety of vegetarian options to choose from. Plus, all supermarkets up to Saga are stocked with fresh fruits and international foods. Those who are worried about their stomach can safely go.
Transportation
Throughout the duration of our tour, all your travel arrangements have been made in spacious tourist vehicles customized according to our group size with options like cars, jeeps, vans, or buses.
This service covers airport transfers, the route from Kathmandu to Syabrubesi, Kerung, and Saga, plus your adventure to Tarboche and the return from Darchen to Kathmandu through Kerung.
Kindly note that the expenses for hiring horses and porters are not part of our package, but our guide will help you with arrangements and negotiations as needed.
Communication and Network/Internet
To stay connected with your loved ones in Nepal and Tibet, it’s best to use local networks instead of activating roaming on your home network. This will help you save on communication costs.
In Kathmandu, you can easily find Namaste and NCELL SIM cards for purchase. In Kerung, you can get SIM cards from local networks of China Unicom, China Telecom, or China Mobile.
Both Nepal and China also offer eSIMs, which are virtual SIM cards that can be activated online. The Nepalese network will provide you with 4G service, while the Chinese networks will allow you to access 5G internet.
WiFi is also easily found in Nepal and Tibet, however, the guesthouses in the Kailash region may often lack reliable internet. If you plan to use social networks, be sure to set up a VPN as access to Western sites is blocked by the Chinese Government.
Rules and Regulations for Kailash Mansarovar Tour
There are certain rules and regulations which we must stick to when journeying to Tibet and Kailash such as:
- You must join an organized group for a trip to Tibet
- You will need to work with a registered Nepali agency like ours for a Tibet trip from Nepal
- No travel agents or unofficial intermediaries can organize such trips
- A licensed local guide, private vehicle, and driver should be with you in Tibet
- An official paper known as a permit is essential for entering Tibet
- You should book our Kailash Mansarovar Overland Tour 4 to 6 weeks ahead
- When confirming the trip, you should send us your passports and photos
- Your photo must measure 51 mm by 51 mm
- It must be set against a plain white background with your natural look (no makeup, and glasses
- Your passport must have a validity period of up to 6 months (minimum
- It should contain at least 2 to 3 blank pages for Visa stamps
- When providing us with your passport copy, it must be in color and scanned form
Essential Permits and Visa for Kailash Mansarovar Tour
For journeying into Tibet from Nepal, two formal documents are essential to obtain: the Chinese Group Visa and the Tibet Travel Permit (TTP).
Additionally, our trip to Kailash needs three more permits: a Military Permit, an Alien Travel Permit, and a Foreign Affairs Permit. Securing the Chinese Group Visa and the Tibet Travel Permit is our responsibility while the other permits will be managed by our Tibetan travel partner who will keep them safe till we arrive in Tibet.
To explore any part of Tibet, you need a special government document known as TTP from the Tourism Office of Tibet. This permit includes important information about you and your trip, such as your travel plans, accommodations, and dates of arrival and departure. Once your application is submitted with details, you can’t change your plans.
We will need your passport and photos for the permit, which will be sent to our travel partner in Tibet along with our Kailash Mansarovar Overland Tour information.
They will submit everything to the tourism office to confirm our trip. We will then receive an official invitation letter, which is necessary for obtaining a Group Visa at the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu. The processing of the Tibet Travel permit takes around 10 to 15 working days, and our Tibetan guide will keep it with him during our trip.
Chinese Group Visa
In order to acquire the Group Visa for our Kailash Mansarovar Overland Tour, each member of a group must go to the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu in person. At the embassy, we will provide our fingerprints, photos, and original passports.
There are two options for processing the Group Visa. The standard option takes four working days and costs USD 175 for U.S. nationals, while other nationalities pay between USD 70 and USD 170. The express option is faster and takes three working days, but costs between USD 90 and USD 180 per person.
Since the embassy will be closed on weekends, we request you to arrive in Kathmandu early morning on a weekday. On the Visa arrival day, our team will collect the Group Visa, and you will get your original passports at that time.
Please remember, that this Visa is issued for all the members of a group, so each one of must enter and exit Tibet together.
What to bring for our Kailash Tour?
- Down and fleece jackets
- Durable hiking pants
- Half and full-sleeved T-shirts
- Socks
- Warm pajamas
- Hats and gloves
- Trekking shoes
- Hiking poles
- Backpack
- Down sleeping bag
- Towel
- Personal protection items (Toilet paper, a toothbrush, wet wipes, toothpaste, and high-SPF sunscreen)
- 1 or 2-liter thermos
- Personal First Aid
