13-Day Kailash Mansarovar Pilgrimage from Kathmandu via Mount Kailash

• Arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu and make your way to the hotel.

• In the evening, have dinner at the hotel. Then, join an information session with our tour leader to receive the next day's program.

Overnight at hotel (room on a twin-sharing basis).

• After breakfast, proceed from the hotel between 6 am and 10 am for the sightseeing program.

• Visit Pashupatinath Temple, the biggest Hindu temple in Nepal, and Budhanilkantha Temple, home to the statue of the reclining Vishnu. Have lunch at 1 pm at the hotel, then make your tour preparations.

• At 5:30 pm, attend a briefing on the Kailash Mansarovar journey. Receive assistance with money exchange and down jacket distribution.

Overnight at hotel (room on a twin-sharing basis).

• Wake up early at 4:30 am and prepare to leave by 5:30 am for the Kodari border. On the way, stop for a packed breakfast and tea service at a highway restaurant, then continue the journey.

• After a 3-hour drive, reach Kodari, where you will have lunch at a decent restaurant near the border town. Meanwhile, the representatives will complete immigration formalities on the Nepal side of the border.

• Proceed to China by walking for about 10 minutes across the Friendship Bridge. Continue to Nyalam via Zhangmu town and attend to further permit formalities.

Overnight at guesthouse (Pilgrims Inn or Shishapangma Guesthouse or similar).

• Rest in Nyalam for acclimatization to the Tibetan climate. Wake up at your convenience and have breakfast by 8 am.

• Around 10 am, assemble for a short hike to warm up and adjust to the Tibetan environment. Look for a short steep uphill above Nyalam village, where one can walk gradually and comfortably without haste. Alternatively, stroll around the hotel vicinity and visit the town of Nyalam.

• Chant or sing bhajans for the rest of the day to gather positive energy within your body. Have lunch and dinner according to the schedule set by the team leader.

Overnight at guesthouse (Pilgrims Inn or Shishapangma Guesthouse or similar).

• Begin your day full of excitement. Have breakfast by 7 am and leave camp for your next destination by 9 am at the latest.

• Head to Dongba. En route, see Milarepa Cave, 10 km from Nyalam. Then pass through Lalung-La Pass, the Mt. Shishapangma range, one of the highest peaks in Tibet, Ganesh Parbat, and Lake Paiku.

• Cross the bridge over the River Brahmaputra, also called the Yarlung Tsangpo in Chinese, in Saga. Have lunch and then continue driving to Dongba, enjoying the landscape of snow-capped mountains, villages, yak herders, and a small river.

Overnight at guesthouse - dormitory room.

• Set out by 6 am to reach Lake Mansarovar on time for a bath in the afternoon. On the way, drive through the highest motorable pass, Mayum-La. Have lunch near the Horchu River before the pass.

• View another beautiful freshwater lake called Rakshas Tal, the demon lake created by Lanka king Rawan in a crescent moon shape. Have dinner at a guesthouse near the shore of Lake Mansarovar.

• Wait for some time for a bus to have darshan of Mt. Kailash and Mansarovar during the road journey. Make the parikrama of Lake Mansarovar.

Overnight in Chiu Gompa camp.

• Spend time by Lake Mansarovar, the lake created by Brahma in his mind. Have breakfast in the morning.

• Hike to Chiu Gompa on top of a hill close to the camp. Feast on the traditional lunch of the region.

• After lunch, drive to Darchen, the base camp of Mt. Kailash.

• View the bewitching, snow-capped mountain range of Gurla Mandata and Rakshas Tal once again.

• In the late afternoon, stroll around the small market of Darchen.

Overnight at guesthouse - dormitory room.

• After breakfast, drive to Sherson near Yama Dwar. From Yama Dwar, start trekking to Diraphuk, on the north face of Kailash. You can catch the darshan of Mt. Kailash from the south of Yamadwar.

• Midway, halt for a while at a tea shop for a packed lunch. Then continue the uphill trek to Diraphuk camp, with a stunning glimpse of the north face of Mt. Kailash.

Overnight at guesthouse or tented lodge - dormitory room.

• Get ready for a tough day of parikrama. Wake up at 4 am and start the trek by 5 am. Carry your own lunch.

• Descend to the flat valley region on the other side of Dolma-La Pass. Visit Shivasthal at Dolma La, ornamented with prayer flags.

• Descend from the high pass and view temples on the right side underneath the hill. Continue sloping down and cross the small glacier. Stop at a tea shop for a lunch break in the plain valley.

• Continue the easy walk on the flat trail, though it is a tedious journey, along the riverbank up to Zutulphuk.

Overnight at guesthouse or tented lodge - dormitory room.

• Take an easy trail to complete the journey within 2 to 3 hours. Our vehicle will pick you up near the ending point close to Darchen, then travel to Darchen. Have lunch and continue to Saga with all group members.

• View Lake Mansarovar on the way while seeing off the Kailash region. Then drop off at the Mansarovar bus stand of the Ngari region and transfer to another private bus from Lhasa.

• Journey back through the earlier route.

Overnight at guesthouse - dormitory room.

• Return to Nyalam via the same route.

Overnight at guesthouse (Pilgrims Inn or Shishapangma Guesthouse or similar) - dormitory room.

• After breakfast, drive down to Zhangmu and cross the Friendship Bridge to reach Kathmandu. Have lunch at the Kodari border.

Overnight at hotel (room on a twin-sharing basis).

• Have breakfast at the hotel. Then, according to your flight schedule, catch a car to the international airport in Kathmandu for your flight back home.