
Conquering the Abode of Shiva in the forbidden peak at 18,500 ft.
Maximum Altitude
18,500 ft.
Trek Duration
12 Night / 13 Days
Trek Distance
50 Km
Difficulty Level
Moderate to difficult
Start/End Point
Kathmandu
Nearest Airport
Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu
Best Season
April - June / Sep - Oct
Accommodation
In hotel or in guesthouse
Meals
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Permits
Road, travel, temple & monasteries
Temperature
10°C to 18°C (day) ; - 5°C to - 15°C (night)
Snow
November to April
Kailash Mansarovar Yatra (also spelled Kailasa Mansarovar or Mount Kailash Yatra) is a pilgrimage to Mount Kailasha (6656m) and Lake Manasarovar (4590m) in western Tibet. Pilgrims trek to this part of Tibet to perform a kora (a type of circumambulation) around Mount Kailash and to take a dip in Lake Manasarovar. The source of four major Asian rivers: the Indus, Brahmaputra, Sutlej, and Karnali, Mount Kailash is considered the Axis Mundi or center of the universe by four different religions. Hindus believe Lord Shiva resides here; Buddhists believe Demchok, the most important deity, resides here; Jainists believe it's the site of the first Tirthankara's ultimate liberation; and Bonpos believe it's the center of spiritual power. Physically demanding due to altitude and terrain, an acclimatization period or gradual introduction to high altitude conditions is required prior attempting to cross the Dolma La Pass at its peak (5636m/18,491ft). This will have additional significance because it marks the Year of the Horse, one of the twelve-year Tibetan calendrical cycles. It is believed that performing only one full kora around Mount Kailash will provide one individual with the equivalent of 13 koras' worth of merit. Access to Mount Kailash (Kailash Mansarovar) is tightly controlled with all trekkers needing both a Tibet Travel Permit and a Chinese Group Visa. There are three main points of entry into Tibet for the pilgrimage: from India via paliuk Road, where you will enter Tibet through Lipulekh Pass; from Sikkim via Nathula Pass; or overland from Nepal via Kyirong/Kerung (and from Chinese Checkpoint at Kyirong on or after the beginning of May until the end of September).
The Kailash Mansarovar Trek is said to be significant because it lies within a realm of the natural world where mountain landscapes, ancient mystical practices and spiritual devotion are uniquely blended together. Unlike other treks to summits, trekking to Kailash Mansarovar involves circling the mountain rather than ascending straight to the summit.
1.The Axis Mundi (Cosmic Pillar): Mount Kailash is commonly referred to as the Axis Mundi, the Cosmic Axis, and/or the center of the universe.
2. The Enigma of Time and Aging: One of the more common myths among trekkers and residents alike, is that time is faster than anywhere else, when spent close to the mountain.
3. The Hydrological Vertex of Asia: The Kailash-Mansarovar region of the Himalayas is considered the hydrological vertex of Asia, where four major rivers originate from its four sides and are the lifeblood of over 1.5 billion people.
4. The Duality of the Two Lakes: At these two famous high-altitude mountain lakes, located within just a few kilometers of each other, you can clearly see the contrasts between these two bodies of water, with the different ways in which they impact the pilgrim on their trek journey, representing the duality of water. This duality of water is key to the pilgrim's experience of harmony.
5. Testing Moksha (Dolma La Rebirth): The Dolma La Pass 5,635 m is the high point of a trek both in height and physical exhaustion considered the threshold of transformation in a circuit. In addition to marking an actual (and likely significant) point of transformation, as people passed through Dolma La, their old selves died.