Know about the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra: How is the overland tour conducted?

If you are keen on going for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, it is important that you prepare yourself. Mount Kailash, which is at an elevation of 6638 m, is a part of the Kailash range which is a part of the Trans-Himalayas. It is no doubt a tough mountainous terrain and has harsh climatic conditions, but every year people go on it to seek the blessings of Lord Shiva and ask for forgiveness of sins they may have committed knowingly and unknowingly.

The overland Kailash Mansarovar Yatra is one of the most popular ways to do it though the helicopter routes are often as well. Here is an overview of the Yatra done overland.

Overland Kailash Yatra from Kathmandu

The starting point of this Yatra route is Kathmandu, where the pilgrim has to reach on his own accord and own arrangement. 

Kathmandu

The Kathmandu airport is the place where someone from the private tour agency you have chosen will arrive to pick you up and take you to the hotel. After you reach, you will be briefed about the Yatra at 7pm in the evening after which dinner will be served. You will have to stay overnight in the hotel. Next morning, breakfast will happen after which you will be taken for sightseeing in Kathmandu. The capital of Nepal has a lot to see and some of the sites that will be covered is Pashupatinath Temple, Jal Narayan Temple, Boudha Nath Stupa and many more. In the evening, after returning to the hotel, preparations and briefings about the Yatra will happen and then there will be dinner. After that, stay in a hotel overnight.

Syabrubesi or Dhunche

Next morning, after a heart breakfast, you will be driven to Dhunche which is about 200 km away from Kathmandu. It will take about 6 hours to complete the journey after which there will be an overnight stay in a hotel.

Kyirong County

The next morning will start early where you will be driven to Rasuwagadhi. Here, customs and immigration formalities will be done and after that the drive will continue to Kyirong County. This will take about 3 hours to be done and by then you will be in Tibet. The night will be spent at a hotel there.

Process of acclimatization

The next day will be spent wholly in acclimatizing you and other members of the group you are going with. There will be no scheduled plans and instead the day will be spent in going on short treks so that the body gets used to the high altitude and rough weather.

Dongba

The next morning, breakfast will be served after which you will be driven to Dongba. During the drive which lasts about 7 hours, you will pass through places like Paigu-Tso Lake and Thorong La. You will even get to see the Brahmaputra River during the journey. When it comes to an end, you will be staying overnight at a hotel.

Mansarovar Lake

This is a big day because on this day, you will be able to reach Lake Mansarovar. You will be driven from Dongba directly to the sacred lake which will take you about 7 hours. After reaching the lake, the ‘parikrama’ of it will be done by vehicle itself. It is about 110 km. You will be spending the night at a guesthouse near the shore of the lake. This is also the day where you will have your first viewing of Mount Kailash.

Darchen

The next morning, it is time to really appreciate Lake Mansarovar in all its glory. You are free to take a holy dip and perform any Puja or religious custom as you want to. After this gets completed, you are then driven to Darchen, which is a 2-hour drive from Lake Mansarovar. The overnight stay happens in a guest house.

Mount Kailash

Next morning, you will reach Ashtapad from Lake Mansarovar. From there you will go to Yamdwar and start your Mount Kailash trek. It is about 10 km to Dirupak. At the end of the short trek, you will be able to witness the north face of Mount Kailash. Hindu devotees believe this to be the most sacred ‘darshan’ on Mount Kailash. You can also choose not to do the ‘parikrama’ and instead stay at Darchen for 2 days so that other members of the group get to do the ‘parikrama’ during that time.

The next day, the trek will have you travel 22 km on foot, from Dirapuk to Dolma la pass to Zithulpak. This by far is the most difficult part of the trek because the altitudes are so high that even fit people have acclimatization problems. After this trek, you will descend to Gaurikund and after that trek to Zuthulpuk. There, you will stay overnight in the hotel. The next day of the ‘parikrama’ will take about 3 hours covering 8 km. After the ‘parikrama’ is done, a drive to Darchen and then another drive to Dongba. The overnight stay happens in a hotel. The next day, everyone gets driven to Kyirong County and after that a drive to Kathmandu airport happens the next morning. After that, you get to go home on the flight of your choice from the Kathmandu airport.