Join Us for a Trek to Holy Mount Kailas in 2004 and 2005

We welcome you to visit our new Kailash website. There is more thorough information about the trip, slideshows, photo galleries, video clips and much more. Thank you.

21 days in Tibet, 4 April to 25 April, 1 October to 21 October, in 2008, 2009, and 2010.

There were three members on our last trek, different then this one, and quite an adventure. Please follow this KAILASH NEWS link for further information. Thank you.

** MOUNT KAILASH TIBET KORA TREK, 21 days in Tibet, 4 April to 25 April, 1 October to 21 October, in 2008, 2009, and 2010.

This is a basic trek, and the costs include permits and jeep/bus transport only. Kailash trek members should bring a small tent and stove with fuel, and a few meals and snacks, as well as the trekking equipment shown on the EQUIPMENT page. All of the equipment, tent, stove, fuel, and food can be inexpensively and easily hired or purchased in Kathmandu upon your arrival. We plan to stay in "guesthouses" or roadhouses, whenever possible, but this is not always perfect, so you need to be ready to camp. On our last trip, out of the entire 21 days, we only put up our own tents four times. Even on the Kailash Kora, we were able to find "tea houses", where we could eat and sleep (in the most simple tarpaulin shelters imaginable). If on the three-day Kora, you need a porter, or driver person and donkey, its easy to "put out the word" when you arrive in the nearest town, Darchen, and hire one on the spot. On our previous Kailash treks, we hired two very strong Buddhist Nuns, who carried our equipment and mothered us like small children, preparing hot soup, finding sleeping places for us, etcetera.

Please note, the following description is inaccurate, in that it describes a trek through Nepal and flights to Lhasa which are not applicable. Our current itinerary goes in and out overland to and from Kathmandu, and misses Lhasa and the Nepal trek entirely. However, we hope you will enjoy the following story of our year 2000 trek:

Introduction

This trip allows a sampling of two of the most exotic Buddhist cultures in the world, surrounded by the Himalaya, and crowned by Mt. Everest, our planet’s highest summit. Mt. Kailash is the most sacred, to both the Buddhist as well as Hindu peoples. Our journey visits the great cities of the region, Lhasa and Kathmandu, then sets off into the hinterlands of the high Himalaya, skirting under Mt. Everest, onto the barren heights of the Tibetan plateau, where we encounter revered Mt. Kailash, a holy summit set next to Manasarovar Lake. Our trek follows the pilgrim’s ancient footsteps around the mountain, where a three-day "Kora" trek is reputed to forgive a lifetime of sin, then we duck over the border into Nepal, with special permission that has allowed us to cross, but is denied to individual travelers. Our visit meanders on yak trails through exotic rugged outposts in Nepal’s highest, westernmost remote district of Humla, until we are able to find a village airstrip at Simikot and fly to the bustling west Nepal city of Nepalganj. Our final bus journey home takes us through the rural Terai plain, breadbasket of Nepal, to Buddha’s birthplace, Lumbini, then on to Pokhara, a pleasant town nestled in the foothills of the Himalaya. Finally, we climb once again through the Nepalese mountains into the Kathmandu valley, where it is time for celebration, feasting, reflection, exchanging addresses with new friends, and the flight home.

Monks in the Monastery in Purang. Otto collection. Some Pilgrims crawl the last few kilometres into Lhasa. Otto collection. The "Belly Button of the World" from the Dolma-La pass. Otto collection. On the road in Tibet. DL Mazur

Please take a moment to scroll through this page to read the detailed description, and view the itinerary, as well as other information.

Detailed Description

First sighting of Kailash from Lake Manasarovar. Otto collection.

Our trip begins in the ancient and colorful city of Kathmandu, and our staff will personally meet your flight at Tribhuvan airport. We stay in a comfortable, simple, clean hotel, and sample some of the tasty Nepalese, Tibetan and Western-Style cuisine. If you are concerned about the altitude and brought Diamox (acetylzolamide), this might be the time to begin taking it. During our day in Kathmandu (1,300 meters), we shall finalize our arrangements, and take some time out for trinket hunting, with planned visits to explore the 17^th century splendors of the Monkey Temple, the Durbar Square and old Kings Palace, as well as the ancient city of Patan.

Next, we take a 1 hour flight in a jet, exactly over Mt. Everest and the spine of the Himalaya, to the splendid city of Lhasa, on the Tibetan plateau. In the past, we have had some fabulous views out of the plane windows during this flight. This is our fifth visit to Lhasa since 1987, when the city was briefly opened to individual travelers for a few months, then quickly closed again. At 3,650 meters of elevation, Lhasa was established around 600 AD on the banks of the Brahmaputra River. The heart of the city is centered around the Jokhang Temple, the most sacred building in all of Tibet. Our comfortable, simple, clean hotel is located in a medieval neighborhood a few steps from the Jokhang, built in the 7^th century. We will have a good wander through the streets of Tibet, and take a refreshing walk through the fabulously massive Potala Palace. Built on a hill in 1645, using the remains of older palaces and fortresses, the Potala has untold dark hallways, with steep narrow stairways, and rooms filled with more gold then you will probably ever see anywhere else.

After touring Lhasa, resting to adjust to the altitude, and enjoying some hearty meals of soup and home-made dumplings, we ride comfortable landcruisers across the Tibetan Plateau to the town of Shigatse, where we are able to visit the thriving bustle of the 15^th century Tashilunpo Monastery, the largest active monastic institution in Tibet. Monks in their maroon robes seem busy everywhere, going about their daily chores, praying, and practicing ceremonial music.

Then, we drive for four days, nearly across Tibet to its western edge. Our road road follows the "southern route" a little traveled remote stretch of road in the rugged Tibetan plateau. The people who live here are nomadic, herding sheep and yaks, and live very close to the land with almost no possessions. There is impressive scenery and a bridgeless river crossing or two in this section.

We reach Mt Kailash, and begin our trek at Darchen, a sleepy little town at 4,450 meters. It is the jumping off point for the most sacred mountain in the Buddhist world. Mt Kailash, at 6,714 meters, is set off by itself in spectacular isolation. It has four sheer walls oriented to the four compass points, and juts up far above any surrounding features; it is an imposing monolith, naturally drawing one to wonder what it is doing out on the plain all by itself. This is the "belly button of the world" where four sacred rivers flow out into the plains. Scholars of the region’s four major religions, Buddhism, Bonism, Hinduism ,and Jainism, variously attribute the mountain and its flanks as the gods’ landing place, birthplace, or site of emancipation. Our three-day circumnavigation around the mountain is referred to as a "kora", and for the devoted pilgrim, completing the kora reputedly erases the accumulated sins of a lifetime.

We will be camping during our trek, and eating freshly prepared food from our own kitchen. On our first day of the trek, we walk 6 hours through beautiful valleys and along meandering streams to the 13^th century Drira Phuk Monastery. We climb onto a high moraine, then into a grassy meadow, where we camp at about 4,500 metres near a river.

On the second day, we walk for 8 hours and cross boulder fields and ascend a windy trail to cross the stunning Dolma pass, at 5,630 meters. After savoring the view and the rarefied air, we descend into a beautiful gentle valley and camp beside a river at Zutrul Phuk monastery, which is located on the sight of a cave where the Buddhist sage Milarepa camped in 1100 AD. The quiet solitude of this place makes one feel that not much has changed since then.

The third day, we walk for 5 hours back to Darchen, through mountain valleys and onto the wide Tibetan plateau. We plan to camp at Darchen, then drive to Taklakot, a traditional salt trading and Yak caravaning town filled with pilgrims and nomads. Its an eye-popping mixture of traditional peoples. We plan to camp here, and the following day, to drive to Shera, to the end of the road, then to walk to the border of Nepal, and camp at Hilsa (3,700 meters), where a simple foot bridge and marker stone tells us we have now entered Nepal and the district of Humla.

We walk up to the 4,550 meter Nara pass, where a beautiful view looking back over the Tibetan plateau awaits us. Then, we make our way down to the pleasant meadow of Sip Sip at 4,300 meters. Next we descend through hills and wheatfields, through quaint stone villages, down to Muchu, where we camp amongst apricot fields and stone walled pastures, near a Buddhist temple at 2,900 meters.

Now, its time to continue our trek down the steeply walled Himla Karnali River, crossing streams and wending our way through farmland and wheatfields to Kermi, at 2,600 meters, where we camp in the village near a school.

Our final day on trek, we are up early, and cross a few ridges, hiking through more bucolic and pastoral scenery into the village of Simikot, where, low and behold, an airstrip has been created from what used to be wheatfields. Here, we have time to relax, read, and wait for our small plane to whisk us away. During our flight, we shall pass near to the 7,000 meter peak of Api, as well as flying over some superb jungle and rice paddies, to the busy city of Nepalganj, which feels very Indian.

After a delicious curry, we shall board our comfortable bus and head into the heartland of Nepal, the Terai Plains. We shall be treated to views of rural life and lush fields of green crops, as well as jungles with monkeys swinging in the trees. We will make a short side trip to visit the birthplace of Buddha: Lumbini, a place for reflection, with its gorgeous bodhi trees and quiet pastures. Buddha was born here in 563 BC, and a pillar, erected by Emperor Ashoka, 300 years later, still stands. The Myanmar government has erected a rather opulent temple recently, and we will take a stroll through.

We continue in our bus to the peaceful lakeside town of Pokhara, where we can get a tasty meal and an enjoyable boat ride across Dal Lake. Early morning sunrise from the roof of our hotel usually rewards us with the best views of the Annapurna region, for which Pokhara is the gateway. Finally, our bus climbs through the hills back into Kathmandu, and we have a day to relax, tour the valley, write postcards, and do a bit more shopping, before heading home.

Interested? Please contact us: info@SummitTrek.com

*PROPOSED DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY FOR MT. KAILASH*
1.	Arrive Kathmandu (1,300 meters). Sunday. Hotel. PLEASE DO NOT ARRIVE LATER THAN THIS DAY, DUE TO LOGISTICAL CONCERNS.
2.	In Kathmandu, explore temples and city sights. Hand over passport to Chinese embassy for visa. Hotel.
3.	Explore Kathmandu.
4.	Pick up visa from Chinese embassy.
5.	Bus to Zhangmu, Tibet (2500 metres); drive to Nyalam (3,750 m). Hotel;
6.	Rest in Nyalam (3,750 metres). Walk in the surrounding hills, hang out in the Tashi Amdo teashop. Hotel;
7.	Drive to Pelgu Tso Lake, 4595m. To the south there are views of Shisha Pangma. Camp or stay in a guesthouse.
8.	Drive to Saga, 4280m. There is a ferry crossing to get into town. Camp or stay in a guesthouse.
9.	Drive to Paryang, 4750m. Panoramic views of mountains on either side of the road. Camp or stay in a guesthouse.
10.	Drive to Lake Manasarovar, 4560m. A long drive of 10 hrs or more. Camp or stay in a guesthouse.
11.	Drive to Darchen 4560m. The main gateway to Kailash. Here we organize yaks or ponies for the trek. Guesthouse.
12.	Walk 6 hours to Driraphuk Monastery, 4500m. Camp or stay in teahouse.
13.	8 hour walk, Drira to Zutrul Phuk Monastery (4,500 meters). Camp.
14.	5 hour walk back to Darchen. Hotel and Camp.
15.	Darchen to Lake Manasarovar. Camp near the picturesque Chiu Gompa.
16.	Drive to Paryang. Camp or stay in a guesthouse.
17.	Drive to Saga. Camp or stay in a guesthouse.
18.	Drive to Nyalam. Camp or stay in a guesthouse.
19.	Drive to Kathmandu. Hotel.
20.	Rest day in Kathmandu. Final packing, Eating massive meals, saying good bye to new friends, etcetera.
21.	Fly Home. Thanks for coming!