TRIP TO KAILASH

End of august/ beginning of september 2001


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The highlights of this trip are the most remote and holy sites in Tibet. Kailash, in the Himalaya, is the holy mountain of the hindus, biddhists and bon. Pilgrims trek every year from India and Nepal to Kailash. Along the way there are some of the oldest monasteries.
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Itinerary

  • Nepal. Katmandu valley (4-5 days)
    • Katmandu
    • Patan
    • Bhaktapur
  • Katmandu-Kailash (6 days)
    1. Option 1: Fly Katmandu-Simikot, trek to Kocher (see trek details), truck to Kailash
    2. Option 2: Drive Katmandu-Kailash on the truck
  • Kailash (2 days of rest)
  • After Kailash...
    1. Option 1: drive to Lhasa, visit monasteries near Lhasa and in Lhasa, fly back to Katmandu (5-6 days)
    2. Option 2: hitchhike to Ali and Kashgar (4 days), bus to Kirgizstan and Uzbekistan
    3. Option 3: hitchhike to Ali and Kashgar (4 days), fly to Lhasa, fly back to Katmandu

Nepal to Kashgar overland:
  1. Fly Katmandu- Nepalgunj- Simikot- Dhara Pori (2500 m)
  2. Walk Dhara Pori to Sally Khola (2600 m)
  3. Walk Sally Khola to Muchu (3100 m)
  4. Walk Muchu to Sip Sip (4100 m)
  5. Walk Sip Sip to Hilsa (3800 m)
  6. Border crossing
  7. Walk to Kocher.
  8. Drive to Taklakot and +Lake Manasarovar and Kailash
  9. Kailash circuit (3 days): to Damding Donkhan (5200 m), to Jarok Donkhang (5500 m) to Zutul-Puk (5100 m) to Darchan (4500 m) (5500 m)

Notes

Estimated cost
4-5 days in Nepal, 5-6 day jeep or trek to Kailash, 5-6 day jeep to Lhasa, flight back to Katmandu (15-16 days total): $2,500

  • Mt. Kailash (Ghang Rimpoche in Tibetan) is situated in south-west Tibet. It is a huge mountain with four great faces: the eastern face is believed to be crystal, the western ruby, the southern sapphire and the northern gold. Kailash is the spiritual centre for four of the world's religions: Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and Bon. They all covet it as the navel of the world, as from the nearby lake rivers flow in the four cardinal directions: the Indus, the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra), the Karnali and the Sutlej. The Tibetan poet, saint and philosopher Milarepa spent several years here meditating in a cave. For the Hindus Kailash is the spiritual centre of the universe, inhabited by Shiva and Parvati. Around Kailash (the mythical Mt Meru) everything else revolves. Bons believe that Kailash is where their messiah Shanrab descended from heaven. Kailash was the spiritual centre of the ancient Bon Empire that once ruled over western Tibet: Zhang Zung. Bons walk around the mountain counterclockwise, while the other religions walk clockwise. Pilgrims from all corners of the Indian subcontinent journey to Kailash. The circumambulation of Kailash (or "parikarama") is the goal of the pilgrimage.
  • From Kashgar to Mt Kailash calculate three days of non-stop driving, but the permit costs about $1,000. So it is not practical. It is better to visit Kailash from Lhasa or Katmandu.
  • Lhasa to Kashgar overland (7-10 days):
    1. Lhasa to Gyantse (7-8 hours)
    2. Gyantse to Shigatse (2 hours)
    3. Shigatse to Raga (2 hours)
    4. Raga to Kailash - northern route
      • Raga to Tsochen (Coqen)
      • Tsochen to Gertse (Gerze)
      • Gertse to Yen Hu
      • Yen Hu to Ali (Shiquanhe)
      • Ali to Darchen (Tarchen) via Tirthapuri (Namru)
    5. Raga to Kailash - southern route
      • Raga to Sakya (3-4 hrs.)
      • Sakya to Lhatse (Lhatze is the city where the road from Katmandu, via Nyalam, joins the Lhasa-Kailash road)
      • Lhatze to Drongpa (7-8 hrs.)
      • Dronpga to Paryang (7-8 hrs.)
      • Paryang to Darchen (7-8 hrs.)
    6. Pilgrimage around Kailash
      • walk from Darchen to Tharboche (1 hr) - first part of the kora (circumambulation).
      • walk to Dirapuk Gonpa (north face of Kailash)
      • ascend the Drolma La, descend to eastern valley
      • walk to Darchen - final part of kora
    7. or:
      • Walk Darchen to Damding Donkhan
      • Walk Damding Donkhang to Jarok Donkhang
      • Walk Jarok Donkhang to Zutul-Puk
      • Walk Zutul-Puk to Darchen
    8. +Lake Manasarovar (before Kailash for southern route, after Kailash for northern route)
    9. ++Tsaparang and ++Tholing monasteries (vicerversa)
      • Darchen to Tirthapuri (Namru) (2hrs.)
      • Tirthapuri to ++Tholing (Zanda) (8 hrs.)
      • ++Tholing (Zanda) to ++Tsaparang (26 kms.)
      • ++Tsaparang back to ++Tholing (Zanda) (26 kms)
      • ++Tholing to Thirthapuri (8 hours)
    10. Thirthapuri to Rutog (200 kms)
    11. Rutog to Shakidulla
    12. Shakhidulla to Karghalik
    13. Karghalik to Yarkand
    14. Yarkand to Kasgar
    15. Kashgar to Tashkorgan to Khunjerab pass (Pakistan)
  • Nepal to Kashgar overland:
    1. Fly Katmandu- Nepalgunj- Simikot- Dhara Pori (2500 m)
    2. Walk Dhara Pori to Sally Khola (2600 m)
    3. Walk Sally Khola to Muchu (3100 m)
    4. Walk Muchu to Sip Sip (4100 m)
    5. Walk Sip Sip to Hilsa (3800 m)
    6. Border crossing
    7. Walk to Kocher. Drive to Taklakot and +Lake Manasarovar and Kailash
    8. Kailash circuit (3 days): to Damding Donkhan (5200 m), to Jarok Donkhang (5500 m) to Zutul-Puk (5100 m) to Darchan (4500 m) (5500 m)
  • Kathmandu-Kailash-Kashgar-Pakistan:
    1. Drive Kathmandu- Nylam
    2. Nylam- Saga
    3. Saga-Barayang
    4. Barayang-Lake Manasarovar
    5. Lake Manasarovar (rest)
    6. Lake Manasarovar-Tarchen
    7. Tarchen -Dairaphuk
    8. Dairaphuk- Zuthulphuk
    9. Zuthulphuk-Tarchen
    10. Tarchen- Tirthapuri
    11. Tirthapuri-Tholing
    12. Explore around Tholing & Tsaprang
    13. Tholing & Tsaprang- Ali
    14. Ali-Rutog
    15. Rutog-Domar
    16. Domar-Hongliutan
    17. Hongliutan-Khudi
    18. Khudi-Yarkhand
    19. Yarkhand-Khasgar
    20. Khasgar-Tashkorgan
    21. Tashkorgan-Khanjerab (Pakistan-China border)
  • Reaching Mt Kailash from Kashgar via the Xinjiang Highway: Yecheng (270 kms), Aqmeqit (100 kms), Chiragsaldi Pass at 4900m (140 kms), Mazar (24 kms), Shaidouli Pass at 4860m (100 kms), Shaidouli (58 kms), Dahonglitan (130 kms), Dahonglitan Pass at 5090m (50 kms), Tielong (150 kms), Aksai Chin plateau, highest pass at over 5,000m (16 kms), Shiquanhe/Ali (384 kms). The grand total is about 1400 kms. The fastest tours do it in five/six days, but a truck driving non-stop can do it in three days. From Shiquanhe/Ali to Gar (111 kms) to Nabru (25 kms) to Mensi (124 kms) to Darchen (about 2 hours) which is the base camp for Kailash, count at least one day. (But the 90x2 kms detour from Nabru to Tsaparang and Tholing/ZandaXian is highly recommended). Note that Darchen is about 3 hours from the border town of Purang, from where India and Nepal could be reached in minutes if the borders were open. From Darchen to Lhasa takes about the same time even if the road is shorter.
  • China is improving the road from Lhasa to Kailash.
  • China is building a railroad to Lhasa.
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