A guide on the 13-day Kailash Mansarovar Yatra

The serene and beautiful landscape of western Tibet is not just soothing to the senses, it also takes you a bit closer to your inner being. Hindus regard the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra as one of the most important pilgrimages anyone can make and it is a journey that takes you to the abode of Lord Shiva, which in turn is your gateway to heaven after death. Quite a lot of pilgrims desire to visit the holy land of Shiva, and the first question that comes to their mind is How to do Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. 

If you are planning to go on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, knowing as much about it as you can is a good way to start. Here is the best Kailash Mansarovar Yatra Guide. There are many tour options available for people who want to do the trip, including two by the Ministry of External Affairs of India. Since the Yatra is so highly revered in Hinduism, the government has taken it upon itself to conduct the tour with the least amount of resistance from foreign nations. However, you also have the option of choosing a private tour operator if that is what you want. For now, let us discuss the 13-day Kailash Mansarovar Yatra as conducted by Trip To Temples, a private tour operator that has been in operation since 1995.

Two routes available

If you want to do the Yatra in about 13 days, there are two routes that will be made available to you, one starting from Kathmandu via Lhasa and the other from Kathmandu via the Kyirong border. A description of both these travel options is given below:

13-day Kailash Mansarovar Yatra from Kathmandu via Lhasa

• The meeting point is Kathmandu airport which you have to reach on your own. After reaching, you will be picked up by an agency representative who will take you to the hotel. After this, you will be briefed about the Yatra along with the other members of the group. 
• After staying overnight at a hotel in Kathmandu, the next day, you will be taken sightseeing on the popular sites of the city. In the afternoon, you will be preparing for the upcoming Yatra and that will be followed by dinner and sleep overnight at the hotel.
• The next day, you will check out from the hotel and fly to Lhasa. After reaching, a representative will pick you up and the other members of the group and take you to the hotel where you will be staying the night,. The whole day will be devoted to acclimatization and there will also be an evening visit to Barkhor Street.
• The next day will have all the members of the group driven to Shigetse by bus from where you will be transferred to the hotel. There will be an evening visit to the TashiLumphpo monastery.
• The next day, breakfast will be served after which you will be driven to Saga by bus. In the evening, enjoy free time with the other members of the group.
• The next day, you will be driven to Lake Mansarovar. After reaching, the ‘parikrama’ of the lake will be done by bus. The next day, there will be a ‘hawan’ conducted after which you will be driven to Darchen. After spending the night, the next day will see you be driven to Yamdwar. After that, there will be a trek to Deraphuk.
• The next day, there will be trekking that will take you to Dolma la pass, Gaurikund lake, Zuthulphuk and Zhongda. After this, you will be driven to Saga and will return to Kathmandu by pretty much the same route as you came.

13-day Kailash Mansarovar Yatra from Kathmandu via Kyirong border

• This route starts from Kathmandu airport from where you will be picked up and transferred to the hotel. This will be followed by a briefing, dinner, and rest overnight.
• The next day will be spent on sightseeing and preparations for the Yatra.
• The next day, you will be driven to Dhunche where you and the other members of the group will stay overnight at a hotel.
• The next day, you will be driven to Rasuwagadhi and then to the Kyirong border after completing customs formalities. The next day will be spent completely in acclimatization. The next day after breakfast, you will be driven to Dongba from where you will again drive to Lake Mansarovar. After doing the ‘parikrama’ of the lake, you will spend the night at the guesthouse there.
• The next day, you will be driven to Darchen, and the next day, you will start trekking. The trekking of Mount Kailash will take about 3 days to complete and you may also choose not to do it all.
• After this gets done, you will return by the same route as you came. 

The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra is truly the trip of a lifetime.