Tibet Kailash Parikrama Circuit

Western Tibet · China

Challenging15 daysAsia~£3,500 est.

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Overview

The 52 km kora around Mount Kailash (6,638 m) is the one walk sacred to four religions at once — Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Bonpos all circle it, the last of them anticlockwise. Day two is the crux: a pre-dawn start from Dirapuk monastery, under the striated north face, for the long pull to the Dolma La at 5,630 m, a saddle buried in prayer flags, then a knee-hammering descent past the emerald Gauri Kund lake. You share the trail with Tibetan pilgrims doing the whole circuit in a day, and with some prostrating its entire length over weeks. Altitude is the variable that catches people: Darchen, the trailhead, already sits at 4,575 m and there is no easy bail-out once you are committed. Build in Lake Manasarovar (4,588 m) beforehand and acclimatise properly in Lhasa or Kathmandu first. Independent travel is impossible — Tibet Travel Permit, Alien's Travel Permit and a booked guide and vehicle are mandatory — so budget around £3,500 for a typical 15-day overland tour from Lhasa or Kathmandu, May to September.