Trip Overview
Simikot Kailash Trek starts from the airstrip at Simikot, leading you through Nepal’s most isolated western district of Humla, following the Humla Karnali River to the border with Tibet, and to the magical Mansarovar Lake and holy Mount Kailash, known as the most important pilgrimage places of both Hindus and Buddhists. After ending our Nepal section trek to the Tibetan border from Simikot, a Tibetan guide with a private vehicle will receive us at Hilsa. Then we start the most exciting Kailash Mansarovar trip, then complete the pilgrimage Kora around Mount Kailash. Kora, meaning literally "circumambulation," is a type of pilgrimage and a type of meditative practice in the Tibetan Buddhist or Bon traditions.
Mount Kailash is considered to be the divinest mountain in the Himalaya, known as the center of the world for the four great religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Bönpo and Jain. Kailash is perfectly symmetrical and according to one description, these faces are made of crystal, ruby, gold, and lapis lazuli. Near the base of the mountain rises four of the most significant rivers of the Indian subcontinent: the Indus, Sutlej, Karnali (a tributary of the Ganges River), and Brahmaputra.
The kora or trek around Mount Kailash is a distance of 50 kilometers (31 miles) and involves crossing one pass at 5,600 m. We take four days to complete the kora, giving you time for the necessary acclimatization as well as the opportunity to visit three main monasteries. No doubt you will meet many pilgrims on the trail. After the kora, we drive in Landcruisers over the Tibetan plateau and then cross the border back into Nepal near the town of Zhangmu.
