Licensed Tibet agency · Lhasa, 3,650 m
This is the classic long loop: a few days in Lhasa to get used to the height, a long drive west across the plateau, a night by Lake Manasarovar and the walk around Mount Kailash. The slow pace is the reason to pick it.
Fifteen days from Lhasa and back is the standard length for a Kailash group tour, and this listing sticks to it: it calls the trip a "classic 15-day Mount Kailash trek tour" through western Tibet, run as a small group. Loops of this length usually spend about three days in Lhasa at 3,650 m before heading west. Then comes the long road: roughly 1,200 to 1,700 km of tarmac via Shigatse and Saga to Darchen, the village at the foot of the mountain. The kora is 53 km over three days, with the Dolma La at about 5,630 m on the second.
Lake Manasarovar normally gets a night at a lakeside guesthouse, often below Chiu Gompa on the northwest shore, and groups drive around the lake rather than walk it. Bathing in the lake has been banned since 2018. Pilgrims still collect water for ritual use, so bring a bottle if that matters to you. Among the listing photos are the ruins of the Guge kingdom in far western Tibet: ask the operator whether a Guge detour is part of your departure before you plan around it.
Timing is the big caveat right now. Heavy snow closed the Kailash kora and scenic area on 26 September 2026 (Explore Tibet), and Kailash permits were reported suspended from 20 October. Departures on this route normally restart in April or May 2027. Holders of Indian passports should read the yatra guide for Indians first, because many Lhasa agencies cannot book Kailash for them.
Loops of this length usually open with about three days in Lhasa: the Potala, the Jokhang and the Barkhor at an easy pace while your body adjusts. Keep the first afternoon free.
The usual road runs via Shigatse, Lhatse and Saga, with a night at each, climbing slowly towards Darchen at 4,670 m. Expect long days in the vehicle.
A drive along the shore, a monastery stop and a lakeside guesthouse, with Kailash to the north on a clear evening. Collecting water is fine; bathing is not.
53 km from Darchen: about 22 km to Dirapuk below the north face, the Dolma La on day two, then a shorter walk out. Yaks and porters can carry your bag.
The long drive east again. If Guge is on your departure, it adds time in the far west before the return.
Read next:
The listing calls it a "classic 15-day Mount Kailash trek tour". On loops of this length the trek is the three-day kora from Darchen over the Dolma La. Horses and porters for it are usually arranged and paid locally.
Heavy snow closed the kora on 26 September 2026, and Kailash permits were reported suspended from 20 October. Tours from Lhasa usually restart in April or May; Explore Tibet, for example, lists 2027 Kailash departures from 5 April to 18 October.
Check with the operator before paying. According to Tibet Vista, many Lhasa agencies cannot book Kailash for Indian passports, which go through a separate pilgrim channel with approved Nepali or Indian agencies, or the government yatra.
No. Bathing has been banned since 2018. You can collect lake water for ritual washing at the shore or in a tent.
Ready to book
Two weeks from Lhasa with time to acclimatise, a night at Lake Manasarovar and the full Kailash kora. Permits arranged.
Kailash Mansarovar Yatra via Lhasa, 11 DaysAn 11-day yatra listed from Kathmandu that runs from Lhasa, not the closed Kyirong road. Pickup available, per the listing.11 days · Starts in Kathmandu
Kailash Mansarovar Yatra from Kathmandu, 15 DaysA slower yatra from Kathmandu: 15 days, with time to acclimatise on the plateau before the lake and Kailash.15 days · Starts in Kathmandu
Lhasa, Everest Base Camp & Namtso, 9 DaysNine days from Lhasa: the Potala, a night at Everest Base Camp and Namtso Lake. No Kailash, no kora.9 days · Starts in Lhasa