Tibet is an attractive and mysterious place and one of the most popular tourist destinations. Because the roads have been less traveled here, the heritage and beauty of the place are still preserved and untampered. Tibet has the most exotic sceneries and gorgeous views of the Himalayas. While pollution is absent and rare in Tibet, you can find many of the endangered and rare species of animals and plants. Apart from throwing at you many physical and trekking challenges, Tibet is also a great place for spiritual regeneration as well. The leading Tibet small group providers ensure that you have a wholesome, joyful, inadvertent and memorable touring experience of your life when you tour Tibet.

The Shambhala Tibet Affordable Tours For Small Groups

The Tibet Shambhala Adventure company is owned and run by Tibetans exclusively, and is one of the best tour firms in Tibet possessing highest expertise, understanding, and knowledge of the environment, religion, and culture of Tibet. Registered and licensed by the China and Tibet Tourism Bureaus, the company offers a range of Tibet Group Tour packages including trekking, climbing, motor biking, and the spiritual (Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage) tour as well to the small groups and families. Whether you want to lay a camp at the Everest or want to indulge in sightseeing at Lhasa, the firm has the best small group and family tours for you.

Comprehensive Range And Immense Attractions

Shambhala offers you the Classical Tibet Group Tour, the Tibetan Culture and Nature Tour, and the Exclusive Tibet Everest and Namtso Tour, where you can reach to, and travel the lesser known regions of Tibet as well. These tours will help you know more about Tibetan Buddhism, and will also take you across the beautiful lakes of the region including Yamdrok and Namtso, among others. The tours take you across a number of monasteries and the beautiful mountain ranges of Tibet as well. The Tibet Shambhala Adventure is also the best when you want to reach the holy Mount Kailash, which is sacred to Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and Bons.

The authentic and popular Shambhala Tibet group tour plans offer immense affordability and the packages are designed to keep the costs low, which is what the small group tourists often want. The inclusion of conveyance, accommodation, insurance, eating/dining facilities, and English speaking guide, among other perks, amenities and privileges, at a highly reasonable cost, help tourist derive most of the benefits without burning a hole in their pockets.

Located in the top of the world, Tibet offers an abundance of delights to its visitors from around the world. The Ganden to Samye trekking is one such adventurous and beautiful location where you can find the spirit of Tibet lurking all through your journey.

The Ganden and Samye are two monasteries, which form a popular trekking route in Tibet, at a middle level than the others such as the Mount Kailash or the Everest base camp. Here, located at about 4000 meters about the sea level, not only are the air rare and thin, but the temperatures are freezing too.

And, there lays the adventure, to travel the distance by trekking to reach the next beautiful location on the map. The trek to Samye from Gamden offers a profusion of delights, such as, vibrant meadows, beautiful Tibetan nomad camp, flocks of Yak and sheep, high mountain passes, sweet smell bushes and many medical herbs, Yamalung sacred hermitage and cave, spiritual and enthusiastic locals and many more. The local travel agencies offer excellent packages to ensure you have everything in hand on this strange, yet enchanting route.

What makes such Tibet treks all the more challenging is the altitude and the strange rarified air that one encounters. While many might find it difficult in the beginning, the acclimatization done at the base- Lhasa by the travel agencies get us prepared for the adventure well in advance.

This trek from Ganden to Samye monasteries is a usual pilgrimage route for the locals, whom you will find camping in-between on your travel. The trek itself starts at a lower altitude and has two mountain peaks to climb, which might pose a slight challenge if you are not a seasoned traveler. Again here, one needs to mention that the travel agencies have all medical facilities and other such provisions in place to ensure you are comfortable all the time. While the trek is definitely hard and challenging, the panoramic view makes it all worthwhile.

Have you ever wondered what it would be to travel along the rugged mountain paths on your cycle or mountain bikes? Tibet cycling tours that are organized by local travel agencies work at providing exactly such experiences to travelers from around the world.

The local Tibetan tour operators have special packages designed especially for such adventure lovers from around the world. The trips focus on providing excellent mountain bikes, and all other necessary local permits to ensure you are on a comfortable trip to enjoy the valley at its beautiful best.  The hotel stays to local guides who can speak the language and also food and snacks, all are set before you to make sure you are not inundated with worrying about such mundane stuff.

So, with everything taken care of, you have the opportunity to look around you and soak in the enchanting view of snow covered peaks, colorful array of flowers in the summer, and just have fun.

Since Tibet offers a plethora of sites, from religious places to natural splendor and many more, your Tibet cycling tour may take you to hundreds of locations along the way. The best part is that since you have a vehicle with you, you can just enjoy cycling along the unknown paths where the roads have not been able to reach.

It is often said that the delights of life open up only for those who wish to go on an off-beaten, never traveled paths. Your Tibet cycling tour, organized by a travel agency in Tibet will exactly take you along these paths to help you admire nature at its best magnificence all around.

Have you ever gone on a biking trip in your life? If you are a bike lover and would love to travel on its two wheels around, then Tibet Mountain Bike tour is something you cannot just miss out for the world!

The Tibet Mountain bike tours are designed to give the riders the best experience of the valley in its entire magnificent splendor. These tours, organized by the adventure tours and travels look at exploring those places that are hard to find, but great to visit.

SO, you can travel along the unexplored paths of Tibet, where the roads have not even been paved, to make it all the more adventurous! Instead of giving just one itinerary to follow, the mountain bike tours are varied and stimulating to the riders. You can either opt for the Everest base camp or the Mount Kailash tour or wherever your journey takes you on a quest for adventure.

The mountain bikes all necessary permits including China custom clearance, all are taken care of by the local Tibetan tour operators, making it easier to just zoom into the horizon. But beware, each path is not paved, and neither are the roads friendlier. If this is what accounts for the thrill, then you will definitely have an adventure of your lifetime!

The best part is that every trip is accompanied by a local tour guide to ensure you do not have any problems with the locals or the language or anything else. With a bright blue sky on the top and the snow-covered peaks surrounding you, the bike ride on the Tibetan valley can completely alter your thinking about life and everything else surrounding you!

If you are up to it, book yourself on the best Tibet mountain bike tour this holiday season, to enjoy a great challenge coming your way!

Well, what can one say about a place that is called the rooftop of the world for a reason? There is nothing like Tibet, the great Himalayan kingdom which has several mysteries in store for a Tibet adventure tour!

So, if you are all set for the Tibet adventure tour this summer, then visit the Labchigang mountain range to experience the thrill of trekking on those slippery, snow-covered mountains!

Labchigang mountain or the glacier is one of the most less explored, and therefore, adventurous sights when on a Tibet adventure tour. The mountain, with its snow, covered peak and freezing temperature has provided challenges to the most frequent travelers too.

Here, when on an adventure tour to Tibet, you can have the thrill of visiting this place, with the help of local tourist guides and travels. Usually, any tour of Tibet starts with getting you first acclimatized to the area. There is a strong medical reason to believe that people from anywhere in the world might want their body to adjust to the altitude and the climate before going on their first adventure.

After spending a few days in Lhasa, sight-seeing all those plethoras of wonderful places, you will be taken along to the Old Dingri, through the Palchoe monastery and others on the way. In Dingri Gangkar, which is at an altitude of 4360 meters, you start your climb up the mountains.

This trekking along the slopes overlooking Mount Everest will take you to several other places which you can only go by foot. The Dosam and Langkor monastery, to the peak of the Labchitso glacier at 6100 meters, all will leave you awestruck and thrilled for a lifetime.

The whole climb would take a few days to cover, offering several sensational attractions in between. All in all, you can have all the titillating experiences on the Tibet adventure tour, with a suitable tour guide to assist you on your journey to the most enchanting glories the Mother Earth holds.

Tibet festival tours are designed to provide a great insight into the culture, tradition and religious practices of the locals living in this great Himalayan Kingdom. The Shoton festival, one that commemorates the completion of meditation and the beginning of ‘yogurt’ eating by the monks is a never-to miss occasion.

When Is It Celebrated-

The festival is usually held in the month of August-September, the late August to early September of the calendar or from 30^th of sixth month till the beginning of the seventh month according to the Tibetan calendar. The festival focuses upon the traditions and joy of living by the Tibetans. There are shopping, market fares, entertainment in the form of operas and many more.

Where Is It Held?

The streets and squares of Lhasa, wear festive colors to note the occasion making it an occasion of great interest for the visitors coming on a Tibet festival tour. Although the center of location is in the western part of Lhasa, in Drepung monastery and Norbulingka, the summer palace of the great Dalai Lama, one can see the celebrations everywhere else too, with people coming in to celebrate in masses.

How Is It Celebrated?

After practicing strict religious aspects in the earlier months, the Shoton festival ends the season with offerings of Yogurt. The celebrations begin earnestly with the unveiling of the Thangka, a giant applique made out of silk and gold threads. This is done in the Drepung monastery, and the Sera monastery, after which the festivities begin.

What Are The Major Attractions?

While there are celebrations all around, Giant Thangka display and the Tibetan opera shows form the most popular viewing point. The opera stars the localities from various districts coming up to put on a show to depict their culture, religion and many more.

While the opera, with its enchanting and colorful shoes, form the main attraction to the festival, the spirits exhibited by the Tibetans during this occasion is what people come to watch. Large mats are put on the ground, with families and friends gathered around to sit and watch, drink and make merry around the festive season.

This in itself finds many takers for the Shoton festival tour organized by the local travel agents in Tibet.

Are you planning for a Tibet local tour this holiday season? Tibet aptly called the rooftop of the world, is one of the most beautiful places where Mother Nature has bestowed its abundance without any reservations. From the enchanting valleys to those snow-covered peaks, all offer a wonderful panorama to stay forever in our lives.

While there are several things to see in this Himalayan Kingdom, the Horse racing festival is one of the attractions that get a lot of footfall to this area, from all over the world. The horse racing festival or festivals are a great attraction in Tibet. Although there are many such smaller festivals happening year around, the Nagchu horse racing festival, Damxung horse racing festival, Gyantse Dhamark horse racing festival in Tibet, which happen in summer is a splendid event to watch and admire.

When you go on a Tibet Local tour in summer,  we would recommend you to take your Tibet tour by connecting some Tibetan traditional festivals. Among them, the horse racing festival in Tibet is one of the most popular and interesting to see because during those horse racing festivals, you can see different kinds of other Tibetan traditional activities such as Yak racing, body wrestling, Tibetan traditional circle dance and many other different kinds of performances going on during the horse racing festivals in the summer time in Tibet so in order to get more authentic experience of your Tibet tour and in order to ensure the travelers learn more about the people and culture therewithin. The horse racing festivals run around the entire Tibet autonomous region and extends to a splendid more than thousand kilometers in the north and south eastern part of Tibet, known as Amdo and Kham in Tibetan. Usually, in all those regions, when they have horse racing festivals, they have between 3-7 days festivals going on by gathering all the people from different villages in beautiful Tibetan traditional clothes.

What makes the festival special is the traditional attire that the Tibetians sport on this occasion. With the horses decorated in festive colors and the riders adorning themselves with special colorful attire, the entire stretch of this horse racing festival is filled with rivalry and joie-de-vivre.

And, combined with it all, the Tibetian valley rejoices in glee and adorns itself with vibrant spring colors to meet up with the joy of the occasion. There are other such festivals too, such as the Tibetan New year, Shoton festival or the Saga Dawa festival, where you can find similar enthusiasm and sporting spirit exhibited by the locals.

Enjoy all this by booking yourself the best local Tibet tour during this holiday season, to take back a bag full of memories to cherish!

Mount Kailash is atremendously holy to Buddhism, Hindus, Jains and the Bon followers. The Bonfollowers was the original religion of Tibet prior to the Buddhism. MountKailash is located in the western part of Tibet at the distance of 1200km fromLhasa, the capital city of Tibet and 150km from the border between Nepal andTibet.

How to travel to Mount Kailash

Foreign tourists can only go to Mount Kailash as part of an organized tour and you will have to go through a travel agent who can arrange your Tibet entry permit and necessary Mount Kailash permits. There are more permits required to travel to Mount Kailash than normal Tibet tours so the Mt Kailash tour permit takes longer period of time to finish since the Tibet travel agent needs to get Kailash permits from several different departments of the government office so we recommend to book the Mount Kailash trip in a month advance.

How to get to Mount Kailash

There are three main ways to get to Mount Kailash. From Simikot to Kailash is one of the tourist choices that the tourists can fly from Kathmandu to Nepal Ganj and from Nepal Ganj to Simikot. From Simikot, you can have 6 days trek in the Limi valley of the west Nepal all the way to Sher border which is close to Purang county in Tibet, known as Taklakot. Purang county is located to the south of Mount Kailash at the distance of 120km.

From Kathmandu to Kailash via Kyirong border, another way to get to Mount Kailash and it is an overland tour from Kathmandu to Kyirong border at the distance of 150km and continue to Mount Kailash and back to Kyirong.

Kyirong is the biggest border between Nepal and China Tibet. Kyirong is a multi-national tourist crossing border and it is also a very important commercial border between Nepal and China Tibet. You can see hundreds of Nepalese support truck, transferring the goods from Kyirong to Kathmandu.

From Lhasa to Kailash is the most popular way to get to Mount Kailash. Travelers can fly to Lhasa from mainland China or fly to Lhasa from Kathmandu as well. Usually there are 14 days Mount Kailash program starting from Lhasa and back to Lhasa via visiting Gyantse and Shigatse including doing three days Mount Kailash trekking. If you add Guge Kingdom and Tholing, the Mount Kailash tour program will be 17 days from Lhasa to Lhasa.

For the tourists who don’t have much time but still like to go to Mount Kailash can fly to Kailash directly from Lhasa which is around two hours flight. The Ngari Kunsha airport is between Mount Kailash and Ngari prefecture. From Ngari Kunsha airport to Mount Kailash is just 4 hours’ drive.

Flying to Mount Kailash from Lhasa and back to Lhasa is between 9-10 days program and many tourists who don’t have much time choose this option even if the flight cost is expensive. Since there is only one daily flight between Ngari prefecture and Lhasa, we recommend you to book the Mount Kailash tour by flight from Lhasa in two months advance as the flight tickets between Lhasa and Ngari prefecture are extremely busy during the peak season and extremely difficult to get. The peak season is May, July, August, September and till late October.

If the tourists had more time, they can take Kailash northern route program. Kailash northen route tour program is a Mount Kailash loop tour via Saga, Baryang, Mansarovar lake and then to Guge Kingdom and Tholing. Continue to Seng Ge Kabab, known as Shiquanhe and through the vast northern plateau of western Tibet via Gertse, Tsochen, Sangsang and back to Lhasa with 21 days Mount Kailash tour itinerary. This Kailash northern route trekking is a great adventure Tibet tour.

Three days Mount Kailash trekking

Three days mount Kailash trekking is the highlight of the Mount Kailash pilgrimage tour. When you get to Dharchen which is a small town, located to the foot of the Mount Kailash, your Tibetan guide will contact the local community of the Yak and Yak men or porters for three days Mount Kailash trekking. If your group is going to camp during three days Kailash trekking, we recommend to hire Yak and Yak men since you not only need to carry your bags but also need to carry all the camping equipment and all the necessary of cooking items. If the group is going to stay in lodges around Mt Kailash, we recommend to hire porters since you have your belongings only to carry during three days Kailash trekking because the porters can walk along with you and assist you while you are crossing Drolma la high pass.

It is important to tell your Tibetan guide a true condition of your health whether you can really do three days Mt Kailash trekking or not. If you think it is difficult for you to walk the entire three days Kailash trekking, it is better to tell the guide to help you hire a horse and horse man for riding so that sometimes you can walk and when you are tired, you can ride the horse so that you will complete the three days Kailash trekking but please keep in mind that you cannot ride the horse from the top of Drolma la pass until you reach the flat valley to Zutrul Phuk. There are around 5-8km distance from the top of Drolma la pass to the flat valley. Three days of hiring horse and a horse man approximately cost you 245US$. If you really think that you could not do the Kailash trekking because of your health condition, you can stay in the hotel in Dharchen and can take a day excursion to Tarpoche by walk or by conservative bus. It takes you 2 hours to reach Tarpoche by walk and 20 minutes by drive. From Tarpoche, you can enjoy a great view of Mt Kailash and the most beautiful valley of the first day of the Mount Kailash trekking.

During the second day of Kailash trekking, you can take a day excursion to Mansarovar lake. There are 50km distance from Dharchen to Mansarovar lake and you will have a great view of Mt Kailash and the entire Mansarovar lake from Chiu Gompa which is a small monastery located to the west shore of the Mansarovar lake and around 50Km from Dharchen. From the courtyard of Chiu Gompa, you will again enjoy a marvelous view of Mt Kailash.

Three days Mansarovar lake trekking, known as Mansarovar lake Kora

Before 2013, three days walking around Mansarovar lake was a very good itinerary, included in the Kailash pilgrimage tour but nowadays, it is not possible to include three days Mansarovar lake Kora because Mt Kailash and Mansarovar lake conservative management company does not allow the tourists to drive tourist or private vehicles around the Mansarovar lake. If you like to do Mansarovar lake Kora, you must go by the conservative bus which does not stop overnight at the Mansarovar lake so nowadays, you can take a Mansarovar lake Kora by conservative bus which takes you around 3 hours’ drive. For the tourists or pilgrims who like to spend more nights at Mansarovar lake during the Mansarovar Kora, we recommend you to take a conservative bus from Horchu which is to the east of Mansarovar lake and get off the bus at Gossul Gompa, located to the south east of the Mansarovar lake and spend over night there. The next day, you can ask your local guide to request the driver to come to pick you up at Gossul Gompa. In this way, you can complete a Mansarovar lake and spend the second night at Chiu Gompa, located to the west shore of the Mansarovar lake.

Tirthapuri and Guge Kingdom Excursion:

Travel to the further western part of Tibet: Tirthapuri and Kyunglong Guru Gyam and Guge Kingdom and Zanda county

After Mt Kailash trek, you can extend Mt Kailash tour to Guge Kingdom and Zanda county. It is a four more days tour itinerary after Mt Kailash and Mansarovar lake. You can drive to the further western Tibet after three days Mt Kailash trek. It is 60Km distance from Dharchen to Tirthapuri, spend a night in Tirthapuri, visit the monastery in Tirthapuri and the ruins of Kyunglong Guru gyam. Guru Gyam was the original kingdom of Shangshong before the 33^rd Tibetan King Songtsan Gampo re-united Tibet.

Continue to Guge Kingdom and Zanda county. We recommend you to spend two nights in Zanda county, visiting the ruins of the Guge Kingdom but nowadays, you can at least visit a few of the renovated temples including the white and red temples. Another very important visiting site in Zanda county is Tholing monastery which dates back to the 11^th century when the famous Indian Master Atisha came to Tibet. The wall painting in Guge Kingdom and Tholing monastery is an extraordinary beautiful, unique and antique.

On the way back, if you have enough time, it is worthy to visit Dungkar and Peyang because in those two small monasteries and caves, you can witness the old painting of the Niwari and Kashmir style which has more than a thousand years history.

A proper altitude acclimatization is required to reduce the risk of serious altitude sickness during your Mt. Kailash tour

The entire western Tibet including the Kailash region stands at the average elevation of 4600mt above sea level which is an extremely high altitude for the tourists who are traveling to Tibet from sea level so it is compulsory to have good acclimatization from the beginning of your trip. If you fly to Lhasa from mainland China or Kathmandu, it is very important to spend three nights in Lhasa and a slow going sightseeing around Lhasa which really help you to acclimatize to the altitude.

During your stay in Lhasa, you are recommended to drink a lot of water even if you hate going to the toilet many times because Tibet is a very dried and high elevated place which dehydrates your body very quickly so you need a lot of water to re-fresh and give more oxygen to your body. After spending three nights in Lhasa, if you can manage your Kailash program to drive up between 500-700 mt every day for the up-coming three nights, according to our experience, you won’t get any altitude problem during your Kailash pilgrimage tour and you will successfully complete the Mt Kailash Kora.

If you come from Kathmandu to Kyirong border to travel to Kailash, we strongly recommend you to spend two nights in Kyirong in order to acclimatize to the altitude. It is very important to let your body slowly to accustomed to the high altitude.

Kathmandu is just 1500mt and Kyirong is already 2900mt so during one day, you already climb up to 1400mt which is not an easy task to acclimatize so you need a day to rest and walk around Kyirong. It is the same thing that you need to drink a lot of water which really help you. You can take a short hike to Darkar Terzong which is the most sacred cave of Mila Repa, dates back to the 11^th century.

After spending three nights in Kyirong, you can slowly drive up to Saga at the elevation of 4640mt. The driving distance from Kyirong to Saga is not very long and you can still drive up to Drongba or Baryang but we don’t recommend to drive that long because slow move is another extremely important to acclimatize to the altitude.

If your Kailash trekking is started from Sher border near Purang county, Logically, you must have been acclimatized to the altitude because you already spend around a week in the high altitude area of western Nepal by doing 6-7 days trekking to reach Sher border but according to our many years of experience, we still recommend you to spend two nights around Mansarovar lake or Dharchen which is the starting point of Mt Kailash trekking, known as Mt Kailash Kora because Tibetan people believe even if you are acclimatized to the high altitude of specific place, it does not mean you are acclimatized to the other part of the place which means even if you are acclimatized to the high altitude of west Nepal, it does not mean you are acclimatized to the high altitude of the Kailash region but of course it is always easier to get used to the high altitude when you already have been to a higher place before you come to Tibet so we recommend you to spend one night at Mansarovar lake and another night in Dharchen to slowly acclimatize to the altitude and make sure you will succeed your three days Mount Kailash Kora.

Road condition to Mt Kailash & lake Mansarovar

Mt Kailash Adventure tour is not a difficult travel destination any more now comparing to 10 years back. Prior to the black paved road to Mt Kailash, doing a normal Mt Kailash pilgrimage tour, starting from the old Dzangmu border and driving up to Mt Kailash took more than a week so you had to have around 15-17 days to complete this normal and shortest Mt Kailash pilgrimage tour by that time but nowadays, if you drove directly from Kyirong border to Mt Kailash, you can reach within two days easily so that is the difference of the road condition comparing to 10 years back and today.

The most popular Mt Kailash adventure tour starting from Lhasa, driving through Gyantse, Shigatse and then to Mansarovar lake and Kailash is a complete paved road and the scenery is more beautiful with a black paved road than with the old dusty road. The entire road for Kailash northern route including Guge Kingdom and Tsaparang county has been paved and the road from Shiquanhe to Kashgar has also completely been paved. The road from Hilsa or Sher borer to Kailash trek has also been paved. The last part of the road between Pekutso and Saga county has just been finished paving the black road.

Today, all the different Kailash tours and Kailash trekking have very good conditioned paved roads therefore it is very important to up-date the Kailash and Mansarovar tour itinerary and make the best suitable Kailash pilgrimage tours.

In many of the websites, we still see old versions of Mount Kailash tours such as, drive from Lhatse to Zangzang in a day, another day from Zangzang to Saga, from Saga to Baryang but nowadays, you can cover these places within one day with the good new road. If you still keep the old version of the Kailash tour programs, it will be very boring to the clients.

Accommodation Facility During Kailash Tour

Planning a trip to Mt Kailash and lake Mansarovar is not a luxury travel destination. Traveling to Kailash and Mansarovar lake is a spiritual and pilgrimage tour for the people who believe in Kailash as a sacred and holy Mountain. For others, who are traveling to Kailash and Mansarovar lake is a mystical and adventure tour once in a life time therefore one must not expect to have luxury or very comfortable hotels and resorts during your Mt. Kailash adventure tour. If you are looking for a luxury travel, then Kailash is not a right choice of your trip.

However, the accommodation facility is far better than before and every year, there is improvement of the accommodation facility in Kailash region. When you book the most popular Mt Kailash tour, starts from the holy city of Lhasa, the accommodation condition in Lhasa, Gyantse, Shigatse is very good. After Shigatse, the places that you are spending overnights are Saga and sometimes in Drongba and Baryang. In those three places, you can get two-star conditioned hotels with shower and toilet but you must not expect the hotels as good as 2* hotels in the cities or the ones that you have in the western countries.

At Dharchen, there are several different hotels which have shower and toilet and among them, the best hotel is Himalaya hotel and the owner of the hotel is advertising as 4* hotel but I would say it has 3* condition service level.

If you take an excursion to the far western Tibet where Guge Kingdom and Tholing in Tsaparang county (Zabrang), there are nice hotels around with shower and toilet and the best hotel in the county is Tholing Chengbao hotel.

In Purang county, the best hotel is Hotel Himalaya and it is also considered as 4* condition. It is a comfortable hotel with hot shower.

In Kyirong county, there are several different kinds of hotels and among those hotels, the best hotel is Phuntsok Rebsal hotel. Phuntsok Rebsal has nice restaurant and they serve continental food.

The accommodations around Mansarovar lake and Mt Kailash are very basic. The guest houses at lake Mansarovar is very basic including the guest house at Chiu Gompa. The guest houses are on the basis of dormitory. There is no shower and toilet inside the guest houses. There is very basic traditional toilet outside the guest houses and for washing, you need to ask the guest house owner to bring a thermos of hot water and you can use the hot water for washing face and hands.

The guest houses during your three days Mt Kailash trekking is also very basic and the guest houses are also on the basis of the dormitory and there are between three to 8 beds in the dormitories. There is no shower and toilet inside the guest houses. You need to use the very basic toilet outside the guest houses and for washing, it is the same condition as the guest houses around Mansarovar lake that you need to ask the guest house owner to bring the hot water for washing.

We strongly recommend you to bring your own thin sleeping bags or if the sleeping bags are expensive to bring for just three nights, you can bring an inner layer to use while sleeping in the guest houses in Mansarovar lake and around Mt Kailash Kora because the hygiene in the rooms is very poor and we are also not sure if the guest house owner washes the blankets every day or not.

Even though the accommodation around Mansarovar lake and Mt Kailash are very basic, the highlight of the Mt Kailash pilgrimage tour is to go to Chiu Gompa, enjoy the best view of Mt Kailash from the courtyard of Chiu Gompa and an extraordinary view of Mansarovar lake and Mt Gurla Mandata from Chiu Gompa.

Three days trekking around Mt Kailash is the most important part of Mt Kailash pilgrimage tour and even the accommodation is very basic, one must not miss doing three days Mt Kailash trek because it is a once in a life time pilgrimage tour or a great adventure journey.

Food Facility During Mt Kailash Pilgrimage Tour

During your Lhasa to Kailash tour, you can get continental food in Lhasa, Gyantse, Shigatse and Kyirong. After Shigatse, there are Chinese and Tibetan restaurants on the way and you can get pretty good food in Saga, Drongba, Baryang and Dharchen.

There are also nice Chinese and Tibetan restaurants in Purang and Tsaparang counties. The food during three days Mt Kailash trekking and around Mansarovar is very basic. You can get very simple food such as noodle soup, fried rice only so it is very important to tell your local Tibetan travel agent to bring different kinds of snack including biscuit, dried and fresh fruit, cheese, Chocolate, bread etc. during three days Kailash trek.

After Shigatse, on the way to Kailash, the breakfast in the hotel is extremely basic and in some of the hotels, they even don’t have breakfast therefore it is very important to tell your agent to bring toast, bread, coffee, tea bag, Jam, butter for the breakfast, packed from Lhasa.

If your Tibetan local travel agent is an experienced one like Tibet Shambhala Adventure, they would prepare all those items even if you did not ask them but we are afraid that most of the travel agents don’t prepare breakfast items from Lhasa.

Important Notice For Mt Kailash Pilgrimage Tour

As we earlier mentioned that traveling to Kailash, you need to have an organized tour with all necessary Tibet entry permits and Mt Kailash permits. To make those necessary Tibet permits, you need to send your passport copy to the local agent your tour operator who will prepare the permits so it is extremely important to send the correct passport copy to your local agent to prepare your Tibet entry and Mt Kailash permits.

Some tourists send their old passports to the local agent which have more than a year validity when they book the trip and, in the meantime, they apply for a new passport and apply for the China visa with the new passport without giving any information to the local agent or your tour operator. When you send your China visa to the tour operator which you get on the new passport, it is already late to change all your necessary documents for the Kailash permits because to get Kailash permits, you need at least 25 days and the permits that are prepared for you is in your old passport and in the permit group list with Tibet Tourism Bureau’s stamp has your old passport number even if the other details are the same so you will get a problem to board the flight from mainland China to Lhasa or to enter the China custom at Kyirong border or from Kathmandu to Lhasa.

There are some tourists who send the old passport with China visa to their Tibet tour operators when they book the trip and in the meantime, they apply for a new passport and new China visa with a new passport without giving any information to the tour operators so the tour operators arrange all your necessary Tibet permits and Mt Kailash permits in your old passport with China visa but when you come to Tibet, you show the new passport with new China visa but your Kailash permits are with your old passport with old China visa so the passport number and visa number are different and you cannot travel with your group to Tibet because the passport number and Visa number in your permits are wrong. This kind of small mistake can create a huge problem therefore make sure to plan well before you book the trip to Tibet and should you send the same passport and China visa to your Tibet tour operator.

Just in case you had this kind of above passport problem, you should tell your Tibet tour operator from the beginning or must bring both passports with you.

Another very important thing is if you come from Kathmandu to Tibet with a group, example if it is a group of five people traveling together to Mt Kailash but at the end of the day, if some tourists are going back to Kathmandu by flight from Lhasa and some of the tourists are going back to mainland China, then it is essential to let your Kailash tour operators know that you are going separately after your Kailash tour and need to make a separate China visa from the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu because once you are in Tibet, it is hardly possible to split the China visa.

When you come from mainland China to Lhasa for your Kailash tour, it is not a problem that you can get your Tibet permits on time in the hotel in mainland China or will be delivered to you on your arrival day in mainland China. With the original Tibet permits, you can fly to Lhasa and your guide will be waiting for you at the airport and welcome you to the holy city of Lhasa. There is no other checkpoint to go through.

If you come from Kathmandu to Lhasa by flight, the original permits will come with your Tibetan guide and you can come through China custom with China visa and your guide will help you thorough the military frontier.

The most complicated paper work is when you come from Hilsa or Sher border to Mt Kailash because it is a small border and they don’t have usual working hours’ time. it is only opened when there is group coming from Nepal side.

Therefore, it is very important to inform to the Tibetan guide by the Nepali guide. Once guide in Tibet knows that the group is at Nepal side, the guide needs to report the military frontier and China custom to help the guide to go down to the Sher border from Purang county which is 25km distance. The army does not accept the application until we know the group is already at Nepalside.

Once you cross the border, all the necessary paper work and stamp need to be done in Purang county, not at the border itself like other borders. Your guide needs original passports to make new permits for Kailash tour in Purang county and need to go through many different departments so it almost takes half of the day or even more, depending on how the bureaucracy is. Sometimes they are fast and sometimes they are slow depending on their leaders whether they are in the office or they are at the meeting outside the office so all the tourists need to be patient and must be ready for waiting your guide for a pretty long time to come back. Even if your guide made an appointment time, it might be late for the guide to meet you by depending on how fast the bureaucracy finishes the necessary permits.

Another thing which is not punctual in Kailash region is the Yak and Yak men. They are also not on time and they don’t come on time according to the appointment that your guide had with so sometimes you need to wait for them an hour or even more, even if your guide informs the Yak and Yak men community to come sharp, all these kinds of events are out of control and you need to be patient. You should not expect the same rules and regulations that is being practiced in the western countries.

What If You Get Altitude Sickness During Three Days Kailash Trekking?

It is possible to get altitude sickness during three days mount Kailash trekking, especially from your first day of Kailash trek. If you are seriously sick from altitude, your guide will tell you to return to Dharchen and you must listen to the guide and return to Dharchen but please note that generally, your guide can not come with you to Dharchen because the guide must go with the main group to complete Kailash Kora because the main group need help, especially while they are walking over the highest part of Mt Kailash Kora when they cross Drolma la pass at the elevation of 5600mt above sea level.

It is possible to call the ambulance from Dharchen to come to pick you at Dhiraphuk monastery and go to Dharchen and rest if you are not very serious. If you are very serious, it is better to contact your insurance company and drive to the lower place as fast as possible and fly to a lower place as fast as possible. The easiest way of flying back to lower place is either to drive to Sher border which is around 150km from Dharchen and call the helicopter rescue from Nepal to pick you at Sher border or another option is to fly to Lhasa from Ali Kunsha airport.

If your symptom is not very serious, you can ask theguide to take you to Purang county near Sher border and stay there until themain group finish Kailash Kora, you will be definitely better because Purangcounty is only over 3600mt. When you book the Mt Kailash pilgrimage tour, it isvery important to book with a reliable and experienced Tibetan local travelagent who knows how to deal with high altitude sickness and at least is providingsome oxygen and first aid medical kit.

WhenIs The Best Time To Travel To Mt Kailash?

The Kailash trek can be done from late April till end of October and the best time to travel to Kailash is from late May till late July and from September till late October. During this period of time, in general, there is no snow and no rain so it is a very comfortable period of time to travel to Kailash but nowadays, you can travel from late April till late October because throughout Kailash destination, you can stay in guest house and hotels including the three days Kailash trek so even if it snows or rains a little bit, it does not bother your trip.

You had to sleep in the tents for entire itinerary Before the guest house or hotels were built in Kailash region, so by that time, if you don’t choose a right time, it is not convenient to pitch the tents and sleep in the tents but nowadays, we don’t have to sleep in the tents unless someone wants to.

If you like to travel to Mt Kailash during a festival, Kailash Saga Dawa festival is one of the most important festivals in the Kailash region. On the 15^th of the 4^th month of the Tibetan calendar, thousands of Tibetan pilgrims gather in Tarpoche which is the starting point of kailash trek. Some high Lama and monks do ritual ceremony and raise their giant prayer flag pole. They replace the prayer flag with new colorful Tibetan prayer flags. The Kailash Saga Dawa festival is very unique, spiritual and interesting so it is worthy to be in Kailash during Kailash Saga Dawa festival.

Weather In The Western Tibet And Kailash Region

The weather in the Kailash region is not as harsh as many people imagine. From late April until end of June, it is always a clear blue sky and sunny so it is warm during the day time but chilly during the early morning and evening.

From July till beginning of September, it is a real summer time in the Kailash region, it starts raining and all the grassland turns into green and flowers are blooming. The rain in the Kailash region is not as heavy as the rain fall that you have in the low-level place so it does not bother your Kailash journey.

The landscape becomes very beautiful dominated by a huge green grassland and thousands of Yak and Sheep, grazing on the green grassland, the grassland is dominated by the snow-capped mountain.

During this period of time, the weather is warmer and more comfortable but can be cloudy and raining sometimes. From Mid-September till late October, it is again another clear blue sky but chilly in the early morning and evening so it is important to bring warm jacket.

From November onwards, it is getting colder and colder and begin to snow so both during the day and night time is very cold and it is hardly possible to do Kailash trek between November till March.

It Is Vital to Pack the Correct and Essential Gear for The Kailash Trek

Even the Kailash trek is taken during summer period of time, the temperatures in the Kailash region is very much unpredictable. It can be pretty cold in the early morning and evening time but it can be very warm during the day time because during most of the day time, the sun shines very brightly and the sunlight is very strong as you are much closer to the sunlight therefore it is very important to bring both summer and winter clothes for changing according to the different temperature of your daily trekking.

Here are some suggestions of what to bring for your Mt. Kailash tour from Tibet Shambhala Adventure according to our many years’ experience of organizing Kailash tours.

1. Comfortablewind & water proof jacket
2. Comfortablewind & water proof trekking pants
3. Water proofrain coat of shell
4. Comfortabletrekking shoes
5. 2-3 pairsof high-quality wool trekking socks
6. pairsof trekking underwear
7. One pair ofthermal tops and bottoms
8. Two goodquality T-shirts
9. One goodwinter coat or winter dawn jacket
10. One thick fleece
11. Gloves
12. Sun Hat with a wide brim
13. Skull cap
14. Polarized sunglasses
15. Trekking poles
16. 30-50 Liter trekking backpack
17. Sleeping bag rated between 10-15°C
18. Micro spikes (optional) If there is no heavy snow aroundKailash trek, not necessary to have
19. Headlamp
20. 1-liter water bottle similar to Nalgene water bottle
21. Personal toiletries such as Sun cream Extreme SPF50+25ml,lip balm, small bottle of perfume, soap for washing hands, wet tissue(optional)
22.  Small quick-dryingtowel
23.  Blister &first aid kit:

Cold medicine,

Sore-through medicine

Headache medicine

High altitude medicine

Antibiotic

Amoxicillin

Gauyuanan- very good high-altitude medicine made in Tibet

Antibioaxy blister Pads,

Under wrap,

Wrist brace,

Knee brace,

Adhesive bandages

Medical Tape- Lightweight, breathable surgical tape for blisters and cuts. 

Nitrile Medical Gloves- To prevent cross-contamination in case you need to examine someone.

Antiseptic or Alcohol Wipes- – Cleaning wounds.

Butterfly Closure Strips (3)

Dressing/Gauze – Sterile non-stick absorbent; for larger wounds.

Triple Antibiotic Ointment – Sample size tube.

Hand Sanitizer – Repackaged in a mini dropper bottle

Ibuprofen Tablets (10-200 mg) – Anti-inflammatory and pain relief Note: Be sure to list expiry dates and recommended doses for any medications that have been repackaged).

Antihistamine Tablets (3) – For bites and allergic reactions.

Duct tape-tiny roll. Handy for any and all repairs

Antiseptic Applications – burn treatment application

Small Utility Tool – Which has knife, scissors and tweezers; e.g. Swiss army classic knife

Sewing Needle – Use dental floss for thread.

Safety Pins (2) – For slings fashioned from clothing.

Tiny Whistle – Check the sternum strap of your backpack; chances are you have one without knowing.

Emergency Fire Starter – Normally a small Ziploc bag of clothes dryer lint or a couple of Vaseline-coated cotton balls. Occasionally a light my Fire steel if I feel like channeling my inner-frontiersman (Note: I generally only take a fire starter if I’m heading out into extreme or remoter-type areas).

Small Business-size Card – Listing emergency contact and any important personal medical information.

Your Tibet tour operator is one of the most important parties that will be involved in your trip, so it is important to choose the right one. You can’t go wrong with a company that is Tibetan-owned and operated, with an actual office in Lhasa and an all-Tibetan staff—including the drivers, travel guides, and cooks. You can count on their skills and local expertise, knowledge, and understanding of the environment, religion, and culture of Tibet. Be sure to choose a tour operator that is fully registered, has an international license, and is acknowledged by the China National Tourism Bureau and the Tibet Tourism Bureau.

The best way to get to Tibet is through a travel agency. Not only will it make the process easier, it eliminates the guesswork involved in planning a trip by yourself. Moreover, one of the important things that a Tibet tour operator can do for you is to get you your travel permit, which is like a visa. It is another important travel pass besides the Chinese visa. You will need a Tibet tour permit to enter the country and get around, whether by car, plane, or by train, so it makes sense to have it before your trip. Only a travel agency is able to secure travel permits for international travelers.

A seasoned and established Tibet tour operator will effectively plan and customize your trip to your needs and preference. The best travel agencies can fulfill any travel objective, including pilgrimages, cycling and trekking tours, family trips, festival attendance, peak climbing, and day tours. Of course, you can also book a conventional sightseeing tour, the choice is yours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged, too, in case you are looking for a more one-of-a-kind experience. Tour operators are professional, accurate, and flexible, so they are able to fulfill every traveler’s unique requirements.

Have you always dreamed of exploring Tibet like a local? Make that wish come true by choosing the right tour operator to help you arrange your trip. Just make sure that it is a Tibet travel company that is owned and operated by Tibetans whose local knowledge, experience, and expertise will be helpful in planning a memorable trip. They can ensure that you see and experience the country the best way possible. Reputable Tibetan travel agencies can handle any kind of tour, including custom-tailored tours, cycling and trekking, mountain climbing, family tours, festivals, and day tours.

Tibet is rich in culture and history, with unique traditions and breathtaking sights that are unique to it. Only a good Tibet travel company will be able to help you experience everything you want during your trip. Their assistance will be helpful throughout the planning process, from choosing where to go and planning your itinerary, getting your Chinese visa, and most importantly, getting your Tibet travel permit, which is essential to every international traveler. Keep in mind that the best way to get your travel permit is via a Tibetan travel agency that is internationally licensed, fully registered, and acknowledged by the China National Tourism Bureau and Tibet Tourism Bureau.

The Tibet travel company specializes in trekking, peak climbing, pilgrimage, mountain biking, and motorbiking tours. They can arrange trips to the less visited parts of Tibet, with tailor-made tours that can take you to off-the-beaten paths aboard a yak or a horse. Rest assured, all adventures come with experienced Tibetan cooks who are used to catering to international travelers. So, you can count on them to prepare Western, Indian, Chinese, and Tibetan cuisine no matter where you go.

Consider a Tibet travel company that will go the extra mile to take you beyond the popular destinations. Some companies can even arrange trips to the base camp of Mount Everest, as well as round-trips to any area of Tibet, including Amdo and Kham in Eastern Tibet, and Mount Kailash.