Kailash is known as Gang Rinpoche in Tibetan words, which means the Precious Mountain. The majority of tourists and pilgrims are attracted here to enjoy the pure air and do the Kailash Manasarovar kora or the yatra trip every year. So what’s the best time to visit Kailash and Manasarovar Lake?

Just follow our ultimate guide below to find out the detailed temperature and travel experience in each month, so that you could better plan a once-in-a-lifetime Mount Kailash trip.

Best Time to Visit Mt. Kailash for Good Weather: May to June & September to October

Kailash Manasarovar is distinctively featured by different seasons, so the varied climate and temperature may directly influence your experiences on the pilgrimage tour to Kailash Manasarovar. Generally speaking, Kailash Manasarovar can be toured at any time during the months from May to October each year.

The best time to arrange your Kailash Manasarovar travel falls from May to June and September to October with high visibility and stunning beautiful views accompanied by comfortable temperatures.

Most of the days at Kailash Manasarovar during these periods are sunny with deep blue sky and very fresh air for circumambulating the holy Mountain.

Kailash trekking morning with fresh air and soft sunlight in autumn season

Kailash Weather from May to June and September to October

The consecutive sunny days with comfortable trekking climate at Kailash Manasarovar during these two periods are the most convincing evidence to conclude that May, June, September, and October are the 4 best months for visitors to tour the sacred Kailash Manasarovar.

Comfortable sunlight scatters the cloud and shines down on Earth, driving away the coldness that spirals around Kailash Manasarovar. With splendid weather and perfect visibility, views along the circumambulating way turn to be more grandeur and fascinating.

Just slow down your scurry steps and take some time appreciating the bestowed beautiful scenery. Kailash Manasarovar never disappoints any visitor coming to revere in these months.

15 Days Kailash and Manasarova Tour

Tour Route: Lhasa - Gyantse - Shigatse - E.B.C - Saga - Kailash Trek - Darchen - Lake Manasarovar - Saga - Gyirong - Tingri - Lhasa

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Visit Mt. Kailash in July and August? It's Okay.

July and August are also good times to have Mount Kailash and Manasarovar tours. During this period time, the monsoon season comes with intermittent rains in the western part of Tibet. Kailash Manasarovar turns out to be more mysterious with the light frog shrouding around, presenting you with another fresh experience which still worth visiting.

Kailash Weather in July & August

Temperature does not drop dramatically with the minimum temperature remaining above the freezing point even when rains begin to fall. So July and August can also be possible for visitors and pilgrims to visit and worship.

However, Rains do not make Kailash Manasarovar a messy place with muddy roads and a turbid lake, instead, the light rain infiltrated Kailash Manasarovar turns to more glittering and translucent with much fresher air. The Kailash Mountain becomes much more mysterious than ever, presenting all the visitors with the illusionary feeling of walking in heaven.

So if you want to experience a different view of the Kailash Manasarovar or you are not available in other months, a Kailash Manasarovar tour can be also possible and an extraordinary place we recommend.

Insider tips: when you encounter a rainy day, wear your rainproof jacket and make sure your backpack is fully covered. Be careful to put covers on your trekking shoes since the light rain infiltrates the road and is easy to cause slippery. Slow down and watch your steps. Do not prepare an umbrella, for it does not do the trick for high-altitude rains.

Mount Kailash with less snow-covered summit in the golden August afternoon

>> Check for what to pack for Mount Kailash tour and trek?

Visit Mt. Kailash in Winter (November to Next April)? Not Recommended.

No tourist visits Kailash Manasarovar from November to April. During this period of time, Kailash Manasarovar is dominated by biting wind and icy coldness. Heavy snow blocks most of the route, making any journey to Mount Kailash Manasarovar jeopardized. So, it’s not a wise choice to visit this area in these months.

Kailash Weather from November to April

Never underestimate the coldness at Kailash Manasarovar from November to April. The temperature falls dramatically and the howling wind outside in the daytime can make you feel faint with a headache easily caused, let alone the freezing night.

Roads leading to Kailash Manasarovar are more likely to be blocked by the heavy snow and ice, making all the tours that go deeper into the western part of Tibet jeopardized.

So never a wise choice to explore the western part of Tibet in these 6 most frigid months (Kailash Manasarovar included), but it definitely a splendid choice to explore the rarely-seen glamour in other eastern parts of Tibet like Lhasa and Shigatse.

Severe cold shrouded Mount Kailash worshipped by a few of devout pilgrims

Most Auspicious Time to Visit Mt. Kailash: during Saga Dawa Festival

Why visit Mount Kailash during the Saga Dawa festival?

Saga Dawa Festival is held on April 15 of the year in the Tibetan calendar (Approximately in May or Jun of our solar calendar) on which Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, was born, got enlightened, and achieved nirvana.

Religious rites are held constantly during this whole month to celebrate this special day, for local Tibetans believe that boundless merits would be accumulated by giving generosities on that day as well as the entire month.

During Saga Dawa Festival each year, thousands of devout Tibetan prayers gather spontaneously on Barkhor Street and do the kora around the Jokhang Temple while other locals tend to do the Tsekhor and Lingkhor kora time and time again.

In such an important month, Mount Kailash ushers into the peak season to receive worship by devout pilgrims all over the world. Besides, the perfect traveling climate also makes Kailash Manasarovar a wonderful place to go.

For ordinary tourists, by visiting Kailash Manasarovar during the Saga Dawa Festival, you can experience a much stronger religious atmosphere and do the kora with local prayers as well as believers all around the world.

16 Days Kailash and Manasarovar Small Group Tour: Touching Mount Kailash with Spiritual Saga Dawa Festival Experience

Tour Route: Lhasa - Gyantse - Shigatse - EBC - Saga - Darchen - Kailash Trek - Darchen - Saga - Gyirong - Tingri - Lhasa

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How to experience the festival (Tips and taboos)

Saga Dawa Festival is one of the most important festivals for the local Tibetans, and during this peak travel period, reservations for hotels in Darchen (A small village at the foot of the Kailash Mountain) and the guesthouses by the lake or along the Kailash trekking route can be full.

So, book in advance with Tibet Vista to solve all the problems when you plan to take a pilgrimage tour to Kailash Manasarovar with local Tibetans as well as believers from all over the world.

During Saga Dawa Festival, local believers stop killing livestock as well as other living creatures by liberating the captured animals and being vegetarian even after their kora around Mount Kailash. So if you circumambulate Mount Kailash during the Saga Dawa Festival and you are not a prayer, have some meat to regain your strength much more quickly and in case of altitude sickness.

Furtively celebrated Saga Dawa Festival with roasted barley four cast into sky at Kailash

Auspicious Year for Pilgrims to Visit Mt. Kailash: Horse Year, Goat Year

Doing the Manasarovar kora in years of the goat and circumambulating Mt.Kailash in years of the horse (The Chinese use 12 zodiac animals to represent years while goat and horse are among them) have long been regarded as one of the local traditions in Tibet.

Almost all the Tibetans believe that the merits and virtues accumulated by circumambulating the Kailash Kora for one single time in horse year equals to the effect achieved by the circumambulation of the sacred mountain 13 times in normal years.

With this big added bonus, more and more pilgrims as well as visitors all over the world swarm to the Kailash and Manasarovar Lake to thoroughly eliminate their evils and sins and liberate their spirits.

But this is just a tradition of Tibetans, for worldwide tourists, you can visit Kailash and Manasarovar Lake any year when you are ready.

Visitors swarm to Kailash Mansarovar to experience the trekking tour

Conclusion

If you still have any questions about Kailash Manasarovar climates or the best time to tour Kailash Manasarovar, feel free to drop us a line and we will respond immediately to give you our most authoritative suggestions.

For tourists who are ready to visit Mt. Kailash, join in our most recommended Kailash Manasarovar Tour to enjoy our one-package service, including Tibet travel permit application, flight, and hotel booking, etc. We will ensure you a worry-free trip to Kailash Manasarovar.