During the 3-Day Mount Kailash Trekking: What to Drink, Eat and Where to Stay?

Where to Eat during the Mount Kailash Trek?

For the entire Mount Kailash trek, you will not find a single restaurant, at least not what you might call a restaurant. The monastery guesthouses do have simple eateries, and you can find a couple of teahouses set up in tents around the trek.

The teahouses can be found between the Qugu Temple and Drirapuk, and between Drirapuk and Dzultripuk, and are located right where you will normally stop for lunch. The monastery guesthouses also have small eateries, which can be used for breakfast and dinner.

You can find Teahouse around Qugu Temple during Kailash trek.

What Food Is Available during the Mount Kailash Trek?

Food along the Mount Kailash Kora is generally simple and warm, with enough basic choices for the three-day trek. You can usually find noodle soup, fried rice, stir-fried vegetables, eggs, and simple Tibetan food such as tsampa (roasted barley flour) and momos.

Instant noodles are also widely available at teahouses and guesthouses along the kora route. They are easy to prepare at high altitude and can be a convenient choice for a quick meal or snack during the Mount Kailash trek.

As supplies need to be transported into this remote high-altitude area, menus are naturally more limited than in Darchen Town. The food may be simple, but having a warm meal along the way is especially welcome after several hours of trekking.

You can get some simple food in the guesthouse during the Kailash kora.

Is Vegetarian or Vegan Food Available During the Mount Kailash Trek?

Vegetarian meals are relatively easy to arrange during the Kailash Kora. Simple dishes such as vegetables with rice or noodles, or vegetable soup can usually be prepared if requested in advance.

Vegan food is more limited. Butter, eggs, and dairy are deeply embedded in Tibetan cooking and are hard to avoid entirely at high-altitude stops.

If you follow a strict vegan diet, please let us know when planning your Mount Kailash tour so we can make suitable meal arrangements in advance.

We also recommend bringing a few of your favorite vegan snacks or easy-to-carry foods, giving you more options along the trek where food choices are limited.

What to Drink During Mount Kailash Trek?

For daily drinking water, bottled mineral water and other drinks are available for purchase at teahouses and guesthouses along the Mount Kailash Kora, so you can replenish your supply as you trek.

Guesthouses and local tent teahouses also provide boiled water, which you can drink directly or use to make tea, instant coffee, or other hot drinks. Rather than carrying a large supply of bottled water for the entire three-day trek, we recommend bringing a reusable insulated water bottle that you can refill along the way.

When stopping at a teahouse or guesthouse for a break, you can also try local Tibetan butter tea or sweet tea. Butter tea, traditionally made with tea, yak butter, and salt, is especially warming and provides some extra energy in the cold mountain weather.

Avoid drinking untreated water directly from natural streams, even if it looks clear. If you are unsure about a water source, ask your guide first and make sure the water is properly boiled, filtered, or treated before drinking.

Enjoy a cup of hot Tibetan tea at a local guesthouse during the Mount Kailash Kora.

Staying in Darchen Before and After the Kailash Trek

Darchen is the starting and ending point of the Mount Kailash Kora, and accommodation here has improved significantly in recent years. On the classic Mount Kailash tour from Lhasa, you will stay in Darchen before starting the 3-day Kora and return here again after completing the trek.

Compared with the basic guesthouses along the trekking route, you can now find comfortable hotels in Darchen offering private standard rooms, Western-style toilets, hot showers, and other modern facilities. This makes Darchen a comfortable place to rest and prepare before the trek, as well as to recover after completing the three-day kora.

The town also has a good choice of restaurants and cafés, mainly serving Chinese and Tibetan food, along with some simple Western dishes. You can enjoy a more varied meal here before setting off for the kora or after returning from the trek.

Where to Stay During the 3-Day Kailash Kora?

The 3-day Mount Kailash Kora starts and ends in Darchen, with two nights spent in local guesthouses along the trekking route. You will stay near Dirapuk Monastery on the first night and Zutulpuk Monastery on the second night, before returning to Darchen on Day 3.

Here is how the three days of trekking and accommodation are arranged:

• Day 1: Darchen to Dirapuk Monastery
  Take a 7 km eco-bus ride from Darchen to Sarshung Village, then trek about 13 km (around 6 hours) to Dirapuk Monastery (5,080 m) for your first overnight stay.
• Day 2: Dirapuk to Zutulpuk via Dolma La Pass
  Trek about 24 km (7–8 hours) across Dolma La Pass (5,630 m), the highest point of the Kora, and stay overnight near Zutulpuk Monastery (4,835 m).
• Day 3: Zutulpuk to Darchen
  Trek about 7 km (around 2 hours) to Zongto, then take the eco-bus for the remaining 6–7 km back to Darchen and return to your hotel.

Night 1 near Dirapuk Monastery

On Day 1, you will trek along the Lha-chu Valley toward the western and northwestern faces of Mount Kailash. Along the way, you will pass the Two Legs Pagoda, Prayer Square, Qugu Temple (4,860 m), Ma’an Mani Stones, and Matou Mingwang Mani Stones (4,895 m) before reaching your overnight stop near Dirapuk Monastery (5,080 m). The altitude gain is relatively gradual, and views of Mount Kailash accompany much of this section of the trek.

Accommodation near Dirapuk Monastery is simple, usually with shared rooms and basic bedding. Toilet facilities are shared, and showers are generally not available. Hot or boiled water is available for drinking, tea, and instant food, while the guesthouse also serves simple meals.

The guesthouse near Dirapuk Monastery has electricity and free Wi-Fi, making it easier to stay connected and charge your devices during the trek. Mobile signals may still vary depending on the local network. One of the highlights of staying near Dirapuk is being close to the impressive north face of Mount Kailash.

Night 2 near Zutulpuk Monastery

Day 2 takes you from Dirapuk across Dolma La Pass (about 5,630 m). Besides the sharp altitude change, the section around Dolma La Pass is rocky, so you need to walk carefully during the ascent and descent. You will also pass Tuoji Lake (5,568 m) and Budong Diding (5,233 m) before reaching the second overnight stop near Zutulpuk Monastery (4,835 m).

Accommodation near Zutulpuk is similar to the first night, with basic shared rooms and simple bedding. Rooms may be shared with other trekkers, and toilets are generally shared squat-style facilities. Showers are normally not available, while boiled or hot water is available for drinking, tea, and instant food.

The guesthouse near Zutulpuk Monastery also provides electricity and free Wi-Fi, and mobile signals. After crossing Dolma La and completing the most demanding section of the Kora, you can have a simple hot meal and rest here before completing the final section back toward Darchen the following morning.

Detailed Route Map of the 3-day Kailash Kora

Do You Need a Sleeping Bag for the Mount Kailash Trek?

A sleeping bag is not strictly required for the Mount Kailash Kora, as guesthouses along the route normally provide basic bedding and blankets. However, we recommend bringing a lightweight sleeping bag or sleeping bag liner for extra warmth and comfort.

Nights near Dirapuk and Zutulpuk can be cold due to the high altitude, even during the main Mount Kailash trekking season. Having your own sleeping bag gives you an extra layer of warmth, while a sleeping bag liner is a lightweight option if you mainly want a cleaner and more comfortable sleeping layer.

Guesthouse facilities along the Kailash Kora have improved considerably in recent years, offering a more comfortable stay than before.

Conclusion

Food and accommodation along the Mount Kailash Kora are simple, but the basic needs of trekkers are well covered. Tent teahouses and guesthouses provide hot meals, drinks, and places to rest, while hotels in Darchen offer more comfortable facilities before and after the Mount Kailash trek.

Although accommodation during the Kora remains basic, conditions have improved considerably in recent years, with cleaner guesthouses and better access to hot water, electricity, free Wi-Fi, food, and other basic facilities than in the past. The two nights near Dirapuk and Zutulpuk are also part of the unique high-altitude Kora experience, so knowing what to expect and preparing a few personal essentials can make your stay more comfortable.

With the practical arrangements taken care of, you can focus on what makes a Mount Kailash tour so special, from trekking through the valleys and crossing Dolma La Pass to experiencing the spiritual atmosphere and remarkable landscapes around Mount Kailash.