A pilgrimage to the sacred Mount Kailash is one of the most amazing experiences in Tibet. There are two main ways of getting to Mount Kailash from Lhasa for a Kailash Manasarovar tour. You can take the southern route heading through Shigatse and Everest Base Camp before arriving in the area of Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar. Or you can choose the northern route heading out through North Qiangtang, a wilderness landscape paradise for local flora and fauna, including many endangered species of Tibetan wildlife.

Here, we will provide you with detailed travel routes and help you determine the best route for your Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar tour.

1. What is the Southern Route of Kailash Manasarovar Yatra from Lhasa?

The southern route offers the most essential part of Ngari Prefecture and is the shortest way to take a trip from Lhasa to Mount Kailash. With excellent road conditions, it is the most popular route among tourists. Attractions along the way reveal the most charming parts of Tibet, including Yamdrok Lake, Everest Base Camp, Tashilhunpo Monastery, etc.

On your way from Lhasa to Mount Kailash via the southern route, you will visit the turquoise Yamdrok Lake.

Starting from Lhasa, the southern route leads to Shigatse, passing over the Gampala pass and along the edges of the wondrous Lake Yamdrok on the way. The route also takes in the sights of the stunning Karola Glacier, then crosses the delightful Simila Mountain Pass on the road to Gyantse, before finally arriving in Shigatse, Tibet’s second city.

From Shigatse, the Southern Route to Mount Kailash takes you first to the outstanding Everest Base Camp, the starting point of many attempts to conquer the world’s highest mountain, and an inspiring destination for amazing views of other high peaks of the Mighty Himalayas. `

You will spend one night at the Everest Base Camp in Tibet when you travel to Mount Kailash via the southern route.

After EBC, you will travel north through the verdant landscapes of western Tibet, past the beautiful Peiku Tso Lake, lying in the shadow of Mount Shishapangma, another of the peaks of the Himalayas breaking the 8,000-meter barrier. Then it is on to reach the stunning sight of Lake Manasarovar, with its brackish Twin, Lake Rakshastal, before finally reaching your destination at Darchen, at the foot of the world’s most sacred mountain.

From here, you will base your Mount Kailash trek, reaching altitudes well above 5,000 meters on the trek, taking you through both verdant and barren landscapes in this amazing journey of self-discovery.

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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2. What is the Northern Route of Kailash Manasarovar Yatra from Lhasa?

Compared with the southern route to Mt. Kailash, the northern route is much longer in distance, with poor road conditions, especially for the last half of the road. But it is still worthwhile to explore. With superb sceneries along the way, the northern route is accompanied by multiple plateau lakes in the last half part. There is also a chance for tourists to encounter different wild animals, like the Tibetan Antelope.

Leaving from Lhasa, the northern route takes you up through the Nyenchen Tanglha mountain range of Nagqu and past the famous Lake Namtso, before turning northwest through the northern Qiangtang wilderness, with its wild donkeys, endangered Chiru, and a wide variety of indigenous animals that populate the remote areas of Tibet where few men dare to tread.

The northern route from Lhasa to Mount Kailash passes by the holy Lake Namtso.

After Qiangtang, the route turns west through Nyima and across desolate barren plains and wild grasslands to Gerze and Xiongba before reaching the northern city of Shiqanhe, once part of the ancient Guge Kingdom, lost to the mists of time.

The trip across the north of Tibet also includes stops at some of the most beautiful lakes, such as Selin Tso, Dangra Yumtso, and Dong Tso, before taking the drive down to Darchen to begin the trek around the sacred Mount Kailash and visit the beauty of Lake Manasarovar and its saline twin, Rakshastal.

3. What’s the difference between the Southern Route and the Northern Route

One of the main differences between the two routes of the Kailash Manasarovar tour from Lhasa is the length of travel. The distance from Lhasa to Darchen, when traveling along the Southern Route through Shigatse, EBC, and Saga, is around 1,490 kilometers.

The distance from Lhasa to Darchen traveling on the northern route, through Damxung and Nagqu, stopping at Lake Namtso, and heading through the plains towns of Baingoin, Nyima, and Gerze, to Shiqanhe and then Darchen is a trip of some 2,068 kilometers, give or take.

The Road from Lhasa to Mt. Kailash.

Where road conditions are concerned, the Southern Route is the better of the two, with better-paved roads and faster travel times. The Southern Route mostly follows the G318, a modern major highway that extends the breadth of Tibet and is generally well-kept and with less damage to the road surface.

The Northern Route, once you turn off from the well-paved roads of the G6/G109, takes you through wild lands where man rarely sets foot, and where wildlife takes precedence. The route takes the less-used S301 road, which can get a little rough and bumpy in places, and in some parts, is little more than a track.

The Southern Route is also preferable if you like your home comforts for accommodation and dining. The hotels along the Southern Route are of a better class, and provide nicer beds, and some with heating and air-con, so that your trip is more comfortable, considering the long periods of driving. The accommodation along the Northern Route is rougher, and with fewer amenities due to the lack of use of the northern roads.

The food is also better on the Southern Route, with better places to eat and a greater variety of delicious meals, including some Western dishes and more local varieties from Nepal and India, as well as Chinese options. The northern route has further to ship produce to provide a variety of dishes, so the cost of shipping can make it impossible to reach some areas, resulting in more basic and localized dishes to choose from.

15 Days Kailash and Manasarova Tour

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

Price from USD2059 p.p

Another major difference between the two routes is the cost for a Mount Kailash tour. While the Northern Route is more scenic and provides you with a much better experience, nature-wise, it is a less-used road, and there are fewer people looking to take this trip. This means that a tour along the Northern Route must normally be a private tour, limited to your party only.

On the Southern Route, as there is more interest in taking the route to Mount Kailash via EBC, you can usually join a Lhasa to Mount Kailash group tour (via the Southern Route) for larger parties, so that the actual cost is spread among more people, reducing the cost of the trip, and reducing the cost of accommodation as well.

It is easier to join in a Mount Kailash group tour via the southern route.

4. The most popular Kailash Manasarovar Yatra Tour Route: the Southern Route

The Southern Route to Mount Kailash is undoubtedly the most popular for a variety of reasons. Not only is it a shorter travel time, but you also get to visit the more popular Tibetan attractions, including the ancient Second City of Tibet, Shigatse, the beauty of Lake Yamdrok, and the stunning sights of the southern range of the mighty Himalayas.

The majority of tourists to Kailash take this route to the sacred mountain, and for good reason; the greater number of group tours that operate along this route means that you get a wider choice of travel times and tours in different groups to reduce the price of the tour per person.

15 Days Kailash and Manasarova Tour

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

Price from USD2059 p.p

5. More Adventurous Kailash Manasarovar Yatra Tour Route: the Northern Route

The Northern Route to Mount Kailash is longer in terms of travel time and takes you through a more adventurous part of Tibet, where you actually get more of an off-the-beaten-path journey through some of Tibet’s most desolate and most beautiful countryside.

But it is less popular, and few group tours take this route due to the time and distance, which means that it is usually done as a private tour, for you and your friends or family only. This does mean that the price is higher, so it is recommended to bring a group of your own friends and family to cover all seats and reduce the cost per person.

While driving through the Changthang grassland via the northern route to Mount Kailash, you will witness the vast wilderness of the Tibetan Plateau.

6. Any other route for Kailash Manasarovar Yatra Tour Route? Yes, from Kathmandu

There is one other route that is relatively popular and fun to take: get to Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar from Kathmandu in Nepal. This unique tour begins with a tour of exotic Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, and then takes you up through the foothills of the Himalayas to cross the mountains through the pass between Rasuwa Gadhi and Gyirong Port, across the famed Friendship Bridge.

From Gyirong, it is a shorter trip to get to Darchen, covering a distance of around 689 kilometers, traveling through Gyirong Town and Saga, passing Peiku Tso, to get to the sacred mountain and the nearby lakes.

While you may miss out on the sights of Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, the tour in Kathmandu is just as exciting, and with the main attractions being sacred Mount Kailash and beautiful Lake Manasarovar, and a much shorter trip to get there, this is definitely an option to consider.

10 Days Kailash Pilgrimage Tour from Kathmandu, via Gyirong Port

Tour Route: Kathmandu – Gyirong – Saga – Mt.Kailash – Lake Manasarovar – Darchen – Saga – Gyirong – Kathmandu

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Conclusion

Recently, there are two routes from Lhasa to Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar, known as the southern route via Everest Base Camp and the Northern Route from northern Tibetan grassland. While one is shorter, the other is more scenic and dramatic. Where one is more beautiful, the other takes you to more attractions along the way. The only way to choose is to decide which you want to enjoy the most, because whichever route you choose to take for your Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, you will never be disappointed.

Additionally, there is a route from Kathmandu to Mount Kailash by land, making a pilgrimage trip to Mount Kailash more convenient for pilgrims from India and Nepal.