Mt Kailash Trek Tour

This 22,000-foot peak has the world traveler’s dream distinction of being both the most sacred mountain in the world as well as the least visited. It rises up out of far western Tibet in a landscape that is at once cold, desolate, and mind-bogglingly beautiful. The few thousand pilgrims who make the trek to the base of Mt Kailash each year are true adventurers, no question about it.

Without planes, trains, or buses coming close to the mountain, the mere approach is a rare opportunity for Westerners to blend in with pilgrims from every corner of the world. Mt Kailash is often called Mt. Meru, and is considered to be the birthplace of the entire planet. According to Hindu legend, Kailash is home to the immortal Shiva, who passes his days practicing yoga, making love to his divine partner Parvati, and smoking ganja. (This is not mere Western whimsy!) For a Hindu, to reach Mt Kailash and see Shiva’s home is to attain release from the clutches of ignorance and delusion. The mountain is sacred to other religions as well, including Jains and Tibet’s pre-Buddhist Bon followers.

The Tibetan word for pilgrimage, “neykhor,” literally translates to “circling around a sacred place,” because the travel itself is of more value than the destination. This is one reason Kailash is a mountain to be circumnavigated, not summitted. Even without climbing the peak, enjoy breathtaking views of Lake Manasarovar and, not too far in the distance, the gigantic Gurla Mandata. Expect to encounter several wary pilgrims, as Buddhist legend holds that one achieves nirvana by circling Kailash 108 times – quite a feat given the circumference is 53 kilometers.