China Travel Forum

[Bruce]

HI Travellers,
50 Years Old travelled half my life around the world including 4 years in PRC missed KAILASH due to TIan A men. Bored to death in LONDON, so what else to do than a pilgrimage to KAILASH and a walk around MANSAROVAR. Any infos welcome, specially LOGISTICS. Thanks.
Have a Nice and Adventurous Journey !!!

[Max]

It all depends on how you want to go there. Organised tour from UK. Organised tour from Nepal. Organised tour from Lhasa or hitchhiking out there with no permit.
From UK, I dont know, ask around the travel agencies.
From Nepal: Its possible to go on a tour from katmandu. You then fly to Simikot and trek from there to manasarovar and then drive to Kailash. Normally then take the Southern route back to Zhangmu and then back to katmandu.
In Lhasa: hook up with other travellers and share a 4wd. It will take at least 5 days to get everything together, finding company and for the travel agency to get all the paperwork done. The tour is normally around 17-21 days depending on whether it involves the Guge Kingdom. returning either to Lhasa or the the Nepali border.
By yourself: take a bus from Lhasa as far as to Lhatse. Sneak around the checkpoint about 6 km outside Lhatse and hitchhike the rest of the way. maybe 1 or 2 checkpoints more. The drivers will most likely kick you off the vehicle before and let you sneak around (heavy fine if caught with foreigners on board). You either end in Ali (Ali psb will track you down, normally a fine of 300 rmb and then a Kailash permit for 50 rmb) or in darchen where the kailash trek starts. Psb do sometimes check the guesthouse there, from what I have heard they are not so friendly as the ones in Ali. It's very expensive too so consider camping outside darchen.
After finishing the trek you take either the southern road back to Lhatse or try to get on the sleeper bus between Ali and Lhasa (northern route). It should be possible in Ali to get permission to take that bus. Otherwise take your chance with the Kunlun mountains and go in the direction of Kashgar. Road closed much of the time due to maintainance work so there might be some waiting time. Don't count on getting a permission to take that road so again it's hitchhiking.