Mount Kailash Helicopter Tour - 13 Days

Upon your arrival at the Tribhuvan International Airport, a representative from the Himalayan Trekkers will greet you, transfer you to the hotel and assist with the check-in procedures. 

If you arrive early, we will have a discussion regarding our Mount Kailash Helicopter Tour and collect your passports, signatures, and other required documents for the Chinese Group Visa applications. However, if your arrival is late, the documents will be collected the next day. The visa procedure takes three working days. Then, in the evening, we take a stroll through Thamel to get a glimpse of the lifestyle there

After breakfast, you will be picked up by the tour guide for full-day sightseeing in Kathmandu City. We will visit first visit Budhanilkantha Temple, one of the most important Hindu temples in Kathmandu dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The temple is situated at the foot of Shivapuri Hill, about 10 kilometers from the heart of Kathmandu. The 5 meters long statue of sleeping Vishnu on a pond is the major highlight of the temple. The statue is the largest and one of the most beautiful stone carvings in Nepal. Not only Hindus, but Buddhists visit the temple to offer their prayers in Budhanilkantha. 

After exploring the Budhanilkantha Temple, we will drive to Boudhanath Stupa. Boudhanath or Boudha is the biggest stupa in Nepal and one of the biggest in the world which represents Tibetan Buddhism. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, it is a very well-liked tourist destination for both foreigners and locals. Each day, hundreds of visitors and pilgrims circle the stupa counterclockwise under the watchful gaze of Buddha. And, according to legend, the stupa contains the relics of "Kasyapa Buddha," the third Buddha of the Bhadrakalpa, and "Siddharta Gautama Buddha," the fourth and current Buddha.

From Boudhanath, we drive for 15 minutes and reach Pashupatinath Temple, one of the four most revered Hindu sites in the world. Also, a World Heritage Site, the pagoda-styled temple, Pashupatinath is one of the oldest temples in the county and stands on the bank of the holy Bagmati River. The main temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva where a silver-serpent-adorned stone Mukhalingam (linga with one or more human faces) is the main idol. Non-Hindus and pictures are not allowed in the main temple. You can observe the cremations along the river here in this mysterious temple. We end the day by strolling around the old market area of Kathmandu like Ason, Indra chowk, and Thamel. 

Today is set aside for a short and easy day hiking to Nagarkot Hill Station in the Bhaktapur district for acclimatization and outdoor activity purposes. However, before we start the hike, we will first explore Bhaktapur Durbar Square in the town which falls on the way to Nagarkot. 

Bhaktapur Durbar Square is one of the three durbar squares in the Kathmandu valley in Bhaktapur city and is the best example of cultural life. It is another UNESCO World Heritage site in the valley where hundreds of instances of traditional Newari architecture are present. You'll frequently come across stunning structures with intricate patterns and traditional red brick exteriors as you stroll the downtown streets. With temples on every corner, lively street markets, and arts and crafts being made everywhere you look, the entire town is like a living museum. 

From Bhaktapur, we drive for 15 minutes and reach Changunarayan Temple, the oldest temple in Bhaktapur and one of the oldest temples in Nepal dating back to the 4th century. It was built in pagoda style and some of the best carvings in the Kathmandu Valley are used to embellish the main temple, and the statue collection that surrounds the temple is the best you will find outside of the National Museum of Nepal.

Our easy and short Nagarkot hiking adventure begins from Changunarayan Temple via a scenic trail covered in a deciduous forest in the first section. Soon the Himalayas appear in the distance to be completely uninhabited and desolate. Then after walking for nearly 2 hours, we reach Nagarkot. 

Upon arrival in Nagarkot, we will check in at the hotel and rest. We can also visit the view tower there to observe the sunset along with the Himalayas scenery. From here, one can see numerous other smaller summits as well as five of the world's ten tallest mountains: Everest (8848m), Lhotse (8516m), Cho Oyu (8201m), Makalu (8463m), and Manaslu (8163m) (during clear weather). Terraced hillsides and the most breathtaking landscapes surround the area.

Note: The purpose of keeping this hike today was for the acclimatization purpose as we will be traveling to a higher elevation during our mount Kailash journey. However, if you are not interested to go on this hike, we can arrange some activities as per your interest in the city. 

With the morning call, we will rise up early to visit the view tower for a stunning sunrise view as well as the Himalayas. Then after breakfast, we transfer you to the airport in Kathmandu for the flight to Nepalgunj. One of our representatives will meet you at the airport with your Chinese Group Visa. 

After 50 minutes of the plane ride above the wide valleys, colorful towns, and long rivers, you will arrive in Nepalgunj. Then, you will be transferred to the hotel from the airport. Later, you can stroll around the markets and the streets of the neighborhood. 

Note: If your group size is big and you have enough time, you can take a 12-15 hrs scenic private drive and save the cost while enjoying the varied landscapes. 

Soon after breakfast, we leave the hotel and transfer to the airport for a 30 minutes scenic flight to Simikot. Once in Simikot, we transfer you to the hotel and rest for the remainder of the day for the acclimatization purpose. In the evening, we will take a walk around the town and the hillside. 

After breakfast, we onboard a chartered helicopter to Hilsa from the Simikot Airport. Once we land in Hilsa, we will cross the Karnali Bridge in order to go to the opposite side, where we will be completing immigration procedures for Nepal. Then, after walking across the border, we board our Chinese bus and travel barely five minutes by car to the Chinese immigration office. After we complete the immigration procedures at the Chinese customs office, we proceed to Taklakot for the night. 

We depart Taklakot after breakfast for Manasarovar Lake which takes around 2 hours of drive. On the way, we will make a stop at Rakshas Taal which is surrounded by gorgeous mountains and landscapes. Rakshas Taal is also called the "Lake of Demons" or "Ravan Taal" and we can see Mount Kailash, which towers above the other adjacent mountains from the lake. 

After taking a few photographs of this natural splendor, we continue on to Lake Manasarovar via the Shiv Valley which offers expansive and majesty views of Mount Kailash. Once we reach Manasarovar, check into the guesthouse in Chui Gumpa and relax. Then after lunch, we engage in spiritual pursuits like Parikrama of the beautiful Manasarovar Lake by vehicle, taking a holy bath, performing pujas, havans, and prayers on the bank of the river, meditating, etc. 

We will perform morning rituals, puja, and Hawan at the bank of the lake and proceed the journey towards Darchen after breakfast. It's a quick 1-hour trip with lovely views of Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar along the way, all close to the Tsu Gompa. Darchen is a pretty big town with a number of hotels and a large number of Chinese and Tibetan medical stores. It is also the base camp of Mount Kailash and the starting and ending point of 53-km, 2-and-a-half-day "Parikrama" or "Kora" (circumambulation of Mount Kailash). 

Once in Darchen, we check in the hotel and rest for the remainder of the day for acclimatization purposes and for preparation for the circuit. 

From Darchen, we drive 10 kilometers to Taroche village in the morning where we will stop for Yam Dwar (Yam is the Lord of Heaven & Hell, and Dwar means door). We will also meet the porters here and start the Kora/trekking journey to Diraphuk. We will walk for about 6 hours to get to the destination while enjoying the close-up glimpse of Mount Kailash. We spend the night at a guest house in Diraphuk. 

Note: Diraphuk is known for organizing a grand event during the Saga Dawa Festival. Hence, if we happen to travel during the festival time, we will have a great opportunity to get insight into the culture and traditions more deeply. 

If the weather is clear, we get up very early in the morning before dawn to catch the splendor of "Golden Kailash" as the first sunlight brushes the summit of the mount. After this fantastic experience, we will have our breakfast and leave for the 2nd day of Kora to Zuthulphuk. It is the longest and the most difficult day on this journey because we will be trekking 22 kilometers long trail and passing through this Drolma La Pass at 5680 meters which is the highest point of this Mount Kailas Manasarovar Yatra.

On our way to the Dolma La, we pass by a site where we can see Milarepa and Shiva Tsal's footprints. This is the location where pilgrims leave their possessions behind, donate a drop of blood, or donate a lock of hair to symbolize the act of leaving this life behind and wishing for the end of a miserable life. 

We will spend an ample amount of time at the pass, decorated with colorful prayer flags, and resume the trek. The remainder of the route is mostly downhill with only a few incline hills. We will reach Gauri Kund (also known as Parvati Kund) after a short distance from the pass. We will take some time to look at the Gauri Kunda and descend further to Zuthulphuk. In the evening we will visit the Zuthulphuk Monastery and walk around the surroundings before calling it a day. 

Today is the last day of Mount Kailash Yatra Prikarama. After breakfast, we make the 10-kilometer descent on a winding, steady trail and arrive at Hor Qu village where our vehicle will be waiting for us. Then, we travel by vehicle to Darchen. Then, we will continue on our driving to Hilsa passing via Taklakot/Purang. 

Note: As vehicles go up to Hor Qu village these days, we will transfer from here. But, if you are interested to do the full circuit which is done for a spiritual purpose, we can organize the trek from Darchen to Darchen. However, you would have to confirm this plan before booking the trip. 

We take an early morning Helicopter Ride from Hilsa to Simikot where we will catch the airplane flight to Nepalgunj. From Nepalgunj, we take another flight to Kathmandu. 

Upon arrival in Kathmandu, you will be transferred to the hotel for rest. In the evening, we will visit Pashupatinath for the evening aarti ceremony. You can carry the Jal (holy water) of Kailash and Prasad (offering) and end this Mount Kailash Yatra by doing Pashupatinath Aarti. 

Note: If you are traveling to India you can skip the travel to Kathmandu if you are interested. Once we are in Nepalgunj, you will be transferred to the nearest Nepal-India Border by overland from where you can continue the journey to India. However, you would have to inform this prior to the trip plan. 

As our tour comes to an end, we will transfer you to the airport 3 hours prior to your scheduled flight back to your home country or onward destination.