Circle the mountain Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and Bon believers all hold sacred, take a holy dip in Manasarovar at the foot of the Himalaya, and cross Dolma La at over eighteen thousand feet on foot. Fortune's 14-day yatra runs ex Kochi through Kathmandu into Tibet, permits, guide, and staff fully arranged.
Mount Kailash is held sacred across four faiths at once, believed by Hindus to be the abode of Shiva, and the Kora, the ritual circuit around its base, is the heart of the journey. Beside it lies Manasarovar, the high, still lake where pilgrims take a holy bath and offer puja. This is not a tour in the usual sense. It runs through Kathmandu into Tibet, climbs past 4,500 metres for days at a stretch, and asks two full trek days at altitude, including the crossing of Dolma La. Fortune builds it with a Nepali team leader, an English speaking Tibetan guide, supporting staff on a five to one basis, oxygen, first aid, and emergency evacuation management, because a yatra this demanding deserves nothing less.
The stages of the journey, in the order the road and the trail take them.
Three nights bracketing the yatra
With Pashupatinath, the Boudhanath Stupa, Jal Narayan Temple, and Kathmandu Durbar Square on the outbound leg.
The overland crossing through Kyirung and Gyirung
With immigration and customs cleared on both sides, climbing steadily toward 4,500 metres, with a full acclimatization day built in at Saga.
A night at the sacred lake
With the parikrama by vehicle, a holy bath, and puja at the water's edge.
The three-day circuit on foot around Mount Kailash
From Yamdwar through Diraphuk, over Dolma La to Zutalphuk, and back to Darchen, the spiritual centre of the entire yatra.
Saga, Gyirung, and Kathmandu again
Closing with an appreciation certificate for completing the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra.
Fourteen days from Kathmandu into Tibet, with acclimatisation nights built in and three days on foot around the mountain. The honest read before the altitude.
The Kora begins at Yamdwar and runs 12 kilometres to Diraphuk on the first day, past the west face of Kailash with the north face opening into view. The second day is the yatra's hardest: the trek climbs to Dolma La, the highest point of the journey, before descending past Gaurikund to Zutalphuk along the river, 22 kilometres in a single push. The third day closes the loop back toward Darchen. Pilgrims of four faiths have walked this ground for centuries, on foot, by pony, or with porters carrying the load, and completing it is the reason the whole yatra exists.
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Before the mountain comes the lake. Manasarovar sits at 4,550 metres, one of the highest freshwater lakes on earth, and pilgrims circle it by vehicle, step into its cold water for a holy bath, and perform puja and homa on its shore. The lake's stillness after days of hard road travel does something no itinerary line can capture. The yatra deliberately holds two nights in this altitude band, at Saga and at Manasarovar, before the body is asked to climb further, because respecting the mountain starts with respecting your own lungs.
This yatra is different from every other Fortune tour. It needs a passport valid six months, a Chinese visa and a Tibet travel permit, all arranged as part of the package, and Indian citizens between 18 and 70 are eligible. It counts among the toughest high altitude journeys on earth, so a doctor's check before booking is essential, not optional, particularly with asthma or a heart condition. Acclimatisation nights are built in, and the team carries oxygen, a first aid kit and a Gamow bag. A refundable down jacket, duffel bag, backpack and cap are provided. Insurance is not included and strongly advised. Ponies and porters are at your own cost, and meals are buffet vegetarian on full board.
Two decades of escorted trips from Kerala, built into every detail below.
Flights, hotels, meals, entry tickets, and transfers sit inside one confirmed booking, so nothing is left for you to sort on arrival.
A Fortune tour manager travels with the group from Cochin, right through to the flight back home.
Every ticket, every transfer, and every hotel night is confirmed before you leave Kerala, so no day is spent in a queue.
Branches in Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, and Kannur, so help is always close by.
The complete pilgrimage in one arranged journey: Kathmandu's temples, the overland crossing into Tibet through Kyirung and Gyirung, acclimatization at Saga, a night at Manasarovar with the parikrama and holy bath, the three-day Kora around Kailash crossing Dolma La, and the return through Kathmandu with a yatra completion certificate. Permits, visa fees, guide, supporting staff, meals, and safety equipment run through the price; airfare and personal insurance sit outside it.
14 DAYS | EX KOCHI VIA KATHMANDU · NEPAL AND TIBET
EXPERIENCES:
Tibet Permit and Visa Included | 13 Nights | Buffet Vegetarian Meals Throughout | Nepali Team Leader and English Speaking Tibetan Guide | Oxygen · First Aid · and Emergency Evacuation Management
Fourteen days ex Kochi via Kathmandu: temple sightseeing in Kathmandu, the overland crossing into Tibet, acclimatization at Saga, a night at Manasarovar with the parikrama and holy bath, the three-day Kora around Kailash crossing Dolma La, and the return through Kathmandu. The complete day-wise plan sits on the itinerary page.
Yes, significantly. It crosses into Tibet, so a passport, Chinese visa, and Tibet travel permit are required, all arranged as part of the package, unlike Fortune's purely domestic circuits.
Indian citizens between 18 and 70 years old, in genuinely good health. A doctor's fitness check before booking is strongly advised, since this counts among the toughest high altitude journeys on earth.
Real and demanding. Two trek days cover roughly 12 and 22 kilometres, the second crossing Dolma La, the journey's highest point, with a third shorter day back to the road. Ponies and porters are available at their own cost for those who need them.
The plan is built to reduce the risk, with dedicated acclimatization time at Saga before the group climbs further, and the team carries oxygen, a first aid kit, and a Gamow bag, with emergency evacuation management in place if it is ever needed.
Two set departures run each year, in the short window Tibet permits allow. The quoted tour cost is separate from airfare, which is added on top, and the desk confirms current figures at enquiry.
