Himalayan horizon from Nagarkot, Nepal.
Mount Kailash at sunrise, western Tibet
Mount Kailash at sunrise, western Tibet
Himalayan horizon from Nagarkot, Nepal.
King Bhupatindra Malla statue in Bhaktapur, Nepal.
Krishna Mandir and Garuda column in Patan, Nepal.
Annapurna range from Sarangkot, Nepal.
Nepal and Tibet Kailash Kora Tour route map

17 DaysStrenuous

17-Day Nepal & Tibet Kailash Kora Tour

From $5,475 per person

  • Next departure May 16, 2027
  • Join a group of up to 10, or go private. Large groups welcome.
Duration
17 Days
Best season
Spring to Autumn
Max altitude
5,630m (18,471ft)
Difficulty
Strenuous

Strenuous: long, steep days in remote country, often camping, with passes or camps near or above 5,000 m (16,400 ft), or a climb above 6,000 m (19,700 ft) with crampons and fixed ropes.

Ask about this tripSee dates & prices

We reply within one business day. No payment to ask.
Sherpa guides
Permits & logistics included
Private trips available
Altitude safety expertise
A US company, paid in dollars

The climb to Drolma La

From Kathmandu at 1,400 m to Drolma La at 5,630 m (18,471 ft), the highest point of the trip.

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Kathmandu, the plateau, and the three-day walk around Mt. Kailash.

No one has climbed Mt. Kailash. Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and followers of Bon all hold the mountain sacred, and climbing it would be sacrilege, so pilgrims walk around it instead: 52 kilometers across the Tibetan Plateau, over a pass at 5,630 meters, often in strong wind.

This 17-day trip starts in the old lanes of Kathmandu, crosses the Friendship Bridge into Tibet, and follows the plateau west to the mountain Hindus believe is the throne of Lord Shiva and Buddhists call the navel of the world. It ends in Pokhara, beside a lake that reflects the Annapurna range, so you have two easy days before you fly home.

Our Sherpa team has guided this route for decades. They know the terrain, the altitude, the border procedures, and the demands of the Drolma La Pass crossing, and they stay with you the whole way.

About the border crossing: We confirm the crossing for each departure. We plan to cross at Kodari and Zhangmu as described below. If that crossing is closed on your dates, we will confirm another route with you, along with any change to the number of days or the price, before you pay your balance.

High-altitude travel can cause serious illness, even in fit travelers. Acclimatization reduces risk but cannot eliminate it. Tell your guide promptly about symptoms. Your guide may stop an ascent, change the route or arrange descent. Rescue and medical treatment depend on location, weather, access and available resources and cannot be guaranteed.

SherpaHolidays Terms and Conditions SH-TC-2026-10-14. Your accepted booking version and mandatory rights remain in effect.

17 Days, Kathmandu to Kailash and Back

Days 1 to 4  |  Kathmandu Valley

Land in Kathmandu (1,400m). Four days in the Kathmandu Valley's oldest sites, including the 4th-century Changu Narayan Temple, the Sleeping Vishnu at Budhanilkantha, and the golden courtyard of Patan. Meanwhile our team handles the paperwork: China Group Visa, Tibet Travel Permit, and everything else needed at the border.

Days 5 to 6  |  Into Tibet

Drive the winding road to Kodari and cross the Friendship Bridge into Tibet. Immigration formalities at Zhangmu, then a climb to Nyalam (3,750m). Two nights here to rest and acclimatize before the plateau.

Days 7 to 9  |  Lake Mansarovar

Drive west past the holy Brahmaputra River to Saga (4,600m), then over the Mayum La Pass (5,280m) for your first view of Mt. Kailash. Arrive at Lake Mansarovar (4,585m) for a puja at the water's edge.

Days 10 to 12  |  The Kora

The three-day walk around Mt. Kailash: 52 kilometers on foot, past the North Face at Dirapuk (4,860m), over the Drolma La Pass at 5,630m, and down to Zuthulphuk Monastery, where Milarepa's handprints are still pressed into the cave wall.

Days 13 to 14  |  Back to Nepal

The 455-kilometer drive back across the Tibetan plains to Nyalam, then across the Friendship Bridge into Nepal.

Days 15 to 16  |  Pokhara

Fly west to Pokhara for a sunrise at Sarangkot with Annapurna and Dhaulagiri on the horizon, a boat on Phewa Lake, and Davis Falls. Two quiet days after ten on the plateau.

Day 17  |  Manakamana and Departure

Ride the cable car to Manakamana Temple, home of the wish-fulfilling goddess, before your international departure.

Day by Day

Day 1  Arrival in Kathmandu  (1,400m)

Someone from our team meets you at Tribhuvan International Airport and takes you to your 4-star hotel. If you have the energy tonight, walk into Thamel, Kathmandu's old traveler's quarter, full of antique shops, momo stalls, and trekking groups planning their routes.

Stay: 4-Star Hotel, Kathmandu

Day 2  Kathmandu to Nagarkot  (2,175m)

Nagarkot is 32 kilometers northeast of Kathmandu and 800 meters higher, above the valley fog, with one of the clearest views of the eastern Himalaya, including Mt. Everest. Drive up in the afternoon for the sunset, and get up early tomorrow for the sunrise.

Stay: Resort in Nagarkot

Day 3  Nagarkot to Kathmandu via Bhaktapur and Changu Narayan

After sunrise over the Himalaya, drive down to Bhaktapur, the best preserved of the three Durbar Squares in the valley, with the Golden Gate, the 55-Window Palace, and the five-tiered Nyatapola Pagoda, which has stood through every earthquake Nepal has had since it was built. Continue to Changu Narayan, Nepal's oldest Hindu temple, built in the 4th century and dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Its stone carvings are museum quality and have never left the hillside they were made for.

Stay: Kathmandu Hotel

Day 4  Kathmandu Guided Sightseeing and Permit Preparation

A full day in the valley before the plateau. The Sleeping Vishnu at Budhanilkantha is a 5-meter stone figure reclining in a lotus pond, carved from a single boulder around the 7th century. Pashupatinath Temple, on the banks of the Bagmati River, is the most sacred Hindu site in Nepal. You also visit Patan Durbar Square and the Swayambhunath hilltop stupa. While you explore, our team works on your China Group Visa and Tibet Travel Permit. Processing depends on the authorities.

Stay: Kathmandu Hotel

Day 5  Kathmandu to Nyalam  (3,750m)

Leave early. The road climbs through terraced hills, then drops toward the border at Kodari. Cross the Friendship Bridge into Tibet, complete Chinese immigration formalities at Zhangmu, and meet your Tibetan team: the drivers and local guides who stay with you across the plateau. Continue the climb to Nyalam, where you will notice the thinner air. Eat light tonight.

Stay: 3-Star Hotel, Nyalam

Day 6  Acclimatization Day in Nyalam  (3,750m)

We never skip this day. Your body is adjusting to the altitude: making more red blood cells, breathing more deeply, and getting used to the elevation. Rest, walk slowly, drink water, and eat well. The high passes ahead are much easier on a body that has had time to adapt, which is why experienced Himalayan guides build in days like this one.

Stay: Guest House, Nyalam

Day 7  Nyalam to Saga  (4,600m)

Today the plateau opens up. Drive west across the high Tibetan plain, wide, brown, and windswept, past the holy Brahmaputra River, with the Himalayan ranges to the south. Watch for nomadic yak herders and their camps along the way.

Stay: Guest House, Saga

Day 8  Saga to Lake Mansarovar  (4,585m)

Today you cross the Mayum La Pass at 5,280 meters and see Mt. Kailash for the first time. The mountain is almost a perfect pyramid, its four faces lined up with the points of the compass. Drive down to the shore of Lake Mansarovar, one of the highest freshwater lakes in the world, its water the color of a clear sky.

Stay: Guest House near Lake Mansarovar

Day 9  Sacred Puja at Mansarovar

A full day at the lake. The puja is performed at the water's edge at dawn, when the first light catches the water and the mountain is reflected in it. Afterward you have free time to walk along the shore or simply sit. Hindu pilgrims believe bathing in Mansarovar washes away the sins of a hundred lifetimes.

Stay: Guest House, Mansarovar

Day 10  Mansarovar to Tarboche and Trek to Dirapuk  (4,860m)

The kora begins. Drive to Tarboche, the ceremonial starting point, marked by prayer flags and the Tarboche flagpole that is raised each year during the Saga Dawa festival. Then walk 16 kilometers to Dirapuk Guest House, directly across from the North Face of Mt. Kailash. From this close, the mountain fills the view, and most guests spend a long time looking at it.

Stay: Guest House, Dirapuk

Day 11  Trek over Drolma La Pass to Zuthulphuk  (4,760m)

The hardest day of the trip. Walk 19 kilometers from Dirapuk over the Drolma La Pass at 5,630 meters, the highest point of the kora and, for Tibetan Buddhists, the most sacred ground on the route. The pass is dedicated to the 21 Taras, and pilgrims believe crossing it is a kind of rebirth. The descent brings you to Zuthulphuk Monastery, where the cave with Milarepa's handprints is open to visitors, and you can see the prints in the rock.

Stay: Guest House, Zuthulphuk

Day 12  Zuthulphuk to Darchen and Drive to Paryang  (4,750m)

A last 10-kilometer walk brings you back to Darchen, where the vehicles are waiting. Visit the local temples and stupas, then start the 345-kilometer drive east to Paryang. That completes the kora: three days, 52 kilometers, and one pass at 5,630 meters.

Stay: Guest House, Paryang

Day 13  Paryang to Nyalam

A 455-kilometer drive back across the Tibetan plains, on the same road you took five days ago. Arrive in Nyalam in the evening.

Stay: Guest House, Nyalam

Day 14  Return to Kathmandu

Complete Chinese immigration formalities at Zhangmu, cross the Friendship Bridge, and re-enter Nepal at Kodari. After Nepalese immigration, drive back down through the hills to Kathmandu for a hot shower, a proper bed, and an early night.

Stay: Kathmandu Hotel

Day 15  Flight to Pokhara and Lakeside Afternoon

A short flight west to Pokhara, where the Annapurna range rises directly above Phewa Lake. In the afternoon, take a boat across the lake past the small Barahi Temple on its island, then visit Davis Falls, where a fast channel of water drops into a deep underground cave. After the dry plateau, Pokhara is warm, green, and lush.

Stay: Lakeside Hotel, Pokhara

Day 16  Sarangkot Sunrise and Return to Kathmandu

Get up before dawn for the drive to Sarangkot hill. At sunrise on a clear morning, the whole Annapurna massif and the peak of Dhaulagiri turn orange, then gold, then white as the light moves across them. After breakfast and a slow morning by the lake, fly back to Kathmandu for your last night.

Stay: Kathmandu Hotel

Day 17  Manakamana Blessing and Departure

Drive to Kurintar and ride the Manakamana cable car over green hillsides to the temple of the wish-fulfilling goddess, said to grant sincere requests. Back at the base for lunch, then the transfer to Tribhuvan International Airport for your flight home.

Stay: International Departure

The Sherpa Standard

Every SherpaHolidays trip is fully supported. Here is what that means on this one.

Accommodation and Meals

  • Kathmandu and Pokhara: 4-star hotel in Kathmandu; premium lakeside hotel in Pokhara.
  • Tibetan Plateau: 3-star hotel in Nyalam; the best available guest houses around Kailash.
  • Tibet Meals: All meals from Day 5 through Day 14, prepared with care for high-altitude conditions. City meals are on your own, so you can try the local restaurants.

Leadership and Logistics

  • Sherpa Trek Team: Professional Sherpa crew managing food, camping equipment, and logistics during the Kailash kora.
  • Tibetan Guides and Vehicles: Local Tibetan guides and 4WD Land Cruisers for all driving in Tibet.
  • Permit Management: The Tibet Travel Permit (TAR permit) and every other permit the Kailash route requires, with all permit fees, plus full handling of your Chinese Group Visa application.

Transport and Extras

  • Internal Flights: Round-trip domestic flights between Kathmandu and Pokhara.
  • Cable Car: Manakamana Cable Car tickets included.
  • Private Vehicles: All overland transfers between Kathmandu and the Friendship Bridge.


What Is Not Included

  • Chinese Group Visa and Nepal Visa fees
  • Personal pony or porter hire during the Kailash Kora, available locally
  • Comprehensive travel insurance, which is a condition of every booking. Your policy must cover emergency medical treatment and evacuation at high altitude, trip cancellation and interruption, and repatriation. We can recommend providers.
  • Tips for Tibetan drivers, guides, and Sherpa crew
  • Personal expenses, souvenirs, and city meals
  • Single supplement (for those taking a private room)

Five Highlights

The Kailash Kora

Three days, 52 kilometers, and a pass at 5,630 meters. Hindus believe walking around Mt. Kailash washes away a lifetime of sin, and Tibetan Buddhists believe it brings liberation from the cycle of rebirth. Whatever you believe, three days of walking at this altitude, in the wind, is hard and memorable.

Mansarovar Puja

A dawn puja on the shore of Lake Mansarovar, one of the highest freshwater lakes in the world, with Kailash reflected in the water behind you. For Hindu pilgrims the lake is as sacred as the mountain above it, and the ceremony has been performed here for centuries.

Drolma La Pass at 5,630m

The highest point of the kora is the most sacred ground on the route for Tibetan Buddhists. The pass is dedicated to the goddess Drolma, and crossing it is seen as a symbolic death and rebirth. It is also the highest most guests will ever stand.

Milarepa's Cave at Zuthulphuk

Milarepa, the 11th-century poet, yogi, and saint of Tibetan Buddhism, is said to have meditated at Zuthulphuk and left his handprints pressed into the cave wall. The handprints are still there, and the monastery has been rebuilt around them.

Sarangkot Sunrise

From the hilltop of Sarangkot, the first light hits the Annapurna massif and Dhaulagiri, two of the world's highest peaks, and turns them orange, then gold, then white. It is Nepal's best-known sunrise view, and after ten days on the plateau it feels like coming home.

Travel dates

The deposit is part of the total price, not an additional fee.

  • May 16 – June 1, 2027 Available
    $5,475 per person
  • June 1 – 17, 2027 Available
    $5,475 per person
  • September 1 – 17, 2027 Available
    $5,475 per person

Scheduled departure deposit: $500 per person for bookings more than 90 days before departure

Private journey deposit: 30% of the trip price for bookings more than 90 days before departure

Final balance: Due 90 days before departure. Bookings made 90 days or fewer before departure are paid in full at booking.

Our conditions promise: A qualifying Nepal advisory change or trek-region closure within 60 days of departure lets you move dates free or take full credit for 24 months.

Scheduled departures: No minimum group size

SherpaHolidays Terms and Conditions SH-TC-2026-10-14. Your accepted booking version and mandatory rights remain in effect.

Questions about this trip?

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Things guests ask before booking

Straight answers about booking, payment and how we run every trip.

  • It is the hardest part of the trip, which is rated strenuous. The kora is a three-day walk of 52 kilometers around Mount Kailash, past the North Face at Dirapuk (4,860 meters) and over the Drolma La at 5,630 meters (18,471 ft). You can hire a pony or porter locally for the kora, at your own cost.

  • We confirm the crossing for each departure. We plan to cross at Kodari and Zhangmu.

    We do not charge a stored payment method without your authorization for the amount and payment date. If a balance is overdue, we contact you before treating the booking as canceled for nonpayment. Any cancellation charge must follow the terms you accepted. A failed charge alone does not authorize a different fee or a later, harsher cancellation tier.

    We may change the order of activities, timing or route for weather, access or safety. If a named hotel is unavailable, we provide an alternative of equivalent character and standard. A minor change that preserves the agreed character and standard is not itself a cancellation. We tell you promptly about a material change, explain available alternatives and your applicable refund rights, and obtain agreement before charging more. Calling a change operational or safety-related does not remove a refund required by law.

  • After crossing the border you spend two nights in Nyalam to rest and acclimatize before the plateau. From there the route climbs to Saga (4,600 meters) and Lake Mansarovar (4,585 meters) before the kora. Insurance that covers high-altitude emergency evacuation is required for this trip.

    High-altitude travel can cause serious illness, even in fit travelers. Acclimatization reduces risk but cannot eliminate it. Tell your guide promptly about symptoms. Your guide may stop an ascent, change the route or arrange descent. Rescue and medical treatment depend on location, weather, access and available resources and cannot be guaranteed.

  • You need a Chinese Group Visa and the Tibet Travel Permit. The Tibet Travel Permit and every other permit the Kailash route needs are included, with their fees, and we handle your Chinese Group Visa application. The Chinese Group Visa fee and the Nepal visa fee are not included.

  • In a 3-star hotel in Nyalam and the best available guest houses around Kailash. All meals are included from Day 5 through Day 14 in Tibet. In Kathmandu and Pokhara, city meals are on your own.

  • Groups of up to 10, or private for your own group. Scheduled group dates have no minimum, so they run with any number of guests. Large groups welcome.

  • The deposit is part of the total price, not an additional fee. A scheduled booking made more than 90 days before departure requires $500 per person. A private journey booked more than 90 days before departure requires 30% of the trip price. The balance is due 90 days before departure. At 90 days or fewer, full payment is due at booking. Your disclosure and invoice state the exact amounts and dates.

    Once your deposit is received, your price is locked except for government taxes, park fees or levies introduced after that date. We tell you in writing as soon as we learn of one and identify its amount and basis. A different route, hotel upgrade or optional activity is not an automatic extra charge; any additional cost requires your agreement before it is booked.

    SherpaHolidays Terms and Conditions SH-TC-2026-10-14. Your accepted booking version and mandatory rights remain in effect.

  • Scheduled departure deposit
    $500 per person for bookings more than 90 days before departure

    Private journey deposit
    30% of the trip price for bookings more than 90 days before departure

    Final balance
    Due 90 days before departure. Bookings made 90 days or fewer before departure are paid in full at booking.

    You cancel 90 or more days before departure
    Your deposit becomes credit toward any SherpaHolidays trip for 24 months. Payments above the deposit are refunded, subject only to a specific supplier exception disclosed and accepted before payment.

    You cancel 89 to 60 days before departure
    Cancellation charge: 50% of the total trip price

    You cancel 59 to 46 days before departure
    Cancellation charge: 75% of the total trip price

    You cancel 45 days or fewer before departure
    Cancellation charge: 100% of the total trip price. No refund.

    Our conditions promise
    A qualifying Nepal advisory change or trek-region closure within 60 days of departure lets you move dates free or take full credit for 24 months.

    We cancel or cannot provide contracted services
    Refunds for services not provided as required by California law. An alternative or credit is your choice, not a required substitute.

    Scheduled departures
    No minimum group size

    The traveler-cancellation table does not remove our conditions promise, rights under an already accepted booking, or refunds and other rights required by law.

    If the US State Department raises Nepal to Level 3 or higher, or your trek region is closed, within 60 days of departure, you can move your dates free or take full credit toward any SherpaHolidays trip for 24 months. This applies instead of the normal traveler-cancellation charges, including the 45-day rule and any supplier cancellation exception.

    Full credit means the payments you made for the affected trip, not only the deposit. We record the trigger and your choice in writing. The credit follows Section 4's use and validity terms. A free date move has no change fee; we disclose any price difference for the replacement trip before you decide. The promise does not replace a cash refund owed when we cancel or cannot provide contracted services.

    SherpaHolidays Terms and Conditions SH-TC-2026-10-14. Your accepted booking version and mandatory rights remain in effect.

  • Comprehensive travel insurance is a condition of every booking. Your policy must cover emergency medical treatment, emergency evacuation, trip cancellation and interruption, and repatriation. Confirm with your insurer that it covers your itinerary's activities and maximum altitude, including technical climbing, rafting, helicopter evacuation and search and rescue where applicable. Provide proof before departure. Consider obtaining cover when you book because some benefits have purchase deadlines.

    We are not your insurer. Receiving your documents is not a determination of coverage and does not guarantee payment of a claim. Medical and evacuation providers may require payment in advance. Keep insurer emergency details available during your trip.

    SherpaHolidays Terms and Conditions SH-TC-2026-10-14. Your accepted booking version and mandatory rights remain in effect.

  • Yes. Any departure can run privately on your dates, and we adjust pace, accommodation and rest days around you. If you want a different route entirely, we plan custom itineraries from scratch.

  • Guides from our own Sherpa team lead every trip in Nepal. Beyond Nepal we work with trusted local partners we have known for years, so there is always someone beside you who knows the ground well.

  • The Sherpa Standard section on this page lists everything included on this trip, from guides and permits to lodges and meals. International flights and travel insurance are the main things you arrange yourself.

Guest reviews

What guests say

5.0 average from 5 Google reviews
Read them on Google
I recently took a trip to Nepal and was met with wonderful service by the staff and amazing tours with the Sherpa guides. The cultural tours were by far my favorite. Highly recommend!!
Avin Fatehi
Took a trip to Nepal for 10 days and got an amazing tour of the area! Great people, great places 10/10 would go again 🔥🔥
Kevin Ye
I found Sherpa Holidays when I was looking to do the 23 days Annapurna circuit trek and they not only made me a custom itinerary to fit my needs, but they also made the entire process seamless. Highly recommend Sherpa Holidays for anyone looking to head to Nepal!
Justin Zhang
The staff were easy to communicate with and I had a wonderful trip.
Jack Cavada

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