Ngari Area is located in the highest area of the roof of the world, with an average altitude of over 4,700 meters. Therefore, it is also called “the roof of the roof of the world”. It is in this high-altitude area that Mount Kailash and the holy Lake Manasarovar formed. Different in beliefs, but believers from Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Bonism all regard Mount Kailash as a holy mountain. Even ordinary tourists will be attracted by the mysterious force of this holy mountain, having the idea to have a close look at it and find out its charm.
The 6,638-meter Mount Kailash is located in Purang County, Ngari Area, about 1,300km away from downtown Lhasa and 250km away from Shiquan River, the capital city of Ngari Area. It is also located at the north side of the 219 National Road, and Taqin Town, the starting point of a trekking and kora trip around Mount Kailash, is only 3km away from the road. Therefore, it is relatively convenient to visit Mount Kailash.
Lake Manasarovar, a must-destination for a trip to Ngari Area, is located to the south of Mount Kailash, with the 219 National Road in between. The shortest distance between the lake and the road is also 3km.
To the west side of Lake Manasarovar lies another lake - Lhanag-tso Lake. The two lakes are not far away from each other, so the scenery around them is similar. Yet the two lakes are totally different: Lake Manasarovar is a freshwater lake, and Lhanag-tso Lake is a saltwater lake. To the south side of Lake Manasarovar stands the 7,694-meter Gurla Mandhata, the highest peak of the Nalakankar Himal, a small subrange of the Himalayas. Gurla Mandhata is reputed as “Goddess Peak” by the Tibetans. You can get a far view of it when you are on the 219 National Road.
Thousands of tourists from home and abroad come to Tibet every year and begin their worship journey from Lhasa. Some of them come here for EBC, some for the mysterious Tibetan Buddhism, and some for Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar. No matter for what reasons they come here, they would always choose Lhasa as their first stop. After adapting to the 3,600km-high Lhasa, they can then go to higher areas for sightseeing.
Located at both sides of the 219 National Road, Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar are about 1,300km away from downtown Lhasa. Although the distance may be a little far, it is rather convenient to get there because of the national road.
Firstly, take a train from Lhasa to Shigatse (2.5 hours). Then charter a car in Shigatse and go to Mount Kailash via the 318 and 219 National Roads. The total length of this journey is about 1,000km.
Compared with the method of driving all the way on the national roads, this method will take you shorter time to get to the destination. But there are also disadvantages: You will miss many tourists attractions in Tibet, such as the Yamdrok Lake and the Carola Glacier. In order to make no regrets in your trip to Tibet, we recommend that you try at least one time to go to Mount Kailash from Lhasa through the national roads only. Then you can take a train to go back to Lhasa from Shigatse, so that you can save more time on the way.
Firstly, take a flight from Gongga International Airport to Ngari Kunsha Airport (2.5 hours). Then charter a car at the airport and go to Mount Kailash via the 219 National Road (200 km).
This is the fastest way to get to Mount Kailash. But tourists will more easily to get altitude sickness, because you have to suffer huge altitude changes within only 2.5 hours (from 3,600 meters in Lhasa to 4,270 meters in Ngari). Therefore, we won’t arrange for tourists to go to Mount Kailash through this method. But you can choose such means of transportation for travelling if you have been to high-altitude areas such as Ngari many times before.
Charter a car in Lhasa and drive all the way to Mount Kailash via the Xinjiang-Tibet Highway (mostly refers to the 219 National Road). The total length will cover about 1,300km.
This is the best way for tourists to get to Mount Kailash from Lhasa. Although it will take you more time than other transportation means, this is a better way that can decrease the ratio of getting altitude sickness for tourists. And then tourists will be able to enjoy themselves on this plateau.
Lhasa is 1,000km away from Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar. If you drive all the way on the national road without making any stops, it will take you 2 days to get to the destination. In order to provide a better experience for you, we have prepared some other tour routes for you, which include the most popular attractions in Tibet. The following is the tour route for a trip from Lhasa to Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar.
Lhasa is 3,600 meters above sea level, which is lower than other scenic spots in Tibet. Therefore, staying in Lhasa for the first few days will help to relieve the altitude sickness and tourists can adapt to the plateau climate.
The total length of the Lhasa - Everest Base Camp route is about 700 kilometers, so three days will be enough for tourists to fully enjoy the scenery along the way. You see many attractions within the three days, such as the Yamdrok Lake (4,440 meters above sea level) and Carola Glacier (5400 meters above sea level). When the car is slowly heading for EBC, you can also gradually adapt to the altitude changes, so that you won’t get altitude sickness easily.
Before getting to Taqin Town, you will also pass through many places along the way, such as the Tingri County, Gyirong County, Saga County, and Zhongba County, which will cover a total length of about 800km. Two days is enough for this section, so you don’t need to be hurried and can have more time to enjoy the plateau scenery.
Normally speaking, it takes about two days for tourists to completer a kora or trekking journey around Mount Kailash. Having considered the differences of body conditions of different people as well as their different reactions to the plateau, we decided to leave tourists three days to complete their journey. In addition to walking, tourists can also enjoy the scenery by eco-cars and horse riding. In this way, you can complete your journey here more casually, fully enjoy yourself, and feel the holiness of Mount Kailash.
People who have come to Ngari must go to have a look at the ruins of the Guge kingdom, which was an ancient kingdom in Western Tibet. You can see the history and glory of Ngari from the ruins. This is a place that history lovers must not miss. And then you can go to see the pure water of Lake Manasarovar, after which you will feel that your soul have been cleaned by the water.
After having finished the above journeys, tourists will spend two days to go back to Lhasa from Lake Manasarovar. The total length of a returning journey is about 1,000 km. At this time, you must have already adapted to the altitude in Tibet. Therefore, there won’t be any problems for the car or bus to speed up, and you can also go back to Lhasa more quickly.
Your Tibet tour will be more colorful and interesting if you choose the Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar tour route from us. Our tour guides know much about the Tibetan history and culture. Besides, they will provide professional medical treatment for you once you got altitude sickness. As for the language, all of them can speak fluent English and Tibetan language, so there won’t be any problems for you to communicate with each other. In addition, our drivers are just like a living GPS. They are very familiar with the road conditions in Tibet, which can guarantee a smooth journey for you. We can also provide a single kora or trekking route for those who just want to do kora around Mount Kailash and don’t want to go to other places in Tibet. And it will take you at least 6 days to complete the journey.
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