Kailash Mansarovar Yatra

Earlier, it was allowed taking a dip in the holy Lake Mansarovar, but as per the recent guidelines published in the pilgrims’ interest from the Chinese authorities, taking a dip in the Kailash Mansarovar Lake and collecting water from its source is strictly prohibited. You can’t take a bath in the lake, as the Chinese authorities emphasize maintaining its religious importance and sanctity. The authority has banned the bathing and littering practices near the Mansarovar Lake, or anywhere around your pilgrimage in general. Neither can you take a bath in the Gaurikund, as it also has a broad religious significance.

It is permitted to stay near the Mansarovar Lake at night, as there are guesthouses nearby for pilgrims’ stay; however, due to the cold weather, it is not advisable to roam near the lake at midnight. Kindly keep this in mind, even if you are visiting Mansarovar Jheel at night, it’s mandatorily advised not to go alone, but with your tour guide and other group members. Also, bathing in the sacred Mansarovar Lake is prohibited by the Chinese authorities as per the latest guidelines of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.

As per the new guidelines for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra published by the Chinese authorities, pilgrims are not allowed to bring any water from the Mansarovar Lake, Tibet. Also, you can take along a small bottle with you during the Mansarovar Parikrama, such that you can sprinkle Mansarovar jal on your body to sanctify yourself (it will depend on the conditions, but it’s promisingly not possible).

Since the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra is mostly completed in summer (between May to September), the weather is generally pleasant. Days are pleasant and nights are slightly cold; temperatures can't be dropped to or below 0 degrees. Being a barren land, the Kailash Mansarovar region is not much impacted by rain. During the day, the temperature ranges between 14-16 degrees Celsius, and at night, it ranges from 4 to 10 degrees Celsius. It is advisable to wear warm clothes and cover your head and ears properly to avoid cold.

Purang or Taklakot, is a small and clean town with numerous shops on both sides of the road. It comes on Kailash yatra by helicopter route. Mansarovar Lake is located at a drive of about 95 km (2 to 3 hours) from Purang.

Whereas, Saga is a beautiful city on the overland route of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, which is about 450km from Mansarovar Lake, and takes approximately 6 to 7 hours to reach Mansarovar from Saga.

Tourist rest houses on multiple sharing are available near Mansarovar Lake. However, there is no toilet facility available in the Lake Mansarovar region, but we provide a portable toilet and toilet tent facility to the pilgrims travelling with us.

Lake Mansarovar region is generally safe, just beware of the dogs in the area. If you are going out at night, be united in your group and do not go out alone. If going for a walk at night, cover your head and ears properly as a preventive measure from the cold waves. There are no streetlights in the area, so it is advised to carry flashlights/torches with you.

Previously, we used to send a Pandit Ji with our pilgrims to let them perform puja at the Mansarovar Lake. However, in the recent guidelines from the Chinese authority for Kailash Yatra, it’s prohibited to perform any kind of puja at the Mansarovar Lake and to burn any incense stick or hawan samagri, etc. Therefore, the practice of conducting puja at the Mansarovar Jheel, Tibet, can’t be continued anymore.

Since Kailash Mansarovar Yatra involves a group tour with a specific itinerary customized by the Tibetan authority, you get a group visa and group permit. The entire group has to enter and exit Tibet at the same time. The validity of the group visa is 7 days, so you cannot extend your stay at Lake Mansarovar.

There are dustbins available around Lake Mansarovar to dumb waste after puja and Yagya. Be a responsible tourist and do not litter around Mount Kailash and Mansarovar Lake. But, as per the recent Chinese authority guidelines regarding Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, no one is allowed to perform yagya/puja/hawan/etc at Lake Mansarovar.