Kailash Mansarovar Yatra

Yes, you can carry your Indian Mobile connection with international roaming activated for calling and internet purposes. Indian Telecom providers majorly have two types of plan- one is the per day charges plan and the other is the plan for around 10 days on a certain cost which generally includes no incoming call charges, approx 100 minutes free outgoing charges and some mobile data. It is better to get international roaming activated for Tibet part while going for Kailash Mansarovar Trek. There are other options such as Matrix also available for international roaming but one needs to deeply analyse the charges for each option and then choose the plan wisely while going on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.

If you are taking the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra by Heli package, then buying a Nepali sim is optional. But if you are taking the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra by Road Package, then it is recommended to buy a local Nepali sim card. 

As far as Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet, China region is concerned, it is advisable to get international roaming activated to constantly stay in touch. Buying a Chinese sim is not advisable because we have witnessed several issues related to its activation. We cannot follow up on these issues as we are not staying at one place for more than one night.

If you wish to take a Nepali or Chinese sim card, you can tell the tour guide or can buy it yourself from the local market. The Nepali Sim card of Ncell will cost you roughly 500 INR for which you will get a talk time of Rs. 200 and calling India will cost 3 NPR (2 INR). The Tibet Sim card of China Telecom will cost you roughly 1,000 INR and you will get only incoming calls and no outgoing calls.

Most of the Indian sim cards work during the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra with international roaming activated. We have seen Indian telecom companies such as Airtel, JIO, VI, etc with international roaming as well as other local operators - China Telecom work in the Tibet region.

Since Tibet is a region under China’s control and WhatsApp & Facebook are banned in China, these apps won’t be working in Tibet as well. However, you can try using WhatsApp & Facebook through a VPN, which changes your location, thus the apps start working. But it is advisable not to use them and follow the Law of the Land.