KATHMANDU-KODARI-ZHANGMU-LELUNG
LA-PARYANG-DARCHEN-KORA-DIRAKPUR-DROLMA LA-
ZUTHULPHUK-NYALAM
Introduction
Mt.
Kailash, 6,740 m. is situated to the north of the
Himalayan barrier, wholly within Tibet. It is the
perfect mountain with awesome beauty, with 4 great
faces. It is the spiritual centre for four great
religions: Tibetan, Buddhism, Hinduism,
the Jain religion and the pre-Buddhist
animistic religion - Bonpo. To Tibetans it is known
as Khang Rimpoche (Precious Jewel of Snow) and they
see it as the navel of the world. It is said that
a stream from the mountain pours into a nearby lake
and from here rivers flow in the four cardinal directions.
The River of the Lion Mouth to the North, the River
of the Horse Mouth to the east, the River of the
Peacock Mouth to the south and the River of the
Elephant Mouth to the West. Strangely enough, four
major rivers do indeed originate near Kailash, the
Indus, the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra), the Karnali
and the Sutlej. Tibetans believe that it is the
residence of Demchog, a fierce looking tantric deity
who lives there with his consort, Dorje Phagmo.
For the Tibetans also, it is a particularly special
place in that their poet saint Milarepa, spent several
years here meditating in a cave. A Shiva-linga
shaped Mt. Kailash from the Northern
Face for the Hindus Mount Kailash is the earthly
manifestation of Mt. Meru, their spritual centre
of the universe, described as a fantastic ‘world
pillar’ 84,000 miles high, around which all
else revolves, its roots in the lowest hell and
its summit kissing the heavens. On the top lives
their most revered God, Shiva, and his consort Parvati. For
the Jains, an Indian religious group, Kailash is
the site where their first prophet achieved enlightenment.
For the older, more ancient religion of Bon, it
is the site where its founder Shanrab is said to
have descended from heaven. It was formerly the
spiritual centre of Zhang Zung, the ancient Bon
Empire that once included all of western Tibet.
Bon people walk around the mountain in a counter
clockwise manner, unlike the other religions. Over
the centuries pilgrims have constantly journeyed
immense distances to achieve enlightenment or cleanse
themselves of sin, braving enormous distances, particularly
harsh weather and bandit attacks. Itinerary
Day 01 :
Arrive
Kathmandu. Meet and transfer to hotel.
Day 02 :
At
leisure in Kathmandu. Obtain Chinese Visa.
Day 03 :
Morning
drive to the frontier town of Nepal at Kodari. From
here, a short walk to the friendship bridge for
the drive on a local available vehicle to Zhangmu,
the main entrance of Tibet, China at the height
of 2,300 m. which is about 145 kms from Kathmandu.
In Zhangmu, you will be received by guide from our
Tibetan counterpart. After all the formalities at
the check post here, our journey continues for another
35 kms which can take almost 3 hours through the
up-winding road to Nyalam with beautiful scenery
as the drive brings us for the overnight stay at
Nyalam(3,700 m.). The lodges and guest houses here
are very simple and basic. You can expect the unexpected
as the China Tourism in Tibet is slowly picking
up since last 7-8 years.
Day 04 :
Rest
day for acclimatization and local hikes around.
Day 05 :
Morning
drive to the first pass of Lelung La at 5,050 m.
From here a superb view of the high himalayas can
be seen from Gaurishanker, Shisapangma to Langtang
Himal. From here the road diverts towards near Shisapangma
on the trail to Saga on the absolute windswept landscape
on the rough dirt road. Saga, one of the large village
enroute to Kailash. The drive can take approximate
5-6 hours depending upon the road condition. We
will be camping near the village for the overnight.
Day 06 :
Another
morning drive through the windswept territory passing
many villages and camps of Yak herders with the
distance view of snow capped mountains. After 5-6
hours of drive brings us to Paryang for the overnight
stay.
