How to keep tourists safe while touring Mt. Kailash?

Mt. Kailash or also known as Gangs Rinpoche in Tibetan literally means “precious jewels of snow”. It is believed to be the sacred “Mount Meru” in Tibetan Buddhism and the source of Brahmaputra River, Indus River and Ganga. Stories and legends of different religions make this holy mountain one of the most celebrated religious sites in Asia.

Trekkers follow the Mount Kailash route to approach Mount Kailash

It has been said that circling round the holy mountain once can wash away all sins in one’s entire life. If someone can circle Mount Kailash 108 times, he would reach the enlightenment, becoming a Buddha. Therefore, numerous Tibetans begin the arduous pilgrimage with their family, either spinning with prayer wheel whiling chanting the Buddhist scriptures, or prostrating themselves back and forth along the long trail.

To ordinary tourists who are about to tour Mt. Kailash or do Mount Kailash Kora, three things merit special attention, which is Altitude, Weather, and Physical Demand. And we as professional Tibet Tour operator keep improving our service to ensure a pleasant and safe travel.

a. Altitude

As we all know, Tibet has its reputation as “the roof of the world”. While Ngari prefecture is respected for being as the “roof of the roof of the world”. Starting from Lhasa (3650m) and en route from Shigatse(3800m) to Ngari (with an average altitude of above 4500m), the Mount Kailash tour will be a huge challenge to one’s stamina and acclimatization ability to high altitude.

Our Solutions:

Our itineraries will begin with at least 2 or 3 days tour inside or around Lhasa (3650m) to help tourists acclimatize to the altitude. And having ample time for tourists’ acclimatization is fairly important before travelling to Ngari region.

Besides, during the tour, tourist will be supplied with pro oxygen bags or small oxygen cylinders just in case unexpected altitude sickness symptom occurs to any tourists. And our guides are all experienced in trekking and kora tour in Mount Kailash area. TTC offers routine first-aid training programs for our guides, drivers and holds annual tour seminar to discuss how to improve our service. In addition, guides maintain contact with local clinics as we travel to remote areas in Ngari region. Moreover, the company has backup plan for any emergency.

In Nov, 2015, one of the European tourists had unexpected altitude symptom overnight. And our guide immediately sent him to the hospital in Pulan County of Ngari for timely treatment. It was our guide’s prompt response that avoided the situation from getting worse.

b.Temperature

It’s well-known that the climate of Tibet is chilly and dry. And the climate of Ngari is even more. Therefore, the full preparation before departure can avoid many troubles.

Our Solutions:

Before the departure for Tibet, our travel consultant will inform tourists about the dos and don’ts when travelling in Ngari region and what should tourists preparation for the upcoming tour, including clothes, and other stuff(such as sleeping bags, altitude sickness medicine under the guidance of the doctor, trekking poles, food, toiletries, travel documents, etc.) Our guide will double check if you have enough preparation before leaving for Ngari from Lhasa.

c.Physical Demand

Take Mount Kailsh Kora or Yatra for example, the starting point would be in Darchen (4500m) and you are expected to stay overnight in Drirapuk Monastery (5100m) and travel through the Dolma La Pass (5700m), the highest place during the Mount Kailash Kora. The drastic altitude change and long trekking route (around 54 km) would be a daunting challenge to one’s stamina and perseverance.

Our Solutions:

We suggest trekkers hiring yaks and porters in Darchen to save your energy. Apart from that, as the dining environment and food hygiene are not that ideal in Ngari, we only take tourists to safe restaurants that have long-term cooperation with us. Besides, our drivers will check and double check the safety of tour bus on a daily basis during the tour.