What to Pack for Mount Kailash Trekking Tour?

Mt. Kailash is sacred to Hindus, Buddhists, Bons, and Jains. Thus, thousands of devotees of these religions resolve to make a pilgrimage every year around this holy mountain. The trek around Mount Kailash only takes 3 days but it's not an easy one.

The weather around the Kailash area is changeable. The temperatures during the daytime can be warm. But the evening and early morning temperature can be freezing cold. Moreover, strong crosswinds can further aggravate the weather condition. So, you need to pack the right clothes and things to make your pilgrimage more manageable. In this article, we have listed down the must-have items for Mount Kailash Trekkers.

Mt. Kailash is sacred to Hindus, Buddhists, Bons, and Jains.

A. What Clothes and Shoes Should You Bring?

Most treks around Mount Kailash happen during spring and autumn, from early May to late October. The best time to trek to Mount Kailash is during September and October. Saga Dawa Festival is also a good time to tour Mt.Kailsh. This festival usually falls in the period on the 15th day in April of Tibetan Calendar(late May or early June in Solar Calendar). During this festival, thousands of pilgrims make their way to the mountain.

Even during these seasons, the temperatures at the Kailash region radically fluctuate. During the daytime, the temperature could go as high as 11°C and could go down to as low as -5°C to -1°C during the evening and early morning. Hence, you need to dress in layers during nighttime and early morning and remove some layers during the daytime. Here is a list of the things that you might be needing for your Mount Kailash Trek:

B. Accessories You Need to Bring with You

Aside from warm clothes and shoes that you need to bring, you would also need some important accessories. You should bring with you a decent backpack that is comfortable to carry around. The trek consists of several stopovers and each segment of the trek may last for 6 to 7 hours. Your backpack must have padded shoulder straps to assuage the friction on your shoulders. It should also have waist straps to keep it secured. Aside from the backpack, you should also bring with you the following necessary accessories:

C. Bring Your Medicine Kit

You should not forget your medicine kit once you travel to Mt. Kailash. A medicine kit will surely come in handy in case you need immediate medication. Some of the recommended medicines that you should bring include the following:

Necessary items you need for your Kailash trekking tour.

D. Toiletry and Personal Items

There is an unusually strong amount of solar radiation in the Tibetan Plateau. Data shows that the strength of solar radiation in the Kailash region is 2 times that of Beijing and 2.5 times that of Chongqing. So, you need to protect yourself from solar radiation when you make your trek around Mount Kailash. Tibet is also very dry. Hence, you need to bring with you a lip balm that has sunscreen. Here are some of the additional personal items that you should bring with you:

E. Additional Items that are Important

It is better to be well-equipped and prepared for any eventuality. Hence, aside from the abovementioned must-have clothes, personal items, and medicines that you should bring with you, you might as well bring the following items:

F. Food and Drinks for Mount Kailash Trek

If you are in Lhasa, the Capital of Tibet, you could readily get access to the best food that could satisfy your palate. But when you reach Darchen—the starting point of the Mount Kailash Trek—your choice of food is usually reduced to the very basic. Hence, you should at least bring with you some instant food that you can quickly prepare during your trek.

Instant noodles would be great. You should also pack some snacks such as dried fruits, almonds, energy bars, and chocolate, as well as some biscuits to replenish your energy along the way.

The high-altitude and dry weather of Tibet may also cause severe dehydration that is further aggravated by altitude sickness. Moreover, the higher the elevation or altitude, the thirstier you would get. Hence, you should never forget to bring some bottles of water that you can refill. Along the trekking route, potable water is available. But you need to have a refillable water container or flask that you can refill along the way. With enough water, you can keep yourself hydrated throughout the trek.

G. Do You Need a Tent and a Sleeping Bag?

You are not required to bring a tent or a sleeping bag. But if you want a personal tent you can bring one with you. You can also bring a lightweight sleeping bag liner or a sleeping bag. Yet, you can also rent tents, blankets, and sleeping bags or buy these things when you are in Lhasa before setting out for Mount Kailash. However, the blankets and sleeping bags for rent are not regularly cleaned.

Final Words:

You should carefully choose the travel agency for your Kailash Tour. A legit and trustworthy travel agency, like the Greattibettour, can surely provide everything you would need to make your tour of Kailash easy and hassle-free. We, at Greattibettour, can also facilitate the processing of necessary documents for your Tibet Tour. You simply need to pack the necessary things and appropriate clothes for your Kailash tour, and we handle the rest for you such as your Tibet Travel Permit, driver, vehicle, tour guide, hotels, etc.

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Typically Asked Questions from Our Clients

Hira Sutradhar

I’m interested in know about MT. Kailash travel packages from USA

Dear Hira****,

As per your request, here's the packing list for your Kailash trip. 

Clothes -
hat(Anti-UV), scarf(against strong wind sometimes), gloves, down/outdoor jacket, warm pants, long-sleeved T-shirt, jacket, etc. You don't have to take too many clothes and you are suggested to wear them layer by layer as you just stay three nights at Kailash. One point is to keep warm.

Shoes -
Comfortable shoes. Sports shoes are fine. For the Kailash trek, hiking shoes are recommended.

Daily Articles -
Going to Kailash, you are recommended to take a small towel, a toothbrush, toothpaste, tissue, and a cup as the nomad tents don't provide such stuff. Also you can prepare some snacks such as chocolate, potato chips and biscuit in Lhasa in case you feel hungry on the way.

Skincare Products -
Wind and solar radiation are quite strong in Tibet. Skincare products are quite necessary, such as lip balms, sunblock, and skin creams, sunglasses.

Medicines -
Nuodikang Capsules or Nifedipine are recommended by most travelers. In addition, if you are worrying about altitude sickness, you can purchase two tanks of oxygen in Lhasa, to avoid altitude sickness at EBC/Kailash, with an elevation of 5,200M/4,700M.

For more details，https://www.greattibettour.com/tibet-travel-tips/packing-list-for-your-tibet-tour.html.

Besides, Us citizens need a Chinese visa and Tibet Travel Permit to trek in Kailash, and we can obtain it for you if you book the tour with us.

Please let me know without hesitation if you have any further questions or doubts.

Ariya Habibiniya

Hi, I wanted to book a 12 day tour (Lhasa-Kailash-Nepal) for early May and I was wondering how the visa situation for China and Tibet permit works? Do you guys get it for us? Do we have to get it before booking the tour? How long does it take to get the visa for a Canadian who lives in the UK?

Dear Ariya***,

I'm afraid there's no time to achieve the permits for your Kailash tour starting in early May, as it takes more than 20 working days to apply. Do you have a China visa now? China visa takes weeks or months to book an appointment to interview this year.

We can only obtain your Tibet travel permit with copies of your China visa and passport. Right now, you have the opportunity to join Mt.Kailash in late June or later. If you book the Kailash tour first, we can help you get your China visa by providing some supporting documents.

For a Canadian living in the UK, you can fill in a form online for your China visa first(by clicking a nearby Chinese embassy), then book an appointment to interview.