9 Days Mount Kailash Kora by Air — Fly from Lhasa to Purang, Walk the Kora, Fly Back
- Duration
- 9 Days / 8 Nights
- Highest point
- 5,630 m
- Pace
- Challenging
- Group size
- Private, on your dates
- Best season
- May to mid-October (the kora is snowed in through winter)
The trip at a glance
Mount Kailash (6,638 m) is the holiest mountain in Asia, and the 52-kilometre kora around it is a three-day walk that pilgrims of four religions have made for centuries. The problem has always been getting there: from Lhasa it is three long days of driving each way. This tour removes the drive. You fly from Lhasa to Purang, the newest airport in Tibet and the closest to the mountain, sleep in Darchen at the foot of Kailash, walk the kora over the Dolma La, spend a night by Lake Manasarovar and fly back to Lhasa — nine days in all, including the three Lhasa days your body needs and a last night in the city. It is the shortest Kailash tour we know of, and the only one on this website that goes straight to the mountain with nothing on the way.
Days 1–3 are spent in Lhasa at 3,650 m: the Potala Palace, the Jokhang Temple and the Barkhor, the Tibet Museum and the monks’ debate at Sera Monastery. These are not sightseeing days added to fill the tour — they are the acclimatization that makes the flight west safe. On Day 4 you fly over the whole of the plateau, meet your Ngari guide and driver at Purang Airport, and drive about two hours past Lake Manasarovar to Darchen, with oxygen in the vehicle and in your room.
Read the full overview
Days 5–7 are the kora, starting at your hotel door: Driapuk under the north face, the Dolma La at 5,630 m, Milarepa’s cave at Dzultripuk, and back to Darchen. Your guide carries oxygen on every day of the walk; yaks and horses are arranged in Darchen for anyone who wants them. After the kora you drive the short way to Lake Manasarovar for the night, and on Day 8 you fly from Purang back to Lhasa for a last night in the city — or connect onward the same afternoon if you prefer. Day 9 is your departure.
This is a private tour on your own dates, for one traveller or any number. The flights are quoted separately at the day’s fare, because they vary too much to hide in a price; everything on the ground is included. If you would rather see Everest and the Friendship Highway on the way, our overland Kailash tours do that — this one is for travellers whose time is worth more than the drive.
Want to keep going? Ask us. Most of our guests do not fly home the day a tour ends, and few want to plan the next days alone. From Lhasa we can send you on to Nepal or Bhutan, to Chengdu and the pandas, or to Xi’an and Beijing — one company from start to finish, with the same people answering your emails.
- Lhasa (3 nights)
- fly to Purang
- Darchen (4,560 m)
Kailash Kora (52 km) over the Dolma La (5,630 m)
Lake Manasarovar (4,588 m)- fly Purang to Lhasa (1 night)
departure
Where you go, and how high you sleep
The route, stop by stop
- Arrive in Lhasa (3,650 m) — rest and get used to the altitudeDay 1
- Lhasa — Potala PalaceDay 2
- Lhasa — Tibet MuseumDay 3
- Fly Lhasa → Purang — drive to Darchen (4,560 m), the gate of the koraDay 4
- Kailash Kora Day 1 — Darchen → Driapuk Monastery (4,920 m)Day 5
- Kailash Kora Day 2 — Dolma La Pass (5,630 m) → DzultripukDay 6
- Kailash Kora Day 3 — Dzultripuk → Manasarovar Lake (4,588 m)Day 7
- Fly Purang → Lhasa — a night back in the city, or fly on the same dayDay 8
- Lhasa — departureDay 9
Day by day
Days 1–3 · Lhasa hotel
Arrive in Lhasa (3,650 m) — rest and get used to the altitude
Your Tibetan guide meets you at Lhasa Gonggar Airport or Lhasa Railway Station with a white kata scarf and takes you to your hotel. The rest of the day is free. Walk a little, drink plenty of water and go to bed early — the three Lhasa days are what make the kora possible later.
Lhasa — Potala Palace · Jokhang Temple · Barkhor Street
Visit the Potala Palace, winter home of the Dalai Lamas (tickets are booked in advance with a fixed entry time). In the afternoon visit the Jokhang Temple, the most sacred temple in Tibet, and walk the Barkhor pilgrim circuit around it with the pilgrims.
Lhasa — Tibet Museum · Norbulingka · Sera Monastery debate
In the morning visit the Tibet Museum, the best place to understand Tibetan history, art and daily life, and walk next door in the Norbulingka, the summer palace of the Dalai Lamas. In the afternoon watch the monks debate in the courtyard of Sera Monastery. Pack a small bag for the kora tonight; your main luggage can stay in the vehicle or at the hotel in Darchen.
Fly Lhasa → Purang — drive to Darchen (4,560 m), the gate of the kora
A morning flight from Lhasa takes you over the whole of western Tibet — the same ground that takes an overland group three days of driving. You land at Purang Airport, the newest airport in Tibet and the closest one to Mount Kailash, where your Ngari guide and driver meet you with oxygen in the vehicle.
From Purang it is about two hours' drive north past Lake Manasarovar — your first sight of the holy lake, with Mount Kailash standing behind it — to Darchen, the small town at the foot of the mountain where the kora begins. Darchen and the lake lie at almost the same height, so sleeping here tonight is the same acclimatization as sleeping by the water, and it means the walk starts at your door tomorrow. Nothing else is planned: today is for arriving, drinking water and resting. Oxygen is in your room if you want it.
Kailash Kora Day 1 — Darchen → Driapuk Monastery (4,920 m) · about 20 km
The kora begins at your door in Darchen. Yaks or porters for your main bag are arranged here; you walk with a daypack only. The trail leads north into the Sarshung valley with Kailash growing larger ahead. Prayer flags cross every ridge, mani walls line the path, and pilgrims walk beside you — some prostrating the full 52 km. The gradient is gentle and this is the easiest of the three days. You sleep at Driapuk guesthouse, directly under the north face of the mountain.
Your guide carries a portable oxygen set on all three kora days, and a horse can be arranged in Darchen for anyone who prefers to ride part of the way.
Kailash Kora Day 2 — Dolma La Pass (5,630 m) → Dzultripuk · about 22 km
The longest and highest day. The path climbs steeply from Driapuk to the Dolma La at 5,630 m, the highest and most sacred point of the circuit, with the green Gauri Kund lake in the hollow below. The pace is slow and steady — one step at a time, with rests and oxygen whenever you want it. Then a steep descent into the Lhachu valley and an easier walk to Dzultripuk Monastery, built around the cave where Milarepa meditated. Eight to ten hours on foot.
Kailash Kora Day 3 — Dzultripuk → Manasarovar Lake (4,588 m) · about 10 km
The gentlest day: an easy walk south along the broad valley back to Darchen, closing the circle around the mountain. The kora is complete. After lunch in Darchen we drive the short way to Lake Manasarovar for the night — a quiet evening by the water to rest your legs and look at the mountain you have just walked around. To Tibetan Buddhists this is one of the three holy lakes of Tibet; to Hindus the lake formed in the mind of Brahma. Most travellers simply sit at the shore.
Fly Purang → Lhasa — a night back in the city, or fly on the same day
A morning drive of about one hour from the lake to Purang Airport and the flight back to Lhasa. Your Lhasa guide meets you at the airport and takes you to your hotel: a proper shower, a dinner with more choices than the guesthouses of the far west, and a last evening on the Barkhor. If you would rather not stop, most Lhasa flights to Chengdu, Xi'an and Beijing leave in the afternoon, and you can connect onward the same day — tell us when you book and the tour ends at Lhasa airport on Day 8.
Lhasa — departure
After breakfast your guide takes you to Lhasa Gonggar Airport or Lhasa Railway Station for your onward journey. The tour ends here.
What is included
Included
- Tibet Travel Permit, Alien's Travel Permit, Military Permit and Border Defence Permit for the Ngari region
- Airport meetings in Lhasa and Purang; all transfers
- Private vehicle with experienced driver in Lhasa and in Ngari
- Professional English-speaking local tour guide throughout
- All accommodation listed in the itinerary (hotels in Lhasa and Darchen; guesthouses at Lake Manasarovar and on the kora)
- Entrance fees for all sites listed in the itinerary
- Oxygen in the vehicle and in your rooms, and a portable oxygen set carried by your guide on the kora
- Tourist accident/casualty insurance and first aid kit
Not included
- Flights Lhasa → Purang and Purang → Lhasa — quoted separately at the day's fare and booked by us (roughly CNY 3,200–6,800 one way)
- Flights or trains to and from Tibet
- Meals not specified in the itinerary (approximately USD 3–15 per meal)
- Yak, porter or horse hire during the kora (arranged for you in Darchen, paid locally)
- Tips for tour guide and driver
- Personal expenses (laundry, snacks, optional activities)
Photos from this route
Questions travellers ask
Can you fly to Mount Kailash?
Almost. The nearest airport is Purang Airport, the newest airport in Tibet, about two hours' drive from Darchen, where the kora begins, and about one hour from Lake Manasarovar. There are flights from Lhasa. On this tour you fly in from Lhasa, drive to Darchen the same day, and start the kora the next morning. Flying saves the three long driving days each way of an overland Kailash tour. Ngari's other airport, Gunsa near Shiquanhe, is four to five hours further north and is the one to use for flights out to Kashgar or Xi'an.
How many days do you need for Mount Kailash?
The kora itself takes three days (about 20 km, 22 km and 10 km). Around it you need three days in Lhasa to get used to the altitude, a night in Darchen before the walk, and a night by Lake Manasarovar after it. That is nine days from Lhasa to Lhasa, with a last night in the city (eight if you fly on the same day you land back in Lhasa), or nine days if you leave Tibet through Kashgar — the shortest Kailash tours we know of. An overland Kailash tour from Lhasa needs 11 to 16 days, because the drive west takes three days each way.
Is it safe to fly straight to the Kailash region?
It is safe if the days before and after are planned for it, and that is what this itinerary does. You spend three nights in Lhasa (3,650 m) first, which is the single most important step. On the day you fly, nothing is planned except the two-hour drive to Darchen and rest; the kora starts the next morning from your hotel door. Oxygen is in the vehicle, in your rooms and in your guide's pack on the kora. If you have a heart or lung condition, please ask your doctor before booking and tell us.
Why are the flights not included in the price?
Because the fare changes a great deal with the season and with how early you book — roughly CNY 3,200 to 6,800 one way. Rather than hide an average in the tour price, we quote the flight separately at the day's fare when you book, and we book the seats for you. The price shown is for everything on the ground: guide, vehicle, permits, hotels and guesthouses, entrance fees and oxygen.
Can I do the kora in four or five days instead of three?
Yes. Pilgrims who want a slower kora — or guests over 60 — can take four or five days, with extra nights at the guesthouses on the route. This adds one or two days to the tour. Tell us when you ask, and we plan the days and the flights around it. A horse and a yak for your bag can also be arranged in Darchen.
Which permits do I need for Ngari and Mount Kailash?
Four: the Tibet Travel Permit, the Alien's Travel Permit, the Military Permit and the Border Defence Permit — Ngari borders Nepal and India. We arrange all of them; you send us a copy of your passport and Chinese visa. The Ngari permits take about 15 to 20 days, so please book at least 30 days before you travel — which is also when the US$100 permit fee confirms your booking.
When is the best time for a Kailash kora by air?
May to mid-October, like every Kailash tour: the Dolma La is snowed in through winter and the guesthouses close. May to June and September to early October have the clearest skies. Saga Dawa, the Buddhist festival in May or June, is the busiest time around the mountain — book early for those dates. Flights in western Tibet are more often delayed by weather in July and August; on the Kashgar version the tour keeps a night near Gunsa Airport before you fly.
Can you arrange the days after the tour as well?
Yes, and most guests ask us to. Tell us how many days you have after the tour and what you like — mountains, cities, food, history — and we plan the rest of your trip with the local partners we have worked with for years, in Nepal, Bhutan, Xinjiang or the rest of China. You deal with one company and the same people from your first email to your flight home.
Is this a group tour or a private tour?
Private only, on your own dates, for any number of travellers — one person, a couple, a family or a group of friends. The price is per person. If you would rather join a small group and do not mind the overland drive, see our <a href="/tours/11-day-kailash-manasarovar-kora-pilgrimage-tour">11 Days Classic Mt. Kailash & Manasarovar Pilgrimage</a>, which has fixed group dates.
What do I see on the way that an overland Kailash tour does not?
The plateau from the air: on a clear day the flight passes the whole chain of the Himalaya on the left, with Shishapangma and the Peiku Tso lake below, and the empty brown country of Ngari ahead. What you do not see is Everest Base Camp, Gyantse or the Friendship Highway — this tour goes straight to one mountain. If you want Kailash and Everest together, choose our <a href="/tours/16-day-everest-kailash-guge-kingdom-group-tour">16 Days Everest · Kailash · Guge Kingdom tour</a>.
