9 Days Mount Kailash Kora by Air — Fly in via Purang, Leave via Kashgar
- 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
The same fly-in Kailash kora as our nine-day Lhasa-to-Lhasa tour — three days in Lhasa, a flight to Purang, a night in Darchen at the foot of the mountain, the three-day kora over the Dolma La and a night by Lake Manasarovar — but instead of flying back to Lhasa, you drive to Shiquanhe and fly north over the Kunlun Mountains to Kashgar, the Silk Road city of Central Asia, and leave from there. Nine days from Lhasa to Kashgar: Tibet's holiest mountain and Xinjiang's oldest market town in one trip, without a single day of long-distance driving.
Days 1–3 in Lhasa — the Potala Palace, the Jokhang and the Barkhor, the Tibet Museum and the Sera debate — are the acclimatization that makes the flight west safe. On Day 4 you fly to Purang, meet your Ngari guide and driver, and drive about two hours past Lake Manasarovar to Darchen, with oxygen in the vehicle and your room. Days 5–7 are the kora from your hotel door: Driapuk under the north face, the Dolma La at 5,630 m, Milarepa’s cave at Dzultripuk, and back to Darchen, with oxygen carried by your guide on every day of the walk; then a night by the lake.
Read the full overview
On Day 8 you drive to Shiquanhe, the main town of Ngari, which is also the spare night that protects you from a delayed flight. Day 9 is the short flight from Ngari Gunsa Airport to Kashgar, where the air at 1,300 m feels thick and warm after a week above 4,500 m, and the afternoon is spent in the old town and the Id Kah Mosque with our Kashgar partner. Overland, the same journey from Kailash to Kashgar takes three days on the G219 across the Aksai Chin — here it takes ninety minutes. From Gunsa you can also fly to Xi’an or Urumqi instead.
Private only, on your own dates, for any number of travellers. We run Tibet with our own team and work with a Kashgar partner we have known for years, and we stay with you the whole way. The flights are quoted separately at the day’s fare; everything on the ground is included.
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 Kashgar we can send you on along the Silk Road — Turpan, Urumqi and the Heavenly Lake — or back to Xi’an and Beijing, with our partners there and the same people answering your emails. Tell us how many more days you have.
- 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)- Shiquanhe
- fly Ngari to Kashgar
- old town, Id Kah Mosque
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
- Lake Manasarovar → Shiquanhe (Ali town) — the night before you fly outDay 8
- Fly Ngari → Kashgar (about 1.5 hours) — the old town, and the tour endsDay 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.
Lake Manasarovar → Shiquanhe (Ali town) — the night before you fly out
Drive about four to five hours north-west to Shiquanhe, the main town of Ngari, where the hotels have proper showers and the restaurants have more choices. Ngari Gunsa Airport, the region's main airport, is a short drive from here, with flights to Kashgar, Xi'an and other cities, so you sleep near it tonight. This is also the safety margin: flights from Ngari are sometimes delayed by weather, and a night near the airport means a late change of flight does not break your onward plans.
Fly Ngari → Kashgar (about 1.5 hours) — the old town, and the tour ends
A short morning drive to Ngari Gunsa Airport and the flight north over the Kunlun Mountains to Kashgar, at about 1,300 m — the air feels thick and warm after a week above 4,500 m. Our Kashgar partner guide meets you at the airport and takes you through the old town in the afternoon: mud-brick lanes, coppersmiths and hat makers, tea houses, and the Id Kah Mosque, the largest in China. After a week in the Tibetan Buddhist world, the change of script, faces, food and sound is one of the strongest contrasts you can experience anywhere. The tour ends in Kashgar this evening; if you would rather fly from Ngari to Xi’an or Urumqi instead, tell us and we book that flight.
Photo: Radosław Botev, CC BY 3.0 PL.
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, Purang and Kashgar; all transfers
- Private vehicle with experienced driver in Lhasa, Ngari and Kashgar
- Professional English-speaking local tour guides in Tibet and in Kashgar (Day 9 afternoon)
- All accommodation listed in the itinerary (hotels in Lhasa, Darchen and Shiquanhe; 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 Ngari (Gunsa) → Kashgar — 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.
Why leave Tibet through Kashgar?
Because it saves you flying back east, and because Ngari Gunsa Airport also has flights to Xi'an and Urumqi if those suit you better — tell us and we book that one instead. From Kashgar there are flights to Urumqi and on to the rest of China, and the city is worth a day in itself — the old town, the Id Kah Mosque and the Grand Bazaar are the best of the Silk Road still standing. The alternative, driving from Kailash to Kashgar on the G219 across the Aksai Chin, takes three days and two very basic nights; see our <a href="/tours/16-day-kailash-pilgrimage-guge-kingdom-g219-xinjiang">16 Days Kailash Pilgrimage + Guge Kingdom via the G219</a> if that road appeals to you.
Do I need a separate permit for Kashgar?
No. Kashgar is in Xinjiang, outside Tibet, and needs no special permit for foreign visitors — only your Chinese visa. Your Tibet permits cover you until you board the flight in Ngari. Our Kashgar guide meets you at the airport.
