By Air- The nearest airhead to Kailash Mansarovar is Ngari Gunsa airport that is located at a distance of 209 km. Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu is situated 501 km away and has good air connectivity with major cities across the globe. Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow is 435 km away. It is well connected by air with major cities like Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai and major international destinations.
By Train-Kailash Mansarovar doesn’t have its own railway station. Some nearest railway station to Kailash Mansarovar are Lucknow, Kathgodam, Ramanagar, Rishikesh, Haridwar and Kotdwara. Lucknow Railway Station has good rail connectivity with major cities in India.
By Road-One of the best and easy routes to reach Kailash Mansarovar by road are Simikot in Nepal, Kathmandu in Nepal and Lhasa in Tibet. However, the Yatra organized by the Ministry of External Affairs covers two different routes-Nathu La Pass (Sikkim) and Lipulekh Pass (Uttarakhand).
The journey to Kailash Mansarovar is long but a thrilling one. There are different routes that one can take to explore the holy land of Kailash Mansarovar & Mansarovar Lake. Let us look at some of the easy and popular routes:
One of the easiest routes to reach Tibet from Nepal is by air. Take a flight from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu to Lhasa Gonggar International Airport in Tibet. From Lhasa take the overland route to reach Mount Kailash. The second route is by road. From Kathmandu take the overland route, cross to the border at Rasuwagadhi and then cross the border to Gyirong Port. Meet your tour guide at the Tibetan border side and drive to Gyirong Town. After a night halt at Gyirong Town move towards Darchen which is at a distance of 593 km away Darchen is the starting point for Kailash Kora/Parikarma trek via Paryang.
Pilgrims from Nepal visiting Tibet will need to have a visa and certain permits that will allow them to enter the territory of Tibet. You will require a Group Tourist Visa which is issued by the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu. Chinese Entry Visa is not required. The Chinese Embassy does not accept individual applications for Group Tourist Visa. So you will have to book a tour with a registered tour operator.
The tour operator will apply for the Tibet Travel Permit. For Group Tourist Visa one needs to be in Kathmandu for 5 days before the travel due date as the visa takes 4-5 days to process. Once the Tibet Travel Permit and Invitation Letter is issued, your tour operator will apply for the Group Tourist Visa by using your original Passport.
Some other permits which are also importantly required are Alien’s Travel Permit, Frontier Pass and Military Permit. The tour operator will take these permits on your behalf.
Here you can read & apply for Kailash Mansarovar yatra permit.
Indians traveling to Tibet for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra or intend to visit Kailash Mansarovar are classed as pilgrims and they need to take note of some set of rules. Tibet visa is required which is issued jointly by Tibet Military Region, Armed Police Tibet Frontier Corps, Tibetan Foreign Affairs Office and Department of Public Security. Foreign Affairs Office and Pilgrim Center (Tibet India Pilgrim Reception Center) are the two organizations that can permit the Indian pilgrimage in Tibet.
One of the routes to Tibet from India is through China and Nepal. You can also take another route by which you enter Nepal at Nepalgunj on the Indian border. Cross the border at Hilsa and take the road to Burang in Tibet. Further, move towards the S207 road North to reach Kailash Mansarovar. The trek trail from Burang to Kailash is of about 3 days.