Is Kailash Trekking Difficult? Trekking Route Guide

Many adventurous friends who come to Tibet like to trek to Mount Kailash. The scenic area has rich landforms and many attractions along the way. It is also a place that many travelers yearn for. Below, we recommend the trekking route to Mount Kailash.

Trekking Route

Trekking Mount Kailash is no longer just a ritual, but has become a challenging sport.

There are outer and inner ring roads around Mount Kailash. Ordinary tourists generally take the outer ring road, which takes about 2-3 days.

[The total length of the outer ring road of Mount Kailash (without entering the temple) is about 50 kilometers.]

Tarqin-7KM-Sexiong Large Prayer Flags-2.6KM-Qugu Temple Bridge-4.5KM-Zhu Mu Bathing Waterfall-2.3KM-Tea House (Ma Tou Ming Wang Stone)-4.2KM-Zhe Ri Pu Temple-5.8KM-Zuo Ma La Pass-2.6KM-Third Immovable Nail (Next to the tea house)-2.4KM-Opposite the exit of Kong Di Mu Secret Path-3KM-Tea house on the east section of the ring road-4.5KM-Zhong Zhe Pu Temple-6.2KM-Zongdui Tea House-4KM-Tarqin

Day1

Mount Kailash Tourist Center-(You can take a car) Large Prayer Flags-Zhi Re Temple

Sexiong Large Prayer Flags

The Sexiong Large Prayer Flag Array faces the southwest side of Mount Kailash. Colorful prayer flags are blown by the strong winds of the plateau. Every year during the Tibetan Saka Dawa Festival, there is a grand ceremony to change the main prayer flag pole here.

Qugu Temple

Qugu Temple is 2.8 kilometers from the Prayer Flag Square. It is said that Qugu Temple has “Three Treasures”: the Qugu Buddha statue, the white conch shell left by the famous Bon monk Na Luo Ben Qiong, and the begging bowl. It’s a good place to take photos of the mountain from Qugu Temple.

Zhi Re Temple (also known as Zhe Ri Pu Temple, Zhe Re Pu Temple)

Zhi Re Temple, meaning “wild yak with traces of horns hiding in the cave” in Tibetan, is an excellent place to worship the north wall of the sacred mountain. The mountain to the north is like a huge semicircular rock. This is completely different from the pyramid shape on the front. The sunrise on the golden mountain, the azure sky in the middle of the day, and the moonlight at night, the crystal-like ice wall shines brightly, beautiful and breathtaking.

Day2

Zhi Re Temple—Zuo Ma La Pass—Zhong Zhe Pu Temple

Zuo Ma La Pass

Zuo Ma La Pass is the highest point on the trekking route, with prayer flags fluttering at the pass. A large stone is carved with the image of the mother, which is the Zuo Ma Stone. It is said that Guo Cangba opened up the trekking route and got lost in the valley of the Lion-faced Goddess. Later, he was led back to the correct route by 21 wolves. These 21 wolves are the incarnations of the Mother. The Mother is the protector of this pass who rescues the suffering and saves the dying. After Guo Cangba reached the pass, the 21 wolves merged into one, and then turned into the Zuo Ma Stone.

Tuo Ji Co

Tuo Ji Co under the pass, when the weather is clear, the lake is emerald green all over, like a piece of jade lying in the mountains, it is a great place to take photos.

Day3

Zhong Zhe Pu Temple-(Trekking) Zongdui-(You can take a car) Mount Kailash Tourist Center

Zhong Zhe Pu Temple (also known as Zu Chu Temple, Zun Zhui Pu Temple)

Zhong Zhe Pu Temple is located on the east side of the sacred mountain, with staggered levels and clear primary and secondary structures. The Tibetan meaning of Zhong Zhe Pu is “magic cave”, it is said that Milarepa used magic to transform a huge stone cave here and left many handprints and headprints in it.

It is worth mentioning that Zongdui, the last supply point for trekking on the outer ring road, is a great location to observe and photograph Mount Namcha Barwa. It stands on the south bank of Lake Mapam Yumco, facing Mount Kailash across the lake.