INDIA, August 20, 2017 (National Herald by Swati Gautam): Why spend a minor fortune to undergo severe hardship, friends would wonder on my return from the Kailash-darshan-Mansarovar-dip pilgrimage this year. But I assure you that the mini fortune spent is worth every last cent. The yatra takes anywhere between 10 days with private tour operators to around 22 days through the Government of India package and can cost around US$3100 from home to home. This does not include charges for porters or horses for the two- to three-day parikrama around the mountain. The private tour operators do not have an age bar and will take you at your own risk but the GOI stipulates an illness-free traveller below the age of 70.
The routes too are different. The private operators take various routes through Nepal onwards to Tibet, but the GOI takes you either through the Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand or the Nathu La pass in Sikkim, the latter shut down this year following diplomatic squabbles with China. The tour guides start their Yatra in early May and continue till September. But the early May freezing cold is not recommended. So, the best time to travel is between June to September which is when the GOI takes its 8 batches of 50 pilgrims each. This is a tough yatra; both for the mind and the body. All comforts are best shunned since none shall be available en route. Yet this is also the most exhilarating yatra of a lifetime.
For the author’s five reasons why this part of the Tibetan Plateau must be visited at least once in a lifetime, see “source” above.