When you land at Tribhuvan International Airport, a Black Diamond Expedition representative will meet you and take you to Hotel Moonlight or a similar standard hotel. After check-in, the operations team will verify your travel documents and walk you through what’s ahead: the border crossing, altitude, accommodation, meals, and group procedures.

After your international journey, this day is about settling in. You’ll rest, get your bearings in Kathmandu, and meet your fellow pilgrims that evening over a welcome dinner, the first chance to put faces to the group you’ll be sharing this journey with. (Optional / additional cost: an upgraded Kathmandu hotel or a private airport transfer outside the scheduled transfer window can be arranged if you want them.)

Meals: Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel Moonlight or similar
Max Altitude: 1,350m/4,429ft

Your morning starts with a group havan and puja at an approved ritual venue near Pashupatinath, followed by Pashupatinath darshan and a visit to selected Shakti Peeth sites, including Guhyeshwari when access and timing allow. In the afternoon, your team runs the final Yatra briefing: the Kathmandu–Kyirong border procedure, Tibet permits and group travel regulations, altitude symptoms and how to report them, what accommodation actually looks like at Manasarovar and during the Kora, duffel bag and daypack management, horse and porter arrangements, and emergency communication procedures.

Standing at Pashupatinath’s ghats with incense in the air, you’ll start to feel the pilgrimage shift from planning into motion. Lunch is intentionally left open so you can pick your own restaurant or dietary option. (Optional / additional cost: additional Kathmandu sightseeing or a special puja/private priest arrangement can be arranged beyond the standard group havan.)

Meals: Breakfast 
Accommodation: Hotel Moonlight or similar
Transport: Local transfers
Max Altitude: 1,350m/4,429ft

After breakfast, you’ll leave Kathmandu and head north through the Trishuli River corridor toward Syabrubesi and the Rasuwagadhi border area. Lunch will be served or arranged along the way, and road conditions can be uneven, especially after rain, so travel time may run long.

The drive itself is a slow reveal, hills give way to river valleys and mountain settlements as Kathmandu falls behind you. You’ll arrive near Rasuwagadhi in the late afternoon or evening and check into a standard border-area hotel to prepare for the next morning’s immigration formalities.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Standard hotel, Rasuwagadhi area
Drive Duration: ~150km / 93mi 6-7 hrs
Transport: Shared tourist vehicle
Max Altitude: 1,800 m/5,905 ft

You’ll travel from Kyirong toward Saga across the vast Tibetan landscape, passing high mountain terrain, Paiku Tso (Peiku Tso), and stretches near the Yarlung Tsangpo, the river that becomes the Brahmaputra downstream, depending on road and operating conditions that day.

The elevation gain on this leg is substantial, so once you arrive, move slowly, skip the stairs, and immediately tell your guide about any headache, nausea, dizziness, or unusual fatigue. This is a day where paying attention to your own body matters more than sightseeing.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Standard hotel, Saga
Driving Duration: ~230–250km / 143–155mi, 5–7 hrs
Max Altitude: ~4,580m / 15,026ft

You’ll spend a full day in Saga with no driving on the schedule. This isn’t sightseeing time, it’s built specifically to give your body extra time at altitude before you continue to Lake Manasarovar. Expect a gentle walk, some breathing and stretching exercises, hydration reminders, pulse-oximeter checks, and a review of how you’re feeling.

Your team will also use the day to reconfirm what’s ahead: Manasarovar accommodation, puja arrangements, luggage separation, and Kora preparation. If you’re showing concerning symptoms, you may be advised to rest longer, seek medical assessment, descend, or discontinue the journey, the safety call belongs to your group leader and guide, and it’s worth trusting that judgment. (Optional / additional cost: additional oxygen or personal medical equipment beyond the shared group arrangement can be arranged if you need it.)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Standard hotel, Saga
Activity: Rest, gentle walking, Kora prep
Max Altitude: ~4,580m / 15,026ft

You’ll leave Saga early for the long crossing of the Tibetan plateau toward Lake Manasarovar, generally passing near Zhongba and Paryang. Weather, road checks, permit inspections, and traffic controls can all affect your arrival time.

If visibility cooperates, this is often your first distant glimpse of Mount Kailash — and it lands right as you reach the lake during your departure’s scheduled full-moon window. The guesthouse here is genuinely basic; don’t compare it to Kathmandu, Kyirong, or Saga. Rooms may be multi-sharing, and washing, heating, electricity, and toilet facilities may be limited. You’ll spend the evening quietly beside the sacred landscape, subject to whatever local access and environmental rules are in force that day.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Basic guesthouse, Lake Manasarovar
Drive: ~450–500km / 280–310mi, 8–10 hrs
Transport: Shared tourist vehicle
Max Altitude: ~4,590m / 15,060ft

Your morning opens with personal prayers and a planned group puja near the lake, subject to weather, access restrictions, and current local regulations. Important: lakeshore access, water collection, ritual bathing, and any direct contact with the lake are governed by current environmental and public-authority rules, and this package does not guarantee permission to bathe in the lake.

You’ll complete the permitted portion of the Manasarovar parikrama using locally regulated environmental buses, then continue on to Darchen, your base for the Kailash Kora. After checking in, you’ll separate your daypack items from the baggage you’re handing over for the trek, the practical turning point where the pilgrimage becomes a trek. (Optional / additional cost: a special puja or private priest arrangement beyond the standard group puja can be arranged.)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Standard Hotel, Darchen
Transport: Environmental bus + vehicle
Drive Duration: ~35–40km / 22–25mi to Darchen
Max Altitude: Manasarovar ~4,590m / 15,060ft; Darchen ~4,560m / 14,961ft

You’ll drive from Darchen to Sershong or the designated Kora entry point, complete local registration, and set out on the first day of the Kailash Kora. The trail follows the Lha Chu Valley and climbs gradually toward Dirapuk, and when weather cooperates, you’ll get striking views of Kailash’s western and northern faces along the way.

Walk at a slow, steady pace here – the goal isn’t to reach the guesthouse quickly, it’s to save your legs for the much harder Dolma La crossing tomorrow. (Optional / additional cost: a horse, pony, or personal porter for the Kora can be arranged, though even if you’ve reserved one, you’ll still need to walk sections where riding is unsafe or prohibited.) Accommodation at Dirapuk is basic and generally multi-sharing, with limited electricity, heating, toilets, and water.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Basic guesthouse, Dirapuk
Transport: Drive ~12km / 7.5mi to Kora start
Trek Duration: ~12km / 7.5mi, 5–7 hrs walking
Max Altitude: Darchen ~4,560m / 14,961ft; Dirapuk ~5,210m / 17,093ft

This is the longest, highest, and most physically demanding day of the Kora and of the whole trip. You’ll start before sunrise and climb gradually toward Dolma La, where the trail can be steep, rocky, snow-covered, or icy depending on the season and recent weather. Your guide may adjust timing, pace, or the safety plan based on conditions on the ground.

After the pass, the descent begins – Gauri Kund lies just below and may be visible when weather allows, and the descent itself is hard on the knees and demands real concentration. You’ll continue through the valley to Zutulpuk. Anyone showing significant altitude illness, exhaustion, or unsafe walking ability may be asked to turn back, use available assistance, or discontinue the Kora, a call your guide makes for your safety, not as a formality.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Basic guesthouse, Zutulpuk
Trek Duration: ~22km / 13.7mi, 10–12 hrs walking
Max Altitude: Dolma La ~5,630m / 18,471ft (highest point); Zutulpuk ~4,790m / 15,715ft

You’ll finish the final stretch of the Kora through a gradually descending valley, board the regulated shuttle or group vehicle at the trail’s end, and head back toward Darchen. Overnight in Darchen.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Standard hotel, Darchen
Trek Duration: ~8–10km / 5–6mi, 3–4 hrs walking
Max Altitude: ~4,580m / 15,026ft

After breakfast, you’ll leave Darchen and retrace your route toward Kyirong. The drop in elevation is usually a welcome relief after several nights above 4,500m, and you’ll notice the dry Tibetan plateau gradually give way to greener mountain valleys as you descend.

This is likely to be one of the longest driving days of the Yatra, and you should be mentally and physically prepared for extended travel. Appropriate stops will be made for meals, restroom breaks, checkpoints, and rest, depending on road and operational conditions.

Once you check in, your guide will walk you through the next morning’s border procedure and reconfirm your baggage, passport, and immigration paperwork.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: Standard hotel, Kyirong
Transport: Shared tourist vehicle
Drive Duration: ~690km / 428mi, 12-14 hrs
Max Altitude: 2,700m / 8,858ft

You’ll drive from Kyirong to the border, complete Chinese departure procedures, cross into Nepal at Rasuwagadhi, clear Nepal immigration, and transfer to your Nepal-side vehicle for the final push through the mountain valleys to Kathmandu.

Road and traffic conditions can stretch this into a long day, but arriving back in Kathmandu, checking into your hotel and sitting down to dinner has its own kind of relief after 10 days above 2,700m.

 Meals: Breakfast & Lunch 
Accommodation: Hotel Moonlight or similar, Kathmandu
Drive: ~150km / 93mi in Nepal
Transport: Border crossing + Nepal-side vehicle
Max Altitude: 5120m/16,792ft

This day is yours – rest after the pilgrimage, shop for gifts, or explore Kathmandu independently. Your operations team can point you toward shopping areas or optional sightseeing if you want suggestions, but nothing is scheduled. Lunch isn’t included today, so you’re free to eat wherever you like.

In the evening, you’ll gather with your group for a farewell dinner, a natural moment to trade stories from Manasarovar and the Kora before everyone heads home. (Optional / additional cost: extra nights before or after the group program, or additional Kathmandu sightseeing, can be arranged.)

Meals: Breakfast & Farewell dinner (lunch not included)
Accommodation: Hotel Moonlight or similar, Kathmandu
Max Altitude: 1,350m / 4,429ft

After breakfast, you’ll transfer to Tribhuvan International Airport according to your flight schedule. Your Kailash Manasarovar journey ends here, but the memories, friendships, and spiritual experience travel home with you.

Meals: Breakfast