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An English-speaking Tibetan guide accompanies each group during the parikramas of Kailash and Manasarovar. The camps along the route have only basic structures. No food is provided. (See link: Reqirements). It is useful to hire a cook from Taklakot itself for the parikramas. Yatris carry food items and medicines from India. Electricity is available only at Darchen. On day 11 both A and B groups set off in the morning for the parikramas in a bus. First, Group A will be dropped at Darchen, and the bus turns back, goes to Hore to drop Group B, reaching in the afternoon. On day 12, Group A will go to Deraphuk, 25 km away, on foot. Simultaneously, Group B will be reaching Qugu monastery on foot or ponies from Hore, a distance of 50 km. 0n day 13, Group A crosses Dolma Pass and Gaurikund and reaches Zongerbu (25 km). Group B has reached Zaidi (35 km). On day 15 Group A arrives back at Darchen (15 km) while the other group takes rest at Zaidi and does pujas and has a holy dip in the lake etc. On day 15 the bus will come, pick up group B from Zaidi, go to Darchen, drop it there, pick up A, turn back and go to Hore. Days 16, 17 and 18 will be the same programme, the groups alternating for Kailash or Manasarovar as the case may be. On day 19, the bus will come to Darchen, pick up group B and then come to Zaidi, and pick up Group A also to return to Taklakot. The Kailash parikrama takes the yatri to the highest point of the trek, the Dolma Pass, which is at an altitude of 19,500 ft or 5750 mtrs. Pilgrims may feel breathlessness. The trek is very strenuous. Better avoid yaks, one may lose balance and fall down. Walking is safer. Yak or pony costs Yuan 150 for each parikrama. The 20-km Darchen-Deraphuk trek takes 12 hours. A jeep can be hired for a stretch of about 8 km. From here one can get a very good view of Mount Kailash. On the second day one reaches the snow-bound Dolma Pass. Poojas are done here. Holy water is collected from Gaurikund. The air is rarified. There is a steep descent and then comes plain ground. Twenty-five km and 12 hours, one reaches Zongzerbu. The third day is 15 km and 5 hrs. Back at Darchen. One may trek to Ashtapad from Darchen to take a close look at Mount Kailash. The distance of Manasarovar parikrama around the lake is 85 km. The weather here changes fast. It can be hot, it can rain and it can be windy. Ponies should have been bookasaed from Taklakot. The first leg is 50 km and 15 hours. The holy dip should be taken only when there is sunshine. Starting early morning from Qugu, for the second leg, one can have a view of the sunrise over the lake. Reaching Zaidi, again poojas and holy dip. -India Overseas |
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