Packing List for Kailash Tour

What to Carry in Bag During Mount Kailash Tour 

For your Kailash tour, a bag is one of the important pieces of equipment you choose. The big bag where your main stuff goes, the handbag where you pack the things you need during the day, and another handy bag where you put your passport, mobile, money, and other important papers or documents.  

Big Bag: It can be a 20 to 30-liter duffel bag or a Rakshak bag. But do not bring a suitcase type of bag. If you are in Kailash through our company Nepal Highland Treks and tour via Nepal, we provide you suitable duffel bag in Kathmandu. You can leave your bag from your home in the hotel and use our bag for the Kailash tour. The big bag is to keep your major goods and any dry foods. Please do not put the things you need during the day. This bag will keep in the back of the vehicle which is hard to find or get in the middle. You will receive this bag at the end of the day and pack it again tomorrow morning to keep in the vehicle.   

Hand Bag: A handbag is important during the day. It is to keep about 5 kilograms of your stuff. It can be some dry food, drinking water, a pair of cloth, your camera, charger, or sunglass. During the driving period, you may make your day bag any weight but it is important to minimize it during Kailash Parikrama if you are hiring a private porter during Kailash Kora, you are free to pack maximum weight in your handbag. The handbag is simply a small back carry or a small Rakshak.  

Small handy bag: This bag is not compulsory but better to carry it to keep your passport, cash, and important paper as well as for a pen. You will feel very safe in this bag by putting your important documents and money.

Shoes and saddle

One pair of warm non slippery shoes as per your comfortable is suggested. It is for 3 days of walking around Mount Kailash. You can use the same shoes during the rest of the day while driving. 3 days are only the days you should hike. The rest of the days in the Kailash tour is entirely driving except some walking or hiking tour may involve during your acclimatization or end of the days and the city and hillside. Another pair of light shoes or sandals as per your comfortable is required to bring. Totally 2 pairs of shoes and sandals are enough for the Kailash tour.

Clothes  

The best season of the Kailash tour is during spring and autumn. Those months are from May to September. The temperature in Kailash region even in this best time radically fluctuate. The region is plateau land and it will be cold after sunset but hot immediately after sunrise. The maximum temperature is about 12 degrees and the minimum is minus 5 degrees. You should pack your clothes accordingly. Your dress is definitely in layers. You may dress 2/3 layers morning time and remove it during day time, again dress those layers in the evening time. Here is the list of clothes for the Mount Kailash tour.    

• 1 pair of hiking pants
• 1 pair of warm trousers
• 1 Pair of normal pants
• 1 Pair down jacket
• 2 Pairs of T-shirts
• 1 Pair warm inner thermal (up and down)
• 1 Pair a light warm jacket or sweater
• 1 Pair of warm windproof trousers and a Jacket  
• Warm cap to cover your head and ears
• Muff to cover your nose, neck, and mouth
• One pair of warm gloves
• 3 Pairs of warm shocks
• 2 pairs of light shocks
• Small light towel
• Raincoat (Poncho): oversize raincoat to cover your hand backpack from rain, wind, or from ice fall
• Warm sleeping bag (If your tour starts from Nepal, you can buy or take it for rent in Kathmandu) Sleeping bag to use during Kailash kora in the time of bad weather and coldest situation. (option)

Accessories and toiletries

Besides clothes, bags, and shoes, other important accessories should bring as listed below:

• UV protection sunglass
• Thermos for hotel water (1 Liter)
• Trekking stick (You can buy local stick before trekking starting point - Darchen)
• Small flashlight
• Camera and its battery with charger  
• Mobile and charges
• Adapter for electricity charging
• Sun cream
• Lip care
• Skin moisturizer
• Hand sanitizer
• Toothbrush and paste
• Wet tissue
• Toilet paper
• Soap
• Bathing Shampoo   

What Medicine Needs During Mount Kailash Tour

If you are taking regular medication, it is important to bring it with you. You will not find any facilitate medical shops and hospitals during the Kailash tour. In a group on the Mount Kailash tour, our guide will also bring some first aid medicines in their kid box. You may bring on your personal first-aid medicines as listed below:

• Your regular medicine if there is
• Medicines for altitude sickness (Diomox, Zolamide)
• Tablet for headache, fever, and body pain  
• Tablet for diarrhea
• Antibiotic powder/ ointment or liquid to clean in case of cut and blister
• Anti-vomiting tablet
• Move ointment or spray
• Bandage and Zinc oxide tape for any cracked skin or small cuts

Foods and drinks

There are two kinds of services you involve during the Kailash tour. One is full board service including the kitchen where your staffs from Nepal prepare food (Breakfast, Lunch Dinner, and hot drinks) from a private kitchen. It is all the tour with a big Indian group.  Another type of Kailash trip is on a bed and breakfast for small group tours for other than Indian passport holders. In the major cities of Tibet, there are good Chinese Tibetan-style restaurants and it is not a big problem to choose food from their menu. Food-provided restaurants are not available in Lake Mansarovar, during the Kailash Kora (Derapuk, Juthulpuk). You will find very basic foods like noodles, and vegetable soup from tent houses. So it is also important to bring some favorite dry foods or fruits during the Kailash round trek.

• Dry nuts
• Chocolate
• Biscuits or cookies
• Energy bar
• Dry fruits
• Fresh fruits (Buy it in Tibet, you may not allow in the immigration to take fresh fruits taking from another country)

All the above packing list is based on Kailash's overland tour. It is for a 14/15 day plan. There are extra activities involved during this tour like an extra hiking plan to Charansparsa, Kailash Inner Kora, etc. If you are in this purpose, please get advice from your travel agent to bring extra equipment like crampons and others. Your normal weight of a big bag (Duffel or Rukshak) is from 12 to 16 kilograms.  

In the case of the Kailash Helicopter tour, you have to reduce your bag weight. Maximum 10 kilograms your big bag and another 5 kilograms your handbag. Since it involves remote area flight flying with small aircraft. It also is a short trip and does not need many goods to carry.

You do not need to bring all the equipment from your home. There is an option to buy it in Kathmandu if your tour starts from Kathmandu and there is a place to buy it in Lhasa if your Kailash trip starts from Lhasa. A few pieces of equipment like a duffel bag and sleeping bag are provided by the organizer, as our company Nepal Highland Treks is provided regularly.     

How to Manage Your Bags During Kailash Trekking?

When you are on the driving path, it is not a problem to carry as much as you like, but when the time comes to take your bag during Kailash Kora/ Kailash parikrama it is important to minimize your total weight of bags handbag and big bag too. During 3 days of Kailash kora, it is without involving any transportation. Your organizer does transfer your big bag either by a human helper or by local Yak. Normally it allows one big bag for 2 people. Whatever the things you need only for 3 days can be put inside the bag and the rest of the goods stay inside your car/ Bus. The idea is to make a combination with your travel partner. Put both of your goods in a single bag and leave the rest of the things in another bag. Your handbag will be a maximum of 5 kilograms. In the case of hiring a personal helper, you may make the heavy weight of your handbag.

Conclusion: Packing List for Kailash Tour

Kailash is in western Tibet and one of the remote areas. Due to the high altitude and less oxygen, it may be difficult to adjust for a couple of days. You should listen to your body and do not force to go ahead in the case of high altitude sickness regularly for more than 2 days. The region is with fewer facilities for accommodation and food. It is important to choose a professional, experienced, and taking car organizer. The way you are doing this tour needs to be very clear before starting and prepare accordingly. You have to cross 5600 meters at altitude. Every night sleeping at more than 4000 meters should be done with care. Be mentally prepared for the less facility, although you pay a high tour cost comparatively to another trip.