Ngari

Far-western high desert, home to Mount Kailash

Ngari is Tibet's remote far west, a high desert plateau averaging around 4,500m and home to Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar, sacred to four religions and the destination of one of Asia's great overland pilgrimages. Distances here are vast and infrastructure thin, which is exactly why Ngari has stayed one of the least-visited corners of the Tibetan plateau. The prefecture also holds the ruins of the former Guge Kingdom near Zanda County, a once-powerful Tibetan Buddhist kingdom largely abandoned by the 17th century, and borders Ladakh in India along a stretch of the Himalayas rarely crossed by travellers. Getting here typically means several days of overland travel from Lhasa, so most visits are built around the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage rather than a short stop.

Curated Experiences

Journeys designed to show Ngari at its best.

Points of Interest

2 places

Culture

People & Culture

Ngari's culture is built almost entirely around pilgrimage: Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar draw Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Bon pilgrims from across Asia. The region also holds the ruins of the former Guge Kingdom near Zanda County, a once-powerful Tibetan Buddhist kingdom largely abandoned by the 17th century, a less-visited but genuine piece of Ngari's history beyond Kailash itself.

Nature

Nature & Wildlife

Ngari is Tibet's most remote prefecture, a high desert plateau in the far west averaging around 4,500m, bordering Nepal, India (Ladakh) and the wider Changtang. Distances between towns are vast and infrastructure is thin, which is precisely why it stays one of the least-visited corners of the plateau despite holding Mount Kailash, its single most-visited site.

Activities

Things to Do

Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar are the reason almost every traveller comes to Ngari, and the centrepiece of HSJ's Kailash Mansarovar Yatra via Lhasa, which includes the full 52km Kailash Kora across the 5,630m Dolma La pass.