Tibet Group Tour Introduces Western Tibet and Lake Manasarovar

Tibet Group Tour offers pilgrimage and trekking journeys and Tibe visa guidance to western Tibet, including circumambulation treks around famous holy MountKailash Trek and visits to nearby Lake Manasarovar, considered the holiest lake in Tibet.

Manasarovar is a large high-altitude (4590 meter) lake located south of Mt. Kailash, and pilgrims and travelers often take in both famous holy sites in one journey. The freshwater lake is 88 kilometers in circumference, and the area around the lake and mountains contain the sources of four of Asia’s most important rivers: the Indus, the Sutlej (a tributary of the Indus), the Karnali (a tributary of the Ganges), and the Brahmaputra.

Indian pilgrims flock to the lake due to its importance in the Hindi religion, which describes the lake as a manifestation from the mind of Brahma. Hindi pilgrims bathe in the water and even drink it, which is said to erase all sins. In Tibet the lake represents the wisdom of enlightenment, and a kora (circumambulation) of the lake is thought to bring fertility and luck. Lord Buddha is said to have visited the lake several times in his journeys.

The kora route around the lake is moderate, but the altitude can make it tricky, so it’s important for travelers to be properly acclimatized. The loop can be completed in about 5 days with camping along the way.

Several monasteries are located by the lake; the most famous is Chiu Monastery on the northwest shore. It sits on a rocky hill and has beautiful views of the lake and Mt. Kailash in the distance. The surrounding cliffs contain ancient meditation caves, one which was the frequent retreat of Guru Rinpoche. This famous sage guru is renowned for spreading tantric Buddhism across Tibet and Bhutan in the 8th century.