Mount
Kailash trekking from Simikot provides an opportunity
to learn about both Nepalese and Tibetan culture. There
is no direct flight from Kathmandu to Simikot. You must
fly 1 and half-hours to Nepalgunj on the Southern border
of Nepal, spend a night and take an early morning flight
to Simikot. If you want to walk to Simikot, takes about
15 days from Surkhet. Simikot (elevation 2910 metres)
is on the ridge high above the Humla Karnali encircled
by high snow covered ridges. Simikot (opened to trekkers
in 1993) is the seat of Nepal's most remote district,
Humla, several days' walk from the nearest major village.
There is a continuous stream of "Humli" people
from surrounding villages trading, buying supplies and
dealing with various bureaucracies.
After 5/6 days trekking (Simikot-Tuling-Kermi-Yangar-Torea-Sipsip-Taklakot),
a stone pillar that marks the Nepal/Tibet border is
just across a rickety wooden bridge, perhaps one of
the most informal border crossings in the world
Hereafter you can make your trip to Mt. Kailash. Buddhists,
Hindus, Jains and Bonpos have considered mount Kailash
sacred for thousands of years. For Hindus and Buddhists
it is the center of the Universe. It is atop this mountain
that Lord Siva dwells in meditation. A pilgrimage to
the mountain and around it is a sacred goal for the
faithful.
