Kailash Mansarovar 2027: What Is Confirmed and What Is Not

If you are asking whether you can book Kailash Mansarovar for 2027, the honest answer on 4 October 2026 is not yet. The overland route from Kathmandu was cut by a flood in August, the Chinese side has not told us that departures can resume, and I have found no 2027 announcement from any government. I would rather give you a short list of what I know, with the source and the date next to each item, than a page of reassurance. I will update it when something changes.

Status	What it means	Source and date
Confirmed	A flood on the Bhote Koshi river on 26 August 2026 damaged the Rasuwagadhi crossing, the customs post and the road through Timure and Syabrubesi	Our own account, August 2026, and the Nepal Department of Immigration notice of 27 August 2026
Confirmed	The Rasuwagadhi to Kerung crossing was still closed at the end of September	Kathmandu Post, 29 September 2026
Confirmed	Nepal has asked China for help rebuilding the road. China has given a verbal commitment, with nothing in writing	New Indian Express with PTI, 14 September 2026
Confirmed	We are not taking new overland bookings through Rasuwagadhi for 2026	The Everest Holiday, August 2026
Confirmed	The 2026 Indian pilgrim quota was 24,000 and it was full by mid June	Kathmandu Post, 28 May 2026, and our own page, June 2026
Confirmed	Kailash needs four documents, and an existing Chinese visa is cancelled when you join a group visa	Our permit process, as of 4 October 2026
Not confirmed	That the Chinese side will reopen Kailash departures from Nepal, or when	No announcement found, 4 October 2026
Not confirmed	That there is any 2027 quota, season dates or fee schedule	No announcement found from China, Tibet, Nepal or India, 4 October 2026
Not confirmed	When the Rasuwagadhi to Kerung road will carry pilgrims again	Nepal government, 14 September 2026: a temporary track was being prepared, no date given
Not confirmed	Helicopter prices and availability for 2027	Rates were being re-quoted after fuel prices nearly doubled in early 2026
We are waiting for	A word from the Chinese side on whether and when the Kailash season restarts	Last word we had was 11 September 2026: still closed
We are waiting for	The 2027 quota and permit rules, and a firm date for the road	Open at 4 October 2026

I will not put any 2027 price on this page. We will publish prices when the season is confirmed, not before.

Will Kailash open to pilgrims in 2027?

I do not know, and anyone who tells you they do is guessing. What I can say is that in a normal year the Tibet side takes pilgrims for about five months, our month-by-month guide gives May to September as the usual window, and the rules for each season are set by the Chinese authorities, not by us and not by Nepal. We find out when they decide to tell us.

So the useful question is not whether 2027 will open but what has to happen before it can. Three things, as I see it. The Chinese side has to say departures from Nepal can resume. There has to be a quota and a permit process for the season. And whichever route you take has to physically work. At the moment I cannot tick any of the three.

Which routes are there, and where does each stand today?

There are three ways we know of to reach Kailash from Nepal. I will take them in turn and say only what I can support.

Overland from Kathmandu through Rasuwagadhi and Kerung. This is the route in our 14-day overland tour and the one described in our Kerung guide. It is the one the flood hit. The Kathmandu Post reported on 29 September that the crossing had remained closed since 26 August. A separate report in the Indian Express on 8 September said a mudslide had also wiped out the port on the Tibetan side at Gyirong, which is the Chinese name for Kerung. So the damage is on both sides of the border, not only ours. I cannot give you a reopening date, because the Nepal government has not given one either.

The western route through Simikot and Hilsa. This is the route in our helicopter tour and, if you want to walk the Nepal section, our Simikot trek. You fly from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj, then to Simikot, and the last leg to the border at Hilsa is flown by helicopter. It is in a different part of the country from the flood, and when it happened I wrote that it was unaffected. That is true of the flights and the terrain. What I have not been able to confirm is whether the Chinese side is processing Kailash pilgrims through Hilsa at the moment, and I found no news either way for September or October. Our Simikot guide explains the place itself.

Flying into Lhasa and driving west. I mentioned this in my account of the flood as the third option. It avoids the border crossing entirely, but it is a different trip with a different permit situation, and I have no confirmed 2027 plan for it.

If you want the comparison between the first two when both are working, our route comparison sets it out. One thing does not change with the route: it is one Kailash and one permit system. Choosing the western route does not give you a different quota.

What happened in 2026?

Our first group of the season crossed at Rasuwagadhi on 16 August and came back through Timure on 25 August. The next morning the flood came down the Bhote Koshi. The helipad we had used the day before was swept away. Everyone in our group was already back in Nepal, and I am grateful for that, but I will not go into the wider human cost on this page. If you want the full account, I wrote it up in what the Rasuwa flood means for the overland route.

On 27 August the Department of Immigration announced a one-week waiver of the restricted-area fee for foreigners returning from Kailash who had taken departure permission at the Rasuwa office, so that they could come back through Hilsa or Tatopani instead. The notice was clear that the crossing at Timure could not be used. That was a stop-gap for people already in Tibet. It was not an announcement about 2027.

On 14 September, the New Indian Express reported that Nepal had asked China to help rebuild the roughly 16-kilometre road between Syabrubesi and Rasuwagadhi, and that China had made a verbal commitment, with no written agreement yet. The same report said the Nepal side was preparing a temporary track. I take that as a sign that people are working on it, and nothing more than that.

Earlier in the year there was another change, not caused by weather. China set the 2026 Indian pilgrim quota at 24,000, and it was full by mid June. I covered what that meant in our page on the cap. I mention it here because a quota that fills in weeks is a reason to be organised early, once dates exist.

Has a flood closed this border before?

Yes, and the earlier one is the only guide we have to how long this kind of damage takes to repair. In July 2025 a flood on the same river closed the border. The Kathmandu Post reported one-way traffic resuming after 13 days, but the Friendship Bridge was only rebuilt at the end of December, and reports in Nepal's papers said the border reopened fully around 28 December 2025, about six months after the flood.

I am not predicting that 2026 will repeat 2025. The damage is different and so is the political attention. But I would be misleading you if I said it will certainly be fixed by spring. A six-month precedent is one reason I do not want you planning around a date I cannot back up.

What are the four documents, in plain words?

People are often surprised that a Kailash trip is not one permit. It is four, and the Chinese authorities issue all of them. We apply on your behalf as a group, and you cannot do it yourself.

1. A Chinese group visa, issued for the whole group in Kathmandu.
2. The Tibet Travel Permit, which only an agency can apply for.
3. The Aliens' Travel Permit.
4. The military or border permit for the Ngari region, where Kailash is.

Our permit guide goes through the process in more detail. What matters for 2027 is that we cannot start any of the four until the Chinese side opens the season, and that I cannot promise that every application will be approved, or how many people will be allowed in.

What about my Chinese visa?

This is the point I want you to read first if you already hold one. If you travel overland from Nepal on a group visa, any Chinese visa you already have in your passport is cancelled. That includes a long-validity multiple-entry visa you paid for. It also applies if you got the visa for a different reason. So do not plan a Kailash trip around a visa you have already, and do not apply for a new one before talking to us.

I will also be straightforward about passports. Yours will need to be valid well beyond the end of the trip, and the exact rule is one I will confirm when the season opens rather than guess now. Send your documents early. Our permit guide gives the timeline we plan around, and I would treat it as a minimum.

Is there an age limit, and how fit do I need to be?

Yes. The Chinese authorities do not permit pilgrims over 70, and we cannot override that. If you are 70 or older, please do not book a Kailash trip with us or anyone else expecting an exception. I know that is hard to hear, particularly for a pilgrimage many people save for over decades.

Under 70 is not the same as ready. Kailash means days above 4,500 metres and a walking day that crosses the Dolma La at 5,636 metres. Our age and fitness guide covers the medical checks we ask for and the conditions that can stop you. If you want to read about the pass itself, there is a Dolma La guide, and the three-day kora guide explains what the walk is like day by day. One more point: I cannot promise the inner kora. It is not something the authorities grant as a matter of course, and I will not tell anyone it is included.

Which months work for Kailash?

In a normal year, May to September, and each month has a different character. June is crowded, July and August are warmer on the plateau and wetter on the Nepal side, and September can end abruptly if snow comes early. Our month-by-month page has the detail. I am not going to tell you which 2027 months will be available, because that depends on the season being announced. If you have a fixed date in mind, such as a family occasion, tell us, and we will say honestly whether we think it is realistic.

How should I prepare to book?

Do what is free and useful now. Get a medical check and ask your doctor about altitude. Check that your passport is valid with plenty of margin. Think about which route you would prefer and how many days you can take off work. If you live outside Nepal, price your flights only after you have a confirmed date, and read the cost breakdown in our 2026 cost guide to understand what drives the price. That page is a record of 2026 and not a 2027 quote.

This page is not a booking page, and nobody should pay anything because of it. When dates and prices exist, here is how we handle money. The deposit for Kailash and Tibet is 25 per cent. It is not refundable, and if you cancel we cannot give refunds. What we can offer is free rescheduling, with at least 7 days' notice, to any date within one year. If it is us who cannot run your trip, we refund what you have paid, less taxes, bank or card charges and any money already spent on your behalf, such as permits or flights. I am telling you this now so you can decide whether it suits you before there is anything to sign.

What do we do if China does not open?

If the Chinese side does not open the Kailash season to pilgrims travelling from Nepal, then no route works, including the helicopter route, and I would be misleading you to suggest there is a clever way round it. In that case, we would tell you as soon as we know, not at the last minute. You would then have a choice. You could move to another date within one year under the rescheduling terms above, or if you have already paid and we cannot run the trip, the refund rule above applies.

If the overland crossing stays closed but the western route is processing pilgrims, we would offer you that route and tell you the price difference before you decide. I cannot say what that would be today. Helicopter rates were being re-quoted when fuel prices nearly doubled earlier this year, and I would rather wait for a real quote than give you a number that changes.

How do I join the waiting list?

There is no sign-up page, and I do not want to collect your details in a form you will forget. Message me on WhatsApp on +977 9810351300 or email [email protected]. Tell me your nationality, your age, the months you could travel and whether you already hold a Chinese visa. I will write to you when we have a confirmed route, a quota and a price. Joining the list does not hold a place or reserve a date, and it does not mean you owe us anything.

When should you not plan around 2027?

I would not plan around 2027 if any of these are true.

• You are 70 or older.
• You need a firm date now, for work, visas elsewhere, or a family event.
• You would have to buy non-refundable flights before the season is announced.
• You cannot afford to lose money if the trip does not go ahead.
• Your health is borderline, and a delay would make it worse.

If you can be flexible, 2027 may well be possible, and it is worth being on the list. If you cannot, a firmer plan on another trip may serve you better, and I will say so.

The short version

On 4 October 2026 I can confirm that the Rasuwagadhi crossing was damaged on 26 August and was still closed at the end of September, that Nepal has asked China for help with the road, and that the 2026 Indian quota was full by mid June. I cannot confirm that the Chinese side will reopen Kailash departures from Nepal, that there is a 2027 quota or dates, or when the overland road will work. I can tell you the four documents, that an existing Chinese visa is cancelled, that the age limit is 70, and how the 25 per cent deposit and rescheduling terms work. If you want to talk it through, message me on WhatsApp on +977 9810351300. Our main page for the trip is Kailash Mansarovar tour, and our full Kailash guide has the background.

Written by Shreejan Simkhada, CEO of The Everest Holiday and third-generation family guide. TAAN Member #1586.