Kailash Yatra 2019 – Complete Packing List (Via China Route)

Tops

• 2 x Synthetic or merino long underwear top (one of these is for sleeping)

• 1 x long sleeve wicking hiking shirt
• 1 x fleece jacket
• 1 x Goretex rain jacket
• 1 x Down puffy jacket for cold nights or when you are not hiking

Bottoms

• Synthetic or merino long underwear bottoms

• 1 x pair of waterproof rain or snow pants
• 1 x pair of fall or winter weight soft shell pants

Feet and head

• 4 x pair of wool hiking socks (keep one dry pair for sleeping)
• Boots or trail running shoes with a good tread (I wore a low top Salomon trail
runner in the first week of May 2018 and was fine but you will need to check
weather and snow reports as some years get up to 5 meters of snow on the
Dolma La Pass)
• Gaiters for snow and mud (especially if you are wearing low top shoes)
• 1 x synthetic or wool winter hat
• 1 x sunhat (the sun up at altitude is intense!)

Other

• 1 x foreign passport
• 1 x day pack (20-30 liters) – If it is bigger than 35 liters you are carrying too
much stuff!
• 2 x one liter water bottles (can be refilled with boiled water at the teahouses
for a small fee)
• 1x mid-weight winter gloves
• 1 x sunglasses (preferably polarized for the bright snow)
• 1 x chapstick or lip balm
• 1 x suntan lotion
• 1 x small bottle of Tylenol
• Optional: Diamox – for altitude sickness (consult your physician beforehand)
• Optional: 1 x small aerosol bottle of oxygen
• 4 x small packs of tissues (paper is not provided in the rustic “squatty-potties”)
• 1 x cell phone or camera
• 1 x charging cord and external battery charger (the tea houses have solar
powered electric outlets but the electricity is spotty)
• 1 x hand sanitizer bottle (there is no running water on the trek)
• 8 x Snickers or Clif Bars
• 500 RMB for food (assuming your lodging is already paid for by your tour
agent)
 • Optional but recommended: 1 x set of trekking poles (the descent from the
high pass can be rather steep and icy)
• Optional: a thin sleeping bag liner to add warmth/sanitation to blankets
provided by the tea house
• Optional: “Hot Hands” – single use heat packs for keeping your hands and
feet extra warm

This list is what you should bring for your entire journey in Tibet. You will NOT need
to carry all of these items on the 3 day Kailash Trek. A journey to Mt Kailash will
take between 15 and 18 days, though the trek around Kailash is only 3 days long.
Below is what you should pack for your ENTIRE trip in Tibet. A separate section
below will list what to specifically pack for the 3 day trek:

• comfortable, broken-in hiking boots or hiking shoes

• 3 or 4 pairs of hiking pants (don’t bring jeans)
• 6 pairs of wool socks
• 6 pairs of underwear
• 1 set of thermal underwear (tops and bottoms)
• 1 set of warm pajamas for overnight
• mid to heavy weight winter coat (down is recommended)
• lightweight hooded rain jacket
• warm hat that goes over your ears
• warm gloves
• bandana or scarf (optional)
• baseball or sun hat with wide brim
• 2 fleece tops
• Sports bra for women
• 4 or 5 T-shirts (Mixture of short and long sleeved with wicking material)

Recommended Accessories

• sunglasses with UV protection (polarized are best)

• small thermos for tea/hot water (optional)
• 1 small bag for dirty clothes, etc (optional)
• 2 one-liter Nalgene type bottles
• 2 trekking poles
• Gaiters (useful if you have hiking shoes rather than hiking boots)
• 30 to 35 liter day pack
• lightweight sleeping bag or sleeping bag liner
• Micro-spikes (recommended for treks in April or May)
Personal Hygiene and Toiletry Items

• sun block/sun screen that is SPF 35 or higher

• lip balm that contains sunscreen
• skin moisturizer (optional; Tibet is very dry)
• anti-bacterial hand sanitizer
• deodorant
• feminine products
• shaving products
• travel size soap and shampoo
• toothbrush and travel size tooth paste
• wet wipes
• 1 or 2 rolls of toilet paper (toilet paper not provided in many public toilets)
• nail clippers
• band-aids and moleskin for blisters
• ear plugs
• eye drops (if you are prone to dry eyes)
• cotton buds/Q-tips

Recommended Medicines (contact your doctor for more info)

• medicine to treat travelers diarrhea

• anti-biotic ointment for minor cuts or blisters
• personal Tylenol, ibuprofen, cold medicine, antihistamine, etc
• Diamox / Acetazolamide (Optional….contact your doctor for details)
• medicine if you are prone to motion sickness
• prescription drugs (consult your doctor)

Extra Items (Strictly Optional)

• iPad/Kindle
• Quick dry towel (optional)
• small flashlight (torch) or headlamp with extra batteries
• batteries for personal items
• plenty of memory cards for your camera
• passport/money holder
• protein bars, chocolate, dried fruit or other snacks of your choice
• electric outlet adapters for Tibet (China)
• small notebook with pen
• digital version of Lonely Planet Tibet guidebook (optional; avoid paper book
edition)
• small hand-held mirror (optional as guesthouses at Kailash ave no mirrors)
What to Pack for the 3 Day Kailash Trek

The list above is what you should bring for your ENTIRE trip in Tibet. You will not
need to bring all of those items with you for the 3 day Kailash Trek. In fact, you will
not need to bring most of those items. All the items that you don’t need will be locked
up securely in Darchen, the starting point of the Kailash Trek. Here is a list of items
that you should wear or pack specifically for the 3 day Kailash Trek (much of this you
will be wearing):

CLOTHING

• comfortable, broken-in hiking boots or hiking shoes (wear)

• 1 set of thermal underwear top and bottom (wear unless really warm)
• pajamas or extra set of thermal underwear to sleep in (pack)
• 1 long-sleeve wicking material hiking shirt (wear)
• 1 pair of hiking pants (wear)
• 1 pair of waterproof rain pants (needed if rain is in the forecast)
• 1 mid to heavy weight fleece (wear)
• 1 rain jacket (needed if rain is in the forecast)
• 1 mid to heavy weight winter coat (pack unless very cold)
• 3 pairs of wool socks (wear 1 pair; pack other pairs)

ACCESORIES

• 1 sun hat/baseball hat with wide brim (wear)

• 1 winter wool hat (pack unless very cold)
• warm gloves (pack unless very cold)
• buff or bandana (wear)
• gaiters (optional, but helpful if wearing low-top shoes)
• sunglasses with UV protection or polarized (wear)

GEAR

• trekking poles
• 30—35 liter backpack
• micro-spikes for snow (especially for treks in April and May)
• lightweight sleeping bag or sleeping bag liner (read info below)
• headlamp (for early mornings and night time bathroom walk)
MEDICINE and PERSONAL ITEMS

• 8 to 10 snacks for between meals (Snickers, ProBar, Kind Bar, etc)

• Personal first aid and blister kit
• small tube of sun block rated at least 35 SPF
• chapstick with SPF for lips
• small bottle of tylenol, aspirin or other pain reliever
• Diamox or any other prescription drugs
• 1 roll of toilet paper
• small bottle of hand sanitizer
• pack of wet wipes (no showers on the trek)
• toothbrush
• travel size tooth paste
• ear plugs
• 450 to 600 Chinese Yuan for meals (per person)
• quick dry towel (optional)
• small hand-held mirror (optional)