How much walking is there really?

About 1.5 km across the whole trip. The border road reaches almost every darshan point, so jeeps take you to Jolingkong and Nabhidhang and the walking is limited to the short stretches around the lakes and temples.

Can senior citizens and children do this yatra?

Regularly, yes. Fitness matters less than altitude tolerance. Anyone with a heart, lung or blood-pressure condition should carry a doctor's clearance, and we keep the pace slow on Days 3 and 4.

Is the food vegetarian?

Every meal, from Day 1 dinner to Day 5 breakfast, is pure vegetarian and cooked fresh by the local operator's kitchen. Alcohol is not part of the yatra and is not permitted at the homestays.

Will I definitely see the ॐ on Om Parvat?

The formation is visible in most conditions from Nabhidhang, but it depends on snow and cloud on the day. We give the group the full morning at the viewpoint to improve the odds — nobody can promise a mountain.

Where is Adi Kailash located?

In the Vyas Valley of the Kumaon Himalaya, close to the India–Tibet border and near the villages of Gunji, Nabi and Kuti. The nearest town is Dharchula.

What is Om Parvat and how is it related to Adi Kailash?

Om Parvat is a sacred mountain where snow settles naturally into the shape of the symbol ॐ. It is viewed from Nabhidhang and is covered on Day 4 of our yatra, alongside the Kalapani temple and the cave of Maharishi Ved Vyas.

What is the altitude of Adi Kailash?

The peak stands at roughly 5,945 metres (19,505 ft). The darshan point at Jolingkong, where you actually stand, is about 4,420 metres (14,500 ft).

What makes Adi Kailash special compared to Kailash Mansarovar?

Adi Kailash offers a comparable spiritual experience entirely within India — no international travel, no Chinese visa, far lower cost, and a much shorter journey.

What is Parvati Sarovar / Jolingkong Lake?

A sacred high-altitude lake directly below Adi Kailash at Jolingkong, and the final base point for darshan. Gauri Kund lies nearby. Both are visited on Day 3.

Is a permit required for the Adi Kailash Yatra?

Yes. Because the route runs along the India–China border, an Inner Line Permit is mandatory. It is issued by the authorities at Dharchula and requires a medical check plus valid photo ID. We build a full day into the itinerary for this and handle the process for your group.

What documents should I carry?

Carry the original and a photocopy of a government photo ID — Aadhaar, passport or voter ID. Foreign nationals should contact us in advance, as Inner Line Permit rules differ.

What is the best time to visit Adi Kailash?

Our yatra runs from May to November. Weather is most stable and the roads most reliably open in May–June and September–October; the monsoon weeks in between can bring landslides and delays.

How many days are required?

Our package is 5 days and 4 nights, Haldwani to Haldwani. We recommend keeping a buffer day either side of the trip, because mountain roads and weather can shift the schedule.

How do I reach the starting point?

The yatra starts at 6:30 AM from Kathgodam railway station and the Haldwani bus stand. Reach the night before. By train: overnight trains run to Kathgodam from Delhi, Lucknow, Kolkata and Dehradun. By bus: overnight buses to Haldwani from Delhi Anand Vihar ISBT (not Kashmere Gate). By air: Pantnagar airport, about 27 km from Haldwani, with direct flights from Delhi.

How difficult is the Adi Kailash yatra?

Easy to medium. Road access now reaches almost every point, and total walking across the five days is only about 1.5 km. The real demand is altitude, not distance — you will be above 4,000 m on Days 3 and 4.

Can senior citizens do this yatra?

Yes, and many do. Because nearly the whole route is covered by vehicle, it suits older pilgrims well. A doctor's fitness check before travel is strongly recommended given the altitude.

Is it suitable for beginners?

Yes. No trekking experience is needed. Light cardio in the weeks before you travel will make the altitude far more comfortable.

What accommodation is provided?

Hotels at Dharchula and village homestays at Nabi or Gunji. Homestays are simple and clean rather than luxurious — that is the nature of the last villages on the border — and include a bonfire and music.

Pure vegetarian throughout, from Day 1 dinner to Day 5 breakfast, including all meals on the trek and natural spring water. Sweets are served after dinner. Tell us in advance about any medical dietary needs.

Is mobile network available?

Limited. BSNL works in patches around Dharchula and Gunji; beyond that expect no signal. Tell your family before you leave that you will be out of contact for a day or two.

Keep it light — there is no porter, and you carry your own bag. Warm layers, including a proper jacket — nights go near freezing even in summer Comfortable walking shoes Rain jacket or poncho Personal medicines, plus any altitude medication your doctor advises Original and photocopy of photo ID Power bank — charging points are scarce Sunscreen, sunglasses and a cap

Yes, when done with a registered operator and correct permits. The operators are local, the vehicles are maintained for these roads, and the group follows the acclimatisation schedule and any instructions from the ITBP and local administration.

Is photography allowed?

In most places, yes, and Day 3 is deliberately left open for it. Photography is restricted around army positions and some border-sensitive points — your guide will tell you where.

What does the yatra cost?

Packages start at ₹25,000 per person. The final figure depends on your group size — the larger the group, the lower the per-person cost — and on any customisation you want. Send us your dates and headcount and we will quote exactly.

Can the itinerary be customised?

Yes. We regularly adjust the trip for families, temple groups and corporate batches — extra nights, a different pickup point, or combining Adi Kailash with the Panchachuli trek.

What is included in the package?

Transport Haldwani to Haldwani, all accommodation, every vegetarian meal from Day 1 dinner to Day 5 breakfast, spring water on the trek, all listed sightseeing, bonfire, music, and an experienced guide with support staff.

What is not included?

Personal expenses, emergency costs, alcohol, personal gear, a porter for your belongings, and anything you buy across the border in Nepal.

Call or WhatsApp us, or send the enquiry form on this page. We will confirm availability for your dates, share the exact per-person price for your group size, and tell you what we need to start the permit process.

Adi Kailash peak rising above the Vyas Valley in Kumaon, Uttarakhand

Sacred Pilgrimage

Adi Kailash & Om Parvat Yatra 2026

Har Har Mahadev — a 5 day darshan of Shiva's Kumaoni abode

Duration: 5 Days / 4 Nights
Max altitude: 5,945 m
Grade: Easy to Medium
Total walking: 1.5 km
Service: Haldwani to Haldwani

Starting from

₹25,000/ person

Final price depends on your group size — larger groups pay less per person. Tell us how many are coming and we will send an exact quote.

Five days from Haldwani to the last village on the India–Tibet border. You will stand before Adi Kailash at Jolingkong, bathe your eyes in Parvati Sarovar and Gauri Kund, and watch the snow spell ॐ across the face of Om Parvat at Nabhidhang.

Region: Kumaon, Uttarakhand
Season: May to November
Service: Haldwani to Haldwani
Grade: Easy to Medium

About this journey

A pilgrimage the whole family can make

Adi Kailash — Chota Kailash to most of Kumaon — is the second of the Panch Kailash, and the one Indian pilgrims can reach without leaving the country. It stands at the head of the Vyas Valley, a few kilometres short of the Tibet border, above the glacial lake of Parvati Sarovar.

What makes this yatra unusual is how little of it you walk. The road built for the border now runs almost to Jolingkong, so the total walking across five days is about a kilometre and a half. Grandparents and children do this trip every season; what you need is not fitness so much as patience with long mountain drives and a day or two of care at altitude.

The second darshan is Om Parvat at Nabhidhang, where snow settles year after year into the shape of ॐ on a single rock face. Between the two sit Kalapani, the source of the Kali river, and the cave where Maharishi Ved Vyas is said to have composed the Mahabharata.

5 Days / 4 Nights · Haldwani to Haldwani

Day by day, exactly as it runs

Written from how the trip actually goes on the ground — drive times, where you sleep, and what you'll see each day.

Day1
We pick you up at 6:30 AM from Kathgodam railway station and the Haldwani bus stand. The journey opens with a prayer — the yatra begins in the name of Mahadev — and then the road climbs steadily out of the plains into Kumaon.
By evening you reach Dharchula, the border town on the Kali river where the yatra stages itself. Check in to the hotel; rooms are clean and the kitchen is ours.
Dinner is pure vegetarian, as every meal on this trip will be, and sweets are served afterwards so the first night of the journey begins with something sweet.
6:30 AM departure
Pure vegetarian dinner
Sweets served after the meal
Night stay
Hotel at Dharchula (or Pithoragarh)
Meals
Dinner
Day2
After breakfast we take the group to the government hospital for the medical examination required for your Inner Line Permit. Adi Kailash lies against the India–China border, so this paperwork is mandatory — we handle the queueing and the forms.
Once you are cleared, the rest of the morning is yours. Walk the Dharchula market, or cross the international suspension bridge into Nepal and browse the bazaar on the far bank. Anything you buy there is your own expense.
In the afternoon the yatra proper begins. The road runs to Nabi village via Malpa, Budhi, Chiyalekh, Garbyang, Siti and Naplchu — a stretch of gorge and waterfall that few roads in India can match.
You stay in a Nabi village homestay, where dinner is served. If the group reaches before nightfall we walk up to the Manokamna temple; if not, we go the following day.
Inner Line Permit medical check
Free time — Dharchula market & Nepal bridge
Via Malpa, Budhi, Chiyalekh, Garbyang, Siti, Naplchu
Manokamna temple darshan
Night stay
Homestay at Nabi village (or Gunji)
Meals
Breakfast, dinner
Day3
After breakfast the group leaves by jeep for Jolingkong, deep in the Vyas Valley, for the darshan the whole journey is built around.
Here you worship Adi Kailash, Gauri Kund and Parvati Sarovar. There is no rush — the entire day is yours for puja, for sitting with the mountain, and for photography.
Between 4 and 7 in the evening the jeeps bring the group back down to the Nabi homestay.
Adi Kailash darshan
Gauri Kund
Parvati Sarovar
Full day for photography
Night stay
Homestay at Nabi village (or Gunji / Kalapani)
Meals
Breakfast, dinner
Day4
After breakfast the jeeps climb to Nabhidhang. From here you see Om Parvat itself — the mountain where snow gathers naturally into the shape of ॐ — along with Parvati Mata's boat, Sheshnag mountain and Pandav mountain.
On the same run we stop at the Kalapani temple at the source of the Kali river, and at the cave of Maharishi Ved Vyas.
The day's food is packed and carried with us. From Nabhidhang the group returns all the way down to Dharchula for the night.
ॐ Om Parvat darshan
Parvati Mata's boat
Kalapani temple
Maharishi Ved Vyas gufa
Sheshnag & Pandav mountains
Night stay
Hotel at Dharchula
Meals
Breakfast, packed lunch, dinner
Day5
After breakfast we drive from Dharchula back down to Haldwani and Kathgodam.
The yatra closes the way it opened — with ॐ नमः शिवाय — and you carry the mountain home with you.
Drop at Kathgodam station and Haldwani bus stand
Night stay
—
Meals
Breakfast

Before you lock your tickets

Keep a buffer day either side — mountain weather and road conditions can shift the schedule.
Distances, altitudes and drive times are approximate and rounded.
Carry the original and a photocopy of your photo ID for the Inner Line Permit.

What you'll stand before

The reasons people make this journey

Not a list of stops — these are the places the yatra is built around.

Adi Kailash at Jolingkong

The peak Hindus call Chota Kailash — the second of the Panch Kailash — seen from the Vyas Valley with a full unhurried day for darshan, puja and photography.

ॐ on Om Parvat

From Nabhidhang the snow settles into the shape of ॐ across the rock face. Alongside it: Parvati Mata's boat, Sheshnag and Pandav mountains.

Parvati Sarovar & Gauri Kund

Two sacred high-altitude waters beneath Adi Kailash, where devotees offer prayers before the peak.

Kalapani & Vyas Gufa

The Kali temple at the river's source and the cave where Maharishi Ved Vyas is said to have composed the Mahabharata.

The Nepal footbridge

On permit day you are free to walk the international suspension bridge at Dharchula and shop the Nepali bazaar on the far bank.

Nights in Nabi village

Homestays with the Rung people of the Vyas Valley — bonfire, local music, and the Manokamna temple a short walk away.

Before you book

Good to know

The practical details that decide how comfortable the trip feels — permits, altitude, network and what to carry.

Inner Line Permit

Mandatory — the route runs along the India–China border. Indian nationals only. Carry your original photo ID plus two photocopies and four passport photos. We handle the medical check and the paperwork at Dharchula on Day 2.

Altitude, honestly

You sleep at about 3,200 m and stand at 4,420 m on Day 3. Drink water constantly, skip alcohol entirely, and tell the guide the moment you feel a headache. Get a doctor's fitness certificate before you travel if you are over 60 or have a heart or lung condition.

Network stops at Dharchula

BSNL is the only signal past Dharchula and even that is patchy. Tell your family you will be offline from Day 2 to Day 4. The local operator's team stays in radio and satellite contact with the valley.

What to pack

Heavy jacket, thermals, woollen cap and gloves — nights at Nabi drop close to freezing even in June. Add sunscreen, dark glasses, a torch, a raincoat, personal medicines and comfortable shoes.

Carry cash from Dharchula

The last reliable ATMs are at Dharchula. Beyond that there is no card payment and no cash machine, so draw whatever you will need for tea, shopping and offerings before the group leaves.

When to come

May–June and September–October are the most stable. The monsoon weeks between can bring landslides and road closures, so always keep a buffer day at each end of your travel plan.

No surprises

What's included, and what isn't

Everything below is already in the package price. We'd rather you know now than find out at Dharchula.

Included

Transport for the full journey, Haldwani to Haldwani
Accommodation in hotels and village homestays
All meals, pure vegetarian — from Day 1 dinner to Day 5 breakfast
All meals during the trek
Natural spring water during the trek
Every place of interest listed in the itinerary
Bonfire at the homestay
Music
Experienced trek guide and support staff
Assistance with the Inner Line Permit medical check

Not included

Personal expenses of any kind
Any expense arising from an emergency
Alcoholic drinks
Personal gear
Porter for carrying personal belongings
Anything purchased across the border in Nepal

Your price

₹25,000

per person, from

Final price depends on your group size — larger groups pay less per person. Tell us how many are coming and we will send an exact quote.

From the route

The valley, as it actually looks

Adi Kailash, Om Parvat, Parvati Sarovar and the road in — photographed on the ground in the Vyas and Darma valleys.

Getting there

How to reach the starting point

The yatra picks up at 6:30 AM from Kathgodam railway station and the Haldwani bus stand. Reach the night before — the group cannot wait.

The route, end to end

Haldwani
6:30 AM start
Dharchula
915 m · permits
Nabi / Gunji
3,200 m
Jolingkong
4,420 m
Nabhidhang
4,300 m
Haldwani
Journey ends

By train

Overnight trains reach Kathgodam from Delhi, Lucknow, Kolkata and Dehradun. This is the easiest option — the station is a pickup point.

Arrive the night before

By bus

Overnight buses run to Haldwani bus stand from Delhi Anand Vihar ISBT — not Kashmere Gate. Government buses are more reliable than private ones.

Reach Haldwani by 5:30 AM

By flight

Pantnagar airport is about 27 km from Haldwani with direct flights from Delhi. Take a cab from the airport to the pickup point.

Fly in one day early

Pickup points

Kathgodam station · Haldwani bus stand

Reporting time

6:30 AM sharp, Day 1

Vehicles

Tempo Traveller, Bolero or jeep

Drop time

Evening of Day 5

Season: May to November. Weather is most settled in May–June and September–October; the monsoon weeks between can bring landslides and road closures, so keep a buffer day in your plan.

Bookings open for 2026

Tell us who's coming.
We'll do the rest.

Send your dates and headcount and we'll come back with an exact per-person price, confirm seats, and start your Inner Line Permit paperwork.

Adi Kailash & Om Parvat

5 Days / 4 Nights · Haldwani to Haldwani

₹25,000from / person

Om Parvat

4 Days / 3 Nights · Haldwani to Haldwani

On requestfrom / person

Panchachuli

3 – 4 Days · Dharchula to Dharchula

₹13,000from / person

Darma Valley

7 Days / 6 Nights · Dharchula to Dharchula

₹24,500from / person

Or reach us directly

WhatsApp +91 91190 31535

+91 97605 53449
officialadikailash@gmail.com
Monday – Saturday · 10:00 AM – 9:30 PM
Sunday · 10:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Request a custom quote

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About the Adi Kailash & Om Parvat trip

Questions about this trip

What people ask us on the phone before they book this particular journey.

Yes. An Inner Line Permit is compulsory beyond Dharchula and is issued only to Indian nationals. We arrange the medical check and file the paperwork for you on Day 2 — you only need your original photo ID, photocopies and passport photos.

Questions people actually ask

Frequently asked questions

Permits, fitness, food, network, cost — the things that come up on every call.

Still unsure?

Ask us anything — we answer the phone ourselves.

Chat on WhatsApp +91 91190 31535

Adi Kailash — also called Chota Kailash — is a sacred Himalayan peak in Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand, believed to be an earthly abode of Lord Shiva. It closely resembles Mount Kailash in Tibet and is the second of the Panch Kailash.