KATHMANDU, May 17: As the monsoon season begins, the number of Indian religious pilgrims traveling to Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar via Nepal has started to rise.
692 Indian tourists in Humla for pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarov...
Since the pilgrimage season opened, a total of 169 tourists have arrived in Simkot over the past four days, flying from Nepalgunj to the district headquarters and then traveling through Hilsa border point en route to the sacred sites in China.
According to Simkot Airport chief Mahendra Singh, the 169 pilgrims who arrived at Simkot Airport for the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage included 147 Indian nationals and 22 travelers from other countries. The pilgrims began arriving on May 13, 2026 (Baisakh 30 in the Nepali calendar, because calendars apparently enjoy making life harder).
Despite unfavorable weather, 47 pilgrims reached Simkot on Saturday aboard three flights operated by Summit Air. Of the arrivals, 23 Indian pilgrims were forced to stay in Simkot because they had not yet received permits required to continue the journey to Kailash Mansarovar.
The permit delay occurred because government offices remained closed over the public holiday weekend, Saturday and Sunday, following a Cabinet decision made on April 3, 2026 (Chaitra 21). As a result, the 23 pilgrims have been stranded in Simkot until the paperwork clears.
Officials believe the number of Indian pilgrims will continue to increase, judging by the traffic seen in just the first four days of the season. Indian tourists have been using the Hilsa route for the Kailash pilgrimage since the 2015 Nepal earthquake. Travel was halted during the COVID period when the Hilsa border crossing was closed.
After China reopened the Hilsa route to Indian pilgrims last year, around 6,500 Indian visitors completed the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage over a four-month period. This year’s first batch of pilgrims arrived in Simkot on May 13.
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