If you are planning an Adi Kailash or Om Parvat yatra in the coming weeks, there is one thing you need to know before anything else: every single accommodation point on the route is full.
I was there just last week — 18 to 20 May 2026 — with a group of pilgrims doing a 2 nights 3 days Adi Kailash and Om Parvat yatra. What I witnessed was something I have not seen in many years of operating from Dharchula. Every dharmshala, every guesthouse, every homestay was packed to capacity at every stop on the route.
Here is what we found on the ground:
Kuti village — the last village before the high-altitude zone — was also completely full. This is remarkable. Kuti is not a tourist hub. It is a remote Bhotiya village with very limited accommodation. When even Kuti is packed, it tells you just how many people are on this route right now.
The reason is simple: summer school holidays. May and June are when Indian families take their annual vacations. Adi Kailash and Om Parvat have seen a massive surge in popularity over the last two years — partly because the route to Kailash Mansarovar through Tibet remains uncertain, and partly because Adi Kailash has been heavily promoted by Uttarakhand Tourism and social media.
The result is that a route that was once visited by a few hundred pilgrims a season is now receiving thousands. The accommodation infrastructure — built for a fraction of this footfall — simply cannot cope during peak summer months.
The viewpoint at Lipulekh Pass — from where pilgrims can see Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar — has been closed to civilians. The cause: a drone was flown near the international border by a visitor, which was confiscated by the Indian Army and ITBP. The point was subsequently shut down.
Lipulekh Pass, at approximately 5,334 metres on the India-Tibet border in Pithoragarh district, is one of the most sacred viewpoints in the entire Kumaon Himalayas. From the top, on a clear day, pilgrims can see Mount Kailash — the abode of Lord Shiva — and the shimmering blue of Lake Mansarovar in Tibet. For many pilgrims who cannot undertake the full Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, this darshan is a deeply emotional and spiritual experience.
Here is what happened: on or around the day of the scheduled public opening of the Lipulekh viewpoint this season, an individual flew a drone in the area. Lipulekh is a sensitive international border zone — India on one side, Tibet (China) on the other. The use of drones near international borders without permission is strictly prohibited under Indian law and violates the protocols of the ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) and Indian Army, who are responsible for security in this zone.
The drone was immediately confiscated by the security forces. Given the sensitive nature of the incident — involving an unmanned aerial vehicle near an active international border — the Lipulekh viewpoint had to be closed. As of now, civilian access to Lipulekh top for Kailash darshan is not permitted.
This is genuinely unfortunate. Hundreds of pilgrims who had planned their yatra specifically to see Kailash from Lipulekh have been turned back or disappointed. Many travel from across India for this darshan — for some elderly pilgrims in particular, who cannot do the full Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, this viewpoint is their only chance to see the sacred mountain.
The closure because of one person's careless act — someone who either did not know or did not care about the sensitivity of flying a drone near an international military border — has affected thousands of pilgrims this season.
Drones are strictly prohibited in the following areas near Adi Kailash and Om Parvat:
If you are carrying a drone on this yatra — leave it at home. It will be confiscated. You may face legal action. And most importantly, you risk causing consequences like this that affect the entire pilgrim community.
If you were planning to see Kailash from Lipulekh, here is our honest advice:
Despite the crowding and the Lipulekh closure, Adi Kailash and Om Parvat remain extraordinarily beautiful and spiritually powerful destinations. The route from Dharchula through Gunji to Jolingkong and Nabhi is as breathtaking as ever. The sacred Om symbol on Om Parvat is visible and stunning.
Our advice:
Real footage from Adi Kailash and Om Parvat route filmed by our local team