Gurla Mandhata
纳木那尼峰
The highest peak in Ngari at 7,694 meters, rising on the southern shore of Lake Manasarovar and facing Mount Kailash across the lake, revered as the “Mother Mountain.”
Gurla Mandhata rises in Burang County to 7,694 meters. It is the highest peak in the western section of the Himalayas and in Ngari Prefecture. Its Tibetan name means “Mountain of the Goddess Mother,” and it faces Mount Kailash across Lake Manasarovar from the south and north. Its broad glacier stretches from the southern lakeshore to the horizon, forming the most spectacular backdrop of the G219 Burang section. From the southern shore of Lake Manasarovar, the southeastern shore of Lake Rakshastal, and the road from Darchen to Burang, you can see the snow peak reflected in the lake, with wild asses (kiang) grazing on the grassland. Most ordinary visitors enjoy the view from the road, which is free. Climbing requires approval through a professional expedition team, and several Chinese and foreign expeditions have run into trouble here, so the technical difficulty is considerable. Getting there: the best view is about 50 km along the road from Darchen toward Burang, and it can be combined with Burang town and Khorzhak Monastery, an ancient monastery near the China–Nepal border. Notes: Burang is a border county, so you must have a border permit. Burang town sits at about 3,900 meters, lower than Darchen, making it a good place to rest before and after the kora.
Opening hours
Open all day (roadside viewpoint)
Nearby sights
- Simbiling (Shepeling) Monastery
- Burang (Taklakot) Town
- Trugo Gompa
- Gossul Gompa
- Khorzhak (Khojarnath) Monastery
- Lake Rakshastal
- Lake Manasarovar
- Chiu Gompa