Pilgrimage Season Ends with Increased Travelers to Kailash Mansarovar via Humla

The annual pilgrimage of Indian devotees to Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet via the Hilsa route in Humla has concluded this year, with a notable increase in number of travelers. The pilgrimage season ended as temperatures in the highlands began to drop, according to hotel entrepreneur Mim Lama.

The number of Indian pilgrims visiting Kailash Mansarovar through Humla has increased significantly after the COVID-19 pandemic subsided and China reopened the border for Indian pilgrims. Lama said hotel operators in Simkot and the border town of Hilsa earned good income this year, with some hotels making more than Rs 1 million. Although a few tourists from other countries still visit parts of the district, the Indian pilgrimage season has ended.

Over 6,400 foreign tourists visited Humla this year

According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Shankar Pokharel at the Humla District Police Office, a total of 6,407 foreign visitors entered the district after the Hilsa border with China’s Tibet Autonomous Region reopened on May 1. Among them, around 6,000 were Indian pilgrims traveling to Kailash Mansarovar between May and late Setember, while 450 were tourists from other countries.

The Humla route remains a popular choice for Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims because of its relatively short distance. Frommid- May to late September, Simkot Airport saw heavy air traffic as pilgrims arrived daily to continue their journey.

Dipendra Bhandari, an official deployed from Simkot Rural Municipality at Simkot Airport, said the number of religious tourists surged after China reopened the Hilsa border for Indian and Nepali visitors following the pandemic. “This is the largest number of pilgrims entering Humla since the COVID-19 period,” said DSP Pokharel.

Simkot and Namkha rural municipalities collected entry fees from foreign visitors. Authorities charged Rs 1,100 per Indian pilgrim and Rs 1,500 per visitor from other countries. The district raised Rs 6.55 million from 5,957 Indian pilgrims and Rs 675,000 from other foreign tourists.

Simkot Airport, which remained busy from early morning until evening during the peak months of May to September, has now fallen quiet. The once-crowded terminal, bustling with pilgrims and locals alike, has become calm since the second week of October as the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage season ended and private flights shifted eastward. -- RSS