MEA issues advisory for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra pilgrims using private operators

The Ministry of External Affairs has advised Indians undertaking the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through private tour operators to obtain all required travel documents and verify operator authorisation after several pilgrims were stranded in Nepal without valid permits and Chinese visas

New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs has cautioned Indian citizens undertaking the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through trips organised by private tour operators and also asked pilgrims to verify whether their tour operator is duly registered and authorised.

“This Ministry has received several requests for help and assistance from Indian citizens stranded in Nepal while undertaking the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra without the required entry permits and visas for China through tours organised by private tour operators,” the MEA said in an advisory.

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The advisory, issued late on Saturday night, is for Indian citizens undertaking the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through private tour operators.

“Citizens are advised not to commence their journey from India until all required travel documents have been obtained for undertaking the complete journey,” it said.

Commencing travel without confirmed documentation or in anticipation of obtaining the necessary documentation “increases the likelihood of being stranded”, it added.

“Pilgrims are also strongly advised to verify that their tour operator is duly registered and authorised,” the MEA said.

In April, the MEA had announced that the annual Kailash Mansarovar Yatra was set to take place from June to August this year via two routes – Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand and Nathu La in Sikkim.

The yatra resumed last year after a gap of nearly five years as part of efforts to normalise relations between India and China.

It was suspended initially in 2020 because of the Covid pandemic and subsequently because of the military standoff between the two sides on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.