Mount Kailash

I've also read that the route is only open for Indian pilgrims. You could go into a bookshop and look at Michael Buckley's Brandt guide to Tibet. His excellent "Travels in the Tibetan World" book mentions the route in the chapter about Kailash, though of course that info is a few years old.

The route is officially closed for foreigners. But, some people have managed to cross over the Himalayas to Kailash.

Happy to be corrected. Infact I doubted the route myself when I looked at an atlas last night.

Hi Dazza,
The short answer to your question is no. Absolutely not! I tried last summer (2003) You can go as part of an organized trip from Nepal; that is how most of the Indian pilgrims go too. Overland from Kathmandu to Nyalam and then west toward Darchen.

Hope this dash your hopes too much, ;)
Ani.

oops - typo. That should read " doesn't doesn't dash your hopes...."

Theoretically there is a route into Western Tibet from Ladakh (river Indus flows there - opposite way) but it is still long and remote way to reach Kailash from the border. The route is closed and sealed and guarded by indo-tibetan border police...
Pilgrim route from India is following Kali river gorge, than cross Lipu Lekh Pass into Tibet. Kali river is also a western border between India and Nepal. There are organized pilgrim tours across Lipu Lekh Pass for Kailash Yatra each year for indian citizens only. Foreigners can enter the area with the permit which they obtain in Darchula but are not allowed to continue after Kuthi Yankhti Valley. Indo-tibetan border police is controlling this route carefully as well. But it is allowed to enter KY Valley to reach Chota (Small) Kailash (Mt.Kailash shape resembling mountain on the indian side) also a sacred place for indian pilgrims.
There is a trekking route from Simikot (airport) in NW Nepal to the tibetan border from where you can drive to Kailash (for organized groups only).
And there are most common southern and northern routes to Kailash from Tibet (nepali border or Lhasa).

Agree totally with #7 - this is the route I took. My travelog is referenced on my profile. We hiked back via Humla to Simikot, but the route is possible in reverse.