Mt. Kailash and Lake Manasarovar received more than 10,000 foreign pilgrims in 2012

According to statistics provided by Ngari Tourism Bureau, Mt. Kailash and Lake Manasarovar on Ngari Plateau had received more than 13,000 foreign pilgrims in total in 2012.

Ngari Prefecture in Tibet is quite rich in tourism resource. Mt. Kailash and Lake Manasarovar is not only an ideal tourism destination for domestic tourists, but also a holy place for the devout pilgrims in India, Nepal and some other corners around the world. According to the director of the Nagri Foreign Affairs Office, the government has invested more than 10 million RMB in the improvement of the basic service facilities at the important stops around Mt. Kailash recent years. The number of foreign pilgrims increased rapidly recent years.

Several years earlier ago, the road condition between Lhatze and Mt. Kailash was pretty poor. Currently, this section has been asphalted and tourists don't need to be over worried about the road condition. To provide more thoughtful service for foreign pilgrims, three travel agencies in Tibet established a Pilgrims Center together in 2005. This reception center mainly provides service for pilgrims from India and Nepal. Mostly, pilgrims from different corners of the world would come to Mt. Kailash for worshipping between May and October due to the local climate condition.

2014 is the year of horse and it is predicted that a large number of pilgrims will rush to Mt. Kailash in the warmer season. Making kora around Mt. Kailash in the year of horse is an ancient tradition for the believers of Tibetan Buddhism. Relevant measures aimed at improving the local reception ability had already been carried out. With an elevation of more than 6700 meters, Mt. Kailash is the main peak of Gangdise Mountains. It is highly respected as the King of the holy mountains by followers of the Hinduism, Bon, Jainism and Tibetan Buddhism. The holy Lake Manasarovar is only about 20 kilometers away from Mt. Kailash. With an altitude of 4588 meters, Lake Manasarovar covers an area of 412 square kilometers.

Great importance was also attached to the wetland protection and restoration project at Lake Manasarovar Natural Reserve. This great project will enhance Mapam Yumtso's function exertion in water reservation, climate regulation and soil reservation. Lake Manasarovar plays important role in maintaining the ecological balance on Ngari Plateau.

It is reported that Tibet has launched 8 autonomous region level natural wetland reserves in the recent years, including the Lake Manasarovar Wetland Reserve and the Midicar Wetland Reserve which were listed as two of the international important wetlands. Tibet is planning to invest more in the protection and reinstatement works of other 9 important wetlands, such as the Banggongtso Lake, Maquan River and Ranwu Lake. The primitive ecological condition of the wetlands in Tibet plays important role in the construction of the ecological security.