Gurla Mandhata is the highest peak of the Nalakankar Himal – a small subrange of the Himalayas. In south from Mt. Kailash, the Gurla range lies in Burang County of Tibet, China, near the North-West corner of Nepal.
Situated at an elevation of 7,694 metres, Gurla Mandhata is ranked as 34th highest peak in the world. Its Tibetan name ‘Naimona nyi’ means ‘heaped-up slabs of black herbal medicine’’, which is quite suggestive.
The first successful attempt to ascend the peak of Gurla Mandhata was a joint venture of a Japanese-Chinese team via North side of the peak in Mau 1985. Since then six successful ascends have been made so far. The standard ascent route is the Western flanks of the mountain. Most teams choose to approach the mountain over land by jeep from either Lhasa, Tibet or from Kathmandu, Nepal. The jeeps carry the climbers through Burang to the base camp on the mountain.
The landscape around the Gurla Mandhata peak is occupied by high plains, huge turquoise lakes, and the neighbouring range of the great Himalayas. It offers a wide variety of Terrain.
It is best to visit this place during April, Mau, September, October and November. The nearby other mountain peaks are Om Parvat, Saipal, Api, Nagalphu, Panchchuli, Shitilla, and the greatest of all, Mt. Kailash.
From Lhasa, it is 953 kilometres by road, to the base camp of Gurla Mandhata, whereas from Kathmandu it is 493 kilometres.