Adi Kailash

Permits for the Gunji route are issued at Dharchula, and the medical check-up happens there too, so plan around that desk rather than around the mountain. Adi Kailash — also called Chota Kailash or Jonglingkong Peak — stands in Pithoragarh district and ranks second among the five Panch Kailash peaks, behind Mount Kailash itself. Two glacial lakes lie at the foot of the Adi Parvat: Gauri Kund, also called Jolingkong Lake, and Parvati Tal. The base camp sits beside a Shiva temple on Jolingkong's bank, 17 km northwest of Kuthi village. A paved motorable spur runs up from Gunji, so the last stretch is less punishing than the reputation suggests.