Gurla Mandata is made up of six ridges. The west ridge is shaped like a fan and stretched across from north to south, while the eroded East Ridge forms extremely steep cliffs. Also to the north lies the holy lake Manasorover and Langatso.
Gurla Mandata was first climbed in 1985 by a Sino Japanese expedition.
The ascent takes place on the northern slope through the Zalompa glacier. The scenery is magnificent; down below stretches the arid Tibetan plateau enhanced in beauty by the sparkling lakes Manasorovar and Rakyas with Mount Kailash as the backdrop. The climbing is relatively safe with the route crossing the left side of the glacier to reach a plateau under the summit's ridge. Base camp is at the foot of the glacier at 5600m.