FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show Mount Kailash’s Summit?

A video shared on Facebook purportedly shows an aerial view of the peak of Mount Kailash in the Himalayas.

Verdict: False

The video actually shows Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro.

Fact Check:

The video shows the view from an aircraft’s window as it flies around a mountain featuring a large crater. Near the end, a voice can be heard saying, “Ladies and gentleman, you can see so many people at the top.”

The caption of the Facebook post claims the footage is a “rare video at the top of Mount Kailash.” The peak, located in Tibet, is regarded as holy by Hindus and Tibetan Buddhists, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. However, Mount Kailash is not the mountain in the video.

The prominent crater in the footage seems to match Reusch Crater on Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro, which, according to UNESCO, is the tallest peak on the African continent. Photos of Kilimanjaro and its Reusch crater can be found on Getty Images. Mount Kailash’s top is far narrower and does not appear to include such a crater, based on other pictures available on Getty Images.

A verified YouTube channel run by Tanzania Standard Newspapers (TSN) posted an extended version of the footage last year, describing it as showing Mount Kilimanjaro. HabariLeo, part of TSN, also tweeted the footage. (RELATED: Does This Image Show The ‘G7 Parking Lot’ Packed With Planes?)

If a plane was to fly around Mount Kailash, people would not be seen on top. Because it is regarded as sacred to several religions, the peak remains unclimbed, according to Lonely Planet.