If You Like - Tibet - page 38

If You Like…
Off-the-Beaten-Track Monasteries
Beyond Lhasa's famous monastic cities there are hundreds of smaller, lesser-visited places,
each holding their own treasures and with more local pilgrims than tour-group hordes. The
following are a few of our favourites.
Sakya Monastery Towering golden buddhas and sacred relics reveal an important past that
ties Tibet to the Mongols.
Phuntsoling Monastery Remote, little-visited and with a spectacular location.
Dorje Drak Monastery A dramatic location and great kora path surrounded by sand dunes
and the braided Yarlung Tsangpo river.
Keru Lhakhang A 1200-year-old temple, haunting monastery ruins and a Tsongkhapa medit-
ation cave make the Ön Valley a great detour between Samye and Tsetang.
Korjak Monastery Delightful and quirky monastery at the far end of Tibet.
Thöling Monastery The frescoes hidden here, in the remote far west, offer a sublime fusion
of Kashmiri and Tibetan styles found almost nowhere else.
Trekking & Hiking
Trekking 'the roof of the world' isn't easy. The altitude, weather and rugged terrain present
significant challenges but the following trails take hardy walkers into some timeless corners
of Tibet.
Ganden to Samye A classic three- or four-day walk between two of Tibet's most important
monasteries.
Dode Valley hike It's hard to imagine a better way to spend half a day in Lhasa, with the best
views in the city.
Tsurphu to Yangpachen Get a taste of the wild northern plateau on this high three-day trek
past herding camps and black-haired nomads' tents.