This retreat complex high in the hills above Lhasa is home to 23 monks. The original hermitage lies in ruins in an incredible location on the side of the sheer cliff face. A painting inside the main chapel (to the right) depicts the original. As you leave the complex a path to the left leads to the dramatic ruins, but the trail is dangerous and ends in a sheer drop.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Potala Palace
4.13 MILES
The magnificent Potala Palace, once the seat of the Tibetan government and the winter residence of the Dalai Lamas, is Lhasa's cardinal landmark. Your…
Jokhang Temple
4.13 MILES
The 1300-year-old Jokhang Temple is the spiritual heart of Tibet: the continuous waves of awestruck pilgrims prostrating themselves outside are a…
Main Assembly Hall
6.6 MILES
The main assembly hall, or Tsogchen, is the principal structure in the Drepung complex and is the one chapel you must not miss. The hall is reached…
Sera Monastery
1.34 MILES
About 5km north of Lhasa, Sera was founded in 1419 by a disciple of Tsongkhapa as one of Lhasa's two great Gelugpa monasteries. About 600 monks are now in…
Red Palace
4.13 MILES
You start the tour of the main Potala building from the top and descend through the bowels of the building to exit on the ground floor. The gilded buddhas…
Ganden Monastery
20.03 MILES
About 50km east of Lhasa, this monastery, founded in 1417 by Tsongkhapa, was the first Gelugpa monastery. Still the order's heart and soul, it's the one…
Drak Yerpa
8.42 MILES
For those with an interest in Tibetan Buddhism, Drak Yerpa hermitage, about 30km northeast of Lhasa, is one of the holiest cave retreats in Ü. Among the…
Pabonka Monastery
2.01 MILES
Built by King Songtsen Gampo in the 7th century, Pabonka Monastery is one of the most ancient Buddhist sites in the Lhasa region. Though one of the lesser…
Nearby Lhasa attractions
1. Rakadrak Hermitage
0.33 MILES
This hermitage high above Lhasa has three simple caves associated with Gelugpa founder Tsongkhapa. It's best visited on a hike from Sera Monastery to the…
2. Upper Viewpoint
0.39 MILES
A 10-minute walk from Sera Ütse is this superb viewpoint, probably Lhasa’s most scenic picnic spot. From here a new road continues east down into the Dode…
3. Phurbu Chok Monastery
0.52 MILES
Phurbu Chok Monastery and its hilltop Rigsum Gonpo Lhakhang, dedicated to the popular trinity of deities, are best visited on a hike from Sera Monastery…
4. Sera Ütse
0.65 MILES
From Sera the steep, relentless climb to the yellow-walled Sera Ütse retreat takes at least an hour (look up and see it high on the cliff above Sera; if…
5. Chöding Hermitage
1.19 MILES
A path branches off the kora (pilgrim circuit) up side steps beside the thangka wall to the Chöding hermitage. The hermitage was a retreat of Tsongkhapa's…
6. Hardong Kangtsang
1.2 MILES
Hardong served as a residence for monks studying at Sera Je College. In the first inner chapel, look for a photo of Ekai Kawaguchi, the Japanese monk who…
7. Thangka Wall
1.24 MILES
Next to some rock paintings is this support wall, used to hang a giant thangka during festivals.
8. Debating Courtyard
1.26 MILES
There is usually monk debating here on weekday afternoons from around 3pm to 5pm, which provides a welcome relief from peering at Buddhist iconography…