Spectacular beauty and towering peaks
The Tibetan plateau, or ‘Roof of the World’, is one of the most inaccessible and beautiful places on the planet. Packed full of huge mountains, including Mount Everest, Tibet offers some spectacular and unspoilt scenery. Add to that a host of wind and sun kissed faces, a few yaks and the yellow hats of the Gelupa Buddhist monks and you have a heady mix indeed. The Chinese invasion of 1951 decimated much of the cultural heritage within Tibet and caused a large part of the population, including the Dalai Lama, to seek sanctuary in India but since then Tibet has become an autonomous region within China and many of the monasteries that were destroyed have been lovingly restored. The Tibetans themselves have maintained their traditions and kept alive their unique, eccentric and spiritual culture and this mix of people and scenery makes Tibet a wonderfully rewarding place to visit.
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Lhasa
The capital of Tibet and one of the most mystical cities in the world, Lhasa has long been the Tibetans’ spiritual home. Watch the devout follow the pilgrim circuit around the Jokhang Temple and prostrate themselves in front of its entrance or try and count the multitude of temples inside the Potala Palace, once home to the Dalai Lama. The Barkhor area offers great souvenirs and a chance to take in some of the amazing faces that stream into Lhasa to pray or to ply their trade. In and around Lhasa there are some spectacular monasteries notably Sera and Drepung, where you can witness the noisy spectacle of the monks debating, or Ganden which is perched on a mountain top some 4500m high.
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Gyantse
One of the main towns in southern Tibet and much loved by visitors due to its authentic Tibetan nature. The main sites in Gyantse are the impressive Pelkhor Monastery which was founded in the 15th century and the even older hilltop old fort which was built in 1268 and which was subjected to damage by the British in 1904 as they chased the then Dalai Lama into Mongolia.
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Shigatse
Tibet’s second largest town Shigatse sits at a slightly higher altitude than Lhasa. As base of the Gelupa order and seat of the Panchen Lama, Shigatse has been Lhasa’s most bitter political rival over the years as the Panchen Lama and the Dalai Lama have manoeuvred for political control of the country. Shigatse is home to the Tashilhunpo Monastery from where the Panchen Lama presided over affairs and which was once home to 5000 monks. The number of monks has dwindled since its heyday but the monastery is still famous for the massive statue of Maitreya, the future Buddha, which is 85 feet high.
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Tsedang
About 110 miles southeast of Lhasa you will find Tsedang which is a great spot for exploration of the Yarlung Valley and which has a wonderful old quarter. Twenty miles west of Tsetang lies the monastery at Samye which was the first built in Tibet in 775AD and is situated in a beautiful, albeit somewhat difficult to reach, location.
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