even more so than Potala Palace.
It is the most popular pilgrimage destination for Tibetan Buddhists all over the world and was listed as UNESCO World heritage site in 2000,
as part of the Potala Palace.
Located in the centre of the old city of Lhasa, the four-storey “House of Buddha” temple is best visited in the morning,
as access is limited in the afternoon and there are few pilgrims.
However, during both the day and night there are lots of pilgrims who pray in front of the temple,
while the real people of Lhasa spend both the beginning and the end of a single day here.
Tibetan Thangka Painting Workshop
The thangka is a Tibetan Buddhist painting using ground mineral pigment on cotton or silk appliqué, usually depicting a Buddhist deity, scene, or mandala. Traditionally thangka paintings were not only valued for their aesthetic beauty, but also primarily used as aids in meditational practices. Practitioners use thangkas to develop a clear visualisation of a particular deity, strengthening their concentration, and forging a link between themselves and the deity. Historically, thangkas were also used as teaching tools to communicate the lives of various masters. A teacher or lama would travel around giving talks on dharma, carrying with him large thangka scrolls to illustrate his stories.
Basong Tso Lake
Located in Gongbo'gyamda County, Basong Tso is a holy turquoise coloured alpine lake located in the middle and upper reaches of the Ba River, which is the largest tributary of the Nyang River (the longest tributary of the Yarlung Tsangpo River). It belongs to the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism and is the only national 5A level scenic spot for natural scenery in Tibet. The lake is mainly turquoise in colour but depending on the angle of the sunlight it magically changes to blue, light blue and sapphire accordingly.
The Road of Wisdom - Drak Yerpa Monastery and Meditation Caves
Located about 30km northeast of Lhasa, Drak Yerpa is one of the four big propitious places for hermits in Tibet. Built on a hillside at an altitude of 4,885m, it is believed there were 108 caves that used to house about 300 monks in the past, but now only a dozen of them still exist. The remaining caves can be found in the spectacular limestone cliffs of the Yerpa Valley and opposite the main caves lies an ancient sky burial site.