Lhoka Attractions, Top Things to Do in Lhoka

Lhoka(Shannan) area is located in the south of the Gangdise Mountains and the Nianqing Tanggula Mountains. It borders Lhasa to the north, Shigatse to the west, Nyingchi to the east, and India and Bhutan to the south. Lhoka is one of the cradles of ancient Tibetan civilization. It is the region with the deepest historical and cultural origin and the most developed agricultural civilization in Tibet. There are no fancy buildings here, no bustling cities. But the stunning scenery here will never disappoint visitors. It has the first palace, the first Tibetan King, the first farmland, the first village in Tibetan history. And Lhoka is also a paradise for religious people.

The humanity landscape and the natural landscape gather here. Walking into Lhoka, you can enjoy majestic glaciers, sacred mountains, holy lakes, rivers, ancient temples, monuments, and other landscapes. Take a glance at the most famous attractions:

Samye Monastery: It's often called "the first temple in Tibet" and was built around the middle of the 8th century.
Yungbulagang Palace: It was the first palace in Tibet's history, dating back more than 2,100 years.
Lhamo Latso: This lake has magic power in Tibetan Buddhism. And Tibetan Buddhists believe that they can see their past lives and present lives from this lake.
Phuma Yumtso: It is a saltwater lake in the Himalayas with stunning scenery. It is said that it was blessed by Padmasambhava and had a divine aura.
Chimpuk Hermitage: Located 15km northeast of Samye Monastery, it is a sacred place in the hearts of many Tibetans.

This ancient aristocratic manor is protected well by the government.

Namseling Manor

Namseling Manor is a well preserved manor which was built in the Ming Dynasty. It is now an important cultural relics site of the Shannan Prefecture.

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Phuma Yumtso

Phuma Yumtso seems that a jasper fell into the earth and turned into a lake. Standing on the shore, you will see in the distance the snow-capped mountains, the primitive villages on the bank, and the sacred and legendary temples on the cliff.

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Lhamo La-tso

Located in the east of Shannan prefecture, Lhamo La-tso plays an important role in Tibetan Buddhism. It is said that it is the best place for Buddhists to predict the reincarnation of the Living Buddha. The best time to visit Lhamo La-tso is from May to October.

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Gongkar Chode Monastery

Gongkar Chode Monastery was built in 1464. It belongs to the Zung branch of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism. It located on a hill top cliff in the Gonggar Valley, on the Lhasa Gonggar Airport road to the south of the main road, 75km from Lhasa.

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Dratang Monastery

About 48km east of Gongkar airport is the turn-off to the 11th-century Dratang Monastery(扎塘寺), located 2km off the main road in the Drannang Valley. This small Sakyapa monastery of only eight monks is of interest mainly to art specialists for its rare murals, which combine Indian and inner Asian styles.

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Samye Monastery

Located at the foot of Hapori mountain, Samye Monastery(桑耶寺) is the first temple with Triratna (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha) in Tibetan Buddhism. As Tibet’s first monastery and the place where Buddhism was established, Samye Monastery is also of major historical and religious importance.

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Trandruk Monastery

Trandruk Monastery is one of the earliest Buddhist monasteries in Tibet, having been founded at the same time as the Jokhang Monastery and Ramoche Monastery in Lhasa.

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Yumbu means doe, lagang means holy palace.

Yumbulagang Palace

Yumbulagang Palace(Yungbulakang Palace) is considered the oldest building in Tibet, which is a remarkably impressive sight, with a lovely setting. The founding of Yumbulagang Palace stretches back into legend and myth.

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Chim-puk Hermitage

Chim-puk Hermitage (青朴寺) is located on the hillside of Narui Mountain, 15 miles northeast of Samye Monastery in Shannan, Tibet, with an average altitude of 4,300 meters. There's a warren of caves, one of which was once a meditation retreat for Guru Rinpoche.

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Only wild flowers and stone lions accompany those Tibetan kings of the past.

Chongye Burial Mounds

Chongye Burial Mounds, Tombs of the Kings at Chongye, or Tibetan Kings’Tombs, represent one of the few historical sites that give any evidence of a pre-Buddhist culture in Tibet.

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