Route
Inner pilgrimage of the Tibetan capital — Jokhang and Barkhor, the Potala, and the great Gelug monasteries.
Devotional life centers on the Jokhang and Barkhor kora, then widens to the Potala and monastic seats of Drepung and Sera. Samye, Tibet’s first monastery, is a common overnight addition down-valley.
6 mapped anchors on the circuit.
1Jokhang TempleTibetHoliness of Lhasa — the Jokhang and Barkhor circuit at the center of Tibetan Buddhist devotion.Jokhang Temple → Potala Palace· ~1 km / 1 mi
2Potala PalaceTibetWinter palace of the Dalai Lamas and iconic fortress-temple above Lhasa.Potala Palace → Drepung Monastery· ~7 km / 4 mi
3Drepung MonasteryTibetOnce the largest monastery in Tibet — a major Gelug learning seat west of Lhasa.Drepung Monastery → Sera Monastery· ~9 km / 5 mi
4Sera MonasteryTibetGreat Gelug monastery famous for courtyard debate and hillside hermitages.Sera Monastery → Ganden Monastery· ~34 km / 21 mi
5Ganden MonasteryTibetTsongkhapa’s mother monastery of the Gelug school above the Kyi Chu valley.Ganden Monastery → Samye Monastery· ~48 km / 30 mi
6Samye MonasteryTibetTibet’s first monastery — a mandala in architecture founded in the 8th century.
