Lhasa overview

Lhasa is both the heart and the soul of Tibet and in spite of the inevitable Chinese urban encroachment the city still holds an aura of mystery and majesty. Home of the Dalai Lama, Lhasa is a delightful sprawl of prostrating pilgrims, votive incense and flickering lanterns. Visitors are drawn like a magnet to Potala Palace, the fortress-come -museum that dominates the skyline of one of the world’s highest capitals, while the spiritual heart of Lhasa lays two kilometres east in Jokhang, where the scared holy centre of Tibet has wooed travellers for centuries. Lhasa is changing, rapidly, as new Chinese trains bring the inevitable tourist traps including average hotels, designer shops and supermarkets. Stick to the backstreets of the old Tibetan quarter for a traditional mix of culture and people, while the surrounding countryside offers awe-inspiring adventure.