Lhasa (拉萨) is the capital of the Tibet autonomous region in China. It is located at 3650 meters above sea level on the northern slopes of the Himalayas.

It is possible to visit Lhasa on 3-5 day tours from Kathmandu, Nepal, but there have been reports of tours that do not allow enough time for visitors to adjust to the dramatic altitude change resulting in some travelers being left off along the way (without any refund, of course).

• The Jokhang Temple Monastery

The oldest part of Jokhang dates from the 7th century AD. It was one of the two temples built by King Songtsen Gampo to house the statues of Buddha that his two foreign wiwes brought to Tibet from China and Nepal. The innermost shrine of the Jokhang contains the oldest, mos precious object in Tibet, the original statue of Sakyamuni ( the historical Buddha), which Princess Wen Cheng brought from Chang’an over 1300 years ago.- considered the most sacred shrine in Tibet.

• The Potala Palace

A stronghold probably existed on Red Hill as early as the 7th century AD when King Songtsen Gampo built a fortress on it for his two foreign wiwes. The present Potala was built mainly in the Fifth Dalai Lama’s reign, between 1645 and 1693. It became winter palace in 1755 when the Seventh Dalai Lama made the Norbulinka into a summer residence. With over 1 000 rooms, the Potala contained the living quarters of the Dalai Lamas while they lived, and their sumptuous golden tombs when they died.

• The Norbulingka Summer Palace

The Seventh Dalai Lama put up the first summer palace in 1755 and each successive ruler added his own buildings. Norbulingka is now undergoing complete restauration.

The Potala was included in the Unesco World Heritage list in 1994, the Jokhang Temple Monastery in 2000 and the Norbulingka Summer Palace in 2001.

• The Barkhor Street market

• The Drepung Monastery

The Drepung, founded in 1416 by a disciple of Tsong Khapa, was the biggest and richest monastery in Tibet and its lamas helped to train each new young Dalai Lama. Drepung housed also the Nechung, the State oracle. At its height Drepung had over 10 000 monks. It governed 700 subsidiary monasteries and owned vast estates.

• The Sera Monastery

Sera was founded in 1419 by one of Tsong Khapa’s eight disciples. It became famous for its Tantric teachings while Drepung drew fame from its governing role. Sera was smaller than Drepung, with 7 000 monks, but was very rich and comparable in power. The monks of Sera were considered clever and dangerous.

Acute Mountain Sickness AMS Most people feel at least a little unwell if they drive, fly or travel by train from sea level to 3500m. Headache, fatigue, undue breathlessness on exertion, the sensation of the heart beating forcibly, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, difficulty sleeping and irregular breathing during sleep are the common complaints. These are symptoms of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), which usually develop during the first 36 hours at altitude and not immediately on arrival. Well over 50% of travellers develop some form of AMS at 3500m. The best cure is to rest, become acclimatised to the lack of oxygen and if necessary, descend.

Severe Forms of AMS: High Altitude Pulmonary and Cerebral Oedema In less than 2% of travellers AMS occurs in several serious forms at 4000-5000m and occasionally lower.