Visit Xiahe, China

Set in a picturesque mountain valley and home to one of the leading Tibetan monasteries outside Lhasa, Xiahe offers those unable to visit Tibet itself the chance to taste the unique Llamaist Buddhism and Tibetan culture.

The thriving Labrang Monastery, built in 1709, is the heart of the town and attracts thousands of Tibetan pilgrims each year, dressed in their finest and most colourful clothing.

Join the pilgrims on their devotional prayer-wheel circuit around the monastery or visit the high grassland steppe close to town where the song of skylark fills the air over Tibetan nomads grazing their yaks.