Lhasa

Lhasa, the spiritual heart of Tibetan Buddhism, sits at 3,650 metres on the Tibetan Plateau — the highest city of its size in the world. Its name means "Place of the Gods", and the city's centrepiece is the magnificent Potala Palace, a 13-storey architectural marvel that served as the winter residence of the Dalai Lama for centuries.

The Jokhang Temple, Tibet's most sacred Buddhist site, draws pilgrims from across the Tibetan world who prostrate themselves along the Barkhor Circuit — a devotional walking path that encircles the temple. The atmosphere of deep faith and devotion here is one of the most powerful cultural experiences in all of Asia.

Lhasa offers a window into a unique civilisation shaped by the extremes of high-altitude life. Tibetan cuisine features hearty staples like tsampa (roasted barley flour), yak butter tea, and momo (Tibetan dumplings). The surrounding landscape of vast plains, sacred lakes, and snow-capped peaks provides a dramatic backdrop to this extraordinary city.