Songzanlin Scenic Area — Attraction in Jiantang

Among all Tibetan buildings i have seen in many places of Himalayas, this one is probably one of the most majestic, especially with the lake where you can sometimes see the reflection of monastery and mountains. Sumstenling / Songzanlin is the circa 300 years old monastery and village mostly founded by the fifth dalai lama.

Arriving at the parking area, go get the tickets at the counter: the price is 55 CNY for full access to the monastery and its surroundings (half price if you show a student card); add 20 CNY to take shuttle bus and avoid walking remaining 5 km from the ticket counter to the monastery esplanade; not sure if having your passport is mandatory to get the ticket.

A few restaurants, snacks and souvenirs available all around the place

Respect the place and refrain taking photos of...

Magnificent monastry, splendid temples on top of the hill, surrounded by village with a beautiful lake in front. Shiny gold roof and ornaments contrast with earthy colours of buildings. Really breathtaking- in part also because of the high altitude. From the entrance, there is a narrow street leading a long stairs to the temples summit. At the top there are a few temples with a common courtyard. In the temples are Buddha statues and lots of ancient looking murals. It probably take a whole day if you want to explore the temple complex, surrounding village and lake. The google default map location marker is wrong. The actual location can be seen with the satellite image switch on at the following coordinates. Songzanling monastry 27.863249°N, 99.704041°E Songsanling...

I had second thoughts after reading the reviews as it seems quite challenging to get there, but it’s not ! Buy entrance tickets at visitor center , advise to purchase the bus ticket too as it takes you nearer to the site , walking is quite a distance up slope. There are also guided tour with small addition fee . The area look big but when you arrive into the center of the temples . The stairs are manageable , it’s really not that much to do. For people whom can walk for 30 mins they can conquer the stairs, walk slow and stop when needed but definitely manageable. The temples are amazing, huge gold statues, beautiful colours , one of a kind. I enjoyed the visit very...