Namtso Lake (4718 m):

Namtso or ’Heavenly Lake’ is the second largest salt water lake in Tibet. It is surrounded by snow-capped mountains of the Nyenchen Thangla range, and an open grassland dotted with yak herds. Its serene beauty inspired many Tibetans for centuries to do meditation on its islands. Namtso Lake has five uninhabited islands of reasonable size used for spiritual retreats by pilgrims who walk over the lake’s frozen surface at the end of winter and stay there during summer until the water freezes again the following winter. There are several types of migratory birds visiting the lake during summer like ruddy shelduck and cormorants

Tsurphu Monastery:

Tsurphu Monastery is around 70 km away from Lhasa, and it is the principal seat of the Karma Kagyü School of Tibetan Buddhism. It was founded in 1189 by the first Karmapa Dusum Khyenpa, who came from Kham, Eastern Tibet, and was one of the principal followers of Gampopa. The construction marked the site where he received a vision of the Cakrasamvara mandala. He was also credited with the inception of the tulku (conscious reincarnation) institution, which came to dominate Tibet’s spiritual and political life during the middle ages. Today there are around 300 monks living in the monastery, which houses some important relics of the school. The 17th Karmapa, the head of the order left for India in 1999, and now lives in Sidhpur, Himachal Pradesh. There is a circumambulation path around the monastery which takes around 2-3 hours to complete.