THE POTALA Palace (above) in Lhasa, Tibet, a 13-storey palace complex containing over 1,000 rooms, 10,000 shrines and about 200,000 statues, is the highlight of any trip to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet Autonomous Region.
The winter home of the Dalai Lamas from the 7th century until the 14th Dalai Lama went into exile in 1959, the Unesco World Heritage site is now a museum. Symbolising Tibetan Buddhism, the complex is built in the centre of Lhasa Valley, at an altitude of 3,700m.
Several travel companies organise trips there from Dublin, although many won’t be available until the spring of next year. You will need visas and travel permits, however, and money of course – tours to Tibet are not cheap, starting from around €3,000/€3,500.
Citiescapes.ie has a “Ticket to Lhasa” rail tour starting in April, 2011; explore.co.uk books travellers from Dublin and has a tour from Khatmandu to Lhasa in May, while intrepidtravel.com also books from Dublin and has a “Tibet Unplugged” and a “Mountains and Monasteries” tours next April.