Shergol Cave Monastery

The main attraction for visitors is a cave monastery visible from afar as a white speck against the vertically rising brown hillside, from which it appears to hang out. Down below is a Buddhist nunnery with about a dozen incumbents. There is an interesting 4- day trek from here into the Suru Valley across two mountain passes, Safi-la and Rusi-la. Urgyan-Dzong, a meditation retreat tucked deep inside the surrounding mountains, can also be approached via the nearby village of Pho-khar. This natural mountain fortress conceals a circular tableland with a small Buddhist temple at its centre while the surrounding hillsides reveal several caves where high-ranking Buddhist saints are believed to have meditated in seclusion. One such cave is associated with the visit of Padmasambhava, the patron saint of Tibetan Buddhism.