About 170km southeast of Lhasa, on the north bank of the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) River is Samye Monastery , the first monastery in Tibet. Founded in AD 775 by King Trisong Detsen, Samye is famed not just for its pivotal history, but its unique mandala design: the main hall, or Ütse, represents Mt Meru, the centre of the universe, while the outer temples represent the oceans, continents, subcontinents and other features of the Buddhist cosmology.
Simple accommodation is available at the Monastery Guesthouse , outside the monastery walls and with the best doubles in town. The monastery restaurant serves mediocre momos with lots of local atmosphere. The Friendship Snowland Restaurant , outside the east gate, serves better Chinese and Tibetan dishes, banana pancakes and milky tea. Dorm rooms (Y30) with real mattresses (not foam) are available upstairs. There are several other decent accommodation options nearby, including the friendly Dawa Guesthouse .
If you are heading to Everest Base Camp or the Nepal border, a visit here will only add one day to your itinerary. If the rules on independent travel relax, you may be able to catch the daily pilgrim minibus in the morning from Barkhor Sq in Lhasa.
You may have to detour briefly to the nearby town of Tsetang (泽当; Zédāng) for your guide to pick up a required travel permit.
