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China Tibet travel and tour destination Samye

China & Tibet Destination Guide - Samye Monastery 桑耶寺

Samye is particularly famous for being the first Buddhist Monastery to be built in Tibet. It was first constructed between 775 and 779 AD under the patronage of King Trisong Detsen of Tibet who sought to revitalize Buddhism, which had declined since its introduction by King Songtsen Gampo in the 7th century. It was supposedly modeled on the design of Odantapuri monastery in what is now Bihar, India.

➤ TCTC Tip: Samye can be visited as part of an overland trip from Lhasa to Kathmandu.

What there is to see at Samye:

The Monastery is the main reason to visit Samye. As it can be difficult to get there independently you won't find the crowds of tourists you normally get at other more easily visited monasteries.
It is possible to trek here from Ganden Monastery. The 80km trek needs to be organised and takes up to 5 days and can be quite tough going in the arid, high altitude climate as you need to cross two 5,000+ metre passes.

Best time to visit Samye

May to October is the best season to visit with the peak being July, August and September. Samye can be visited all year round though.

Best reason to visit Samye

Samye is just off the beaten track enough to keep visitors to a minimum which means you will get a more genuine monastery experience here.

Our last word on Samye

Samye can easily be added into any iitnerary either as an overnight trip from Lhasa or as a stop along the Friendship Highway heading for Nepal.