Shugsheb Nunnery

Location: Qushui County, Lhasa City
Opening Hours: 9:00-18:00
Admission Fee: Free
How to Get There: It is more than 50 kilometers from Lhasa to Shugsheb Nunnery, and it takes about an hour to drive here.
Best Time to Visit: You can get here all year round.

About Shugsheb Nunnery

Trekkers and anyone who likes to get well off the beaten track will enjoy this excursion to Tibet’s largest nunnery set in a large natural bowl about 50 km south of Lhasa and home to over 280 nuns. The region is a favorite of bird watchers.

From the end of the drivable road, it’s a steep 45-minute hike up to the village-like nunnery. The central hall contains a 3-dimensional mandala of Drolma and statues of Guru Rinpoche, Dorje Semba, White Tara, and several old Lamas. Both Nyingma and Dzogchen schools are represented here. Stairs to the right lead upstairs to a chapel with a statue of Machik Labdronma, the famous 11th-century adept who opened up the valley. There is also a photo of one of her reincarnations.

You can hike up the hill, following the electric poles, for about 4 minutes to the Gangri Tokar shrine, where Longchenpa, an important 14th-century Dzogchen lama, once meditated. The chapel has a cave shrine and a sacred tree stump in front of a rock image of the Dzogchen deity Rahulla.

Tips of Shugsheb Nunnery

1. The small teahouse below the main complex offers simple meals.

2. There are many kinds of birds in July here, if you happen to be a bird lover.

Recommended Tour Itineraries including Shugsheb Nunnery

You have the opportunity to witness the daily rituals and practices of the devoted nuns in Shugsheb Nunnery. Check the top 4 highly recommended Tibet tours that include Shugsheb Nunnery .