Lamayuru Monastery

Lamayuru Monastery — one of the oldest and largest Buddhist gompas in Ladakh, dating to the 10th century — is dramatically perched above a lunar-like moonland landscape on the Srinagar-Leh Highway. Home to over 150 monks, it houses remarkable ancient murals and celebrates the colourful Yuru Kabgyat festival each June. The surrounding erosion-sculpted "moonland" terrain is among the most otherworldly and photographed landscapes in the entire Ladakh region.