Key Monastery

A jumble of whitewashed buildings stacked up a hilltop above the Spiti river in India's Himalaya, at 4,166 meters. It has survived repeated attacks over the centuries and is still home to a few hundred lamas, so you are visiting a working Tibetan Buddhist community, not a ruin, and its walls are covered in murals and paintings. Altitude is the real test. Spend a few nights acclimatizing in Kaza before you come up, walk slowly, and drink plenty of water. The road from Kaza makes it a short drive once you are adjusted, and the view of the monastery from the approach is the shot everyone comes for.