Phuktal Gompa Kashmir & Ladakh

A spectacular 2½-hour walk from Cha is amply rewarded by the sight of this 15th-century monastery, hanging miraculously on a cliff face beneath a gaping cave entrance. The first glimpse is from the monastery guesthouse. Inside the gompa are some 700-year-old murals in the Alchi style pasted on the walls, but the views are the monastery's greatest appeal, along with the splendid yet relatively easy hike to get here.