b'slugBhutans Lesser Himalaya ranges offer severalscenic trekking options amid a landscape of pine forests, lakes, and compacted-earth homes. But its biggest attraction lies in its imposing dzongs, orfortress-monasteries. Most iconic is TaktsangMonastery, more popularly known asTigers Nest, sitting on a cliff edge 9,678 feet above sea level in the Paro Valley. Golden prayer wheels spin and monks chant, prayer beads or scriptures in their hands. The dzongs also host tshechus or annual Tibetan Buddhist festivals, where performers clad in vivid costumes andfearsome masks stage elaborate dances.Tibetan Buddhism is an integral part of life inBhutan and is also dominant in neighboring Tibet. Here Mt Everests North Base Camp, below the Rong-buk glacier, is a big draw. However, Tibets true appeal lies in its beautiful temples and monasteries.At the 1,300-year-old Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, Captionthousands of pilgrims throng to pay obeisance to theTaktsang Monastery, Paro, Bhutangold statue of the Buddha located in the central hall. They fervently prostrate themselves in the temple TALK TO OUR EXPERT square, circumambulate the area, turning prayer Ranjana Kishinani wheels, ringing bells, and chanting mantras. Inside, ranjana@enchanting the smell of incense hangs heavy in the air. travels.com The official spiritual center of Tibetan Buddhism +1 303 800 6374 though is the town of McLeodGanj in Himachal Pradesh in India. Surrounded by pine forests, this is where His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, current spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, lives. Travelers to the region often make a beeline for the Thekchen Choling Temple complex which comprises the Dalai Lamas residence and Tsuglagkhang Monastery, among other buildings. Anyone and everyone iswelcome to this serene haven of prayer andLumbini, Nepal meditation, marked by hundreds of block-printed prayer flags. Further north in India, surrounded by parts of the Labrang Monastery, Gansu,Tibet Himalayan and Karakoram ranges and watered by the Indus River, lies the stark yet compellingly beautiful region of Ladakh. Barren mountains, glisteningHimalayan glaciers, and cold deserts touch sparkling blue lakes, rocky ridges, and vast dry plains. This is nature raw and untamed. Amid this jaw-dropping landscape are numerous Tibetan Buddhist monaster-ies, and villages with whitewashed mud-brick homes, where locals embrace a way of life that has endured despite the harsh environment. Often dubbed mini Tibet, Ladakhs monasteries are a breathtaking sight, some situated high up in the mountains, others carved into mountain slopes. Within them are Buddha statues, colorful prayer halls, thangka paintings, and several Buddhist relics. Visitors can attend Ladakhs numerous Tibetan Buddhist festivals, like Hemis, Losar, and Dosmochey, to gain a wonderful insight into the cultural uniqueness of this region, and perhaps a new perspective on life. ENCHANTING TRAVELS \x1a 41'