Tabo and Its Ancient Monastery

Tabo is a very small village in Spiti Valley with a very ancient monastery which draws thousands of tourists and pilgrims every year. The monastery is said to had been established in 996 Ad and is considered as the oldest continuously functioning Buddhist monastery in India and the Himalayas. The beauty of this very old structure lies within the enclaves of it’s buildings. Ancient old Buddhist paintings adorn its walls, unfortunately photography is not allowed inside.

Before you go to Tabo, bear in mind that it’s a very small town and does not have a bank as of the time of writing. You have to stack some cash prior going to this place. You could withdraw some money in Kaza or Reckong Peo via a local bank (there are no international banks when we were there but the local banks accept international atm cards).

Here are some pictures that I took in Tabo, Spiti Valley:

Whitewashed Mud Houses in Tabo

View from one of the surrounding hills

Here are some pictures of Tabo Monastery:

Entrance/Exit Gate

A short hike up the hills is another ancient monastery and some meditation caves that were used before by the monks. There’s no entrance fee but photography isn’t allowed as well. Make sure to check the rooms inside the monastery to see the beautiful ancient artworks on its walls.

Some of the meditation caves

The trip to Tabo is definitely one of the highlights of my travel in Spiti valley. I highly recommend that you visit this place in India.

Traveling to this area may be a bit costly since you have to spend a lot of traveling overland which is a bit far from major Indian airports. But you if you could save enough money for this trip, then I suggest you go for it since it will definitely be worth it.

Safe Travels!