Pabonka sits seven kilometres north of central Lhasa, on a rocky outcrop above the village of Nyangrain. It is one of the oldest religious sites in the Lhasa valley — pre-dating both the Potala and the Jokhang — and is built around an enormous granite boulder said to resemble a turtle. The first temple here was raised by King Songtsen Gampo in the 7th century, and the early Tibetan kings are said to have stayed in retreat at the site.
The hermitage that remains today is small and atmospheric. A circuit of meditation caves runs around the base of the rock, and a temple with three lower chapels and a single upper hall sits on the boulder itself. Few foreign visitors come, and the resident monks are unhurried and welcoming. Combine the visit with a longer walk down through the village or with a stop at Sera Monastery, which lies a couple of kilometres east.