Ganden is situated 45 km East of Lhasa on the Highway that follows the south bank of Kyi Chu to Medro Gongkar. This is one of the most beautiful sites in central Tibet, which is considered as an abode of Champa, the future Buddha. The monastery perched on the ridge called Gokpo Ri, the site was chosen by Tsong Lhapa (1357-1419) for his first meditation where the monastery built later. This is one of the great monasteries out of six, built by Gelukpa sect. This itinerary linking two of the most important monasteries in Central Tibet crosses the Yatro Drak range of mountains that divide the Tsangpo basin from the Lhasa Valley. The trek provides a superb means of access to Tibet's first monastery an institution founded in the 8th Century.