Located at an altitude of 12775 feet (3894 meters) is Dhankar Monastery, one of the oldest monasteries in India and when you look at it from distance it seems to hang on the cliff side. From a distance the village and the landscape gives a view that is out of this world and surreal. When standing at top of the monastery you are surrounded by mountains on all sides and you have a view of the confluence of Pin river and Spiti river. Here you feel as if you have travelled back in time and the time has come to a standstill. In local language Dhankar means a fort and in fact this monastery was used to guard the valley from outside invasions. It makes you wonder as to what kind of engineering skills the Spitians must have had to build a monastery is such a terrain. You make take a short trek to Dhankar lake at an elevation of 14000 feet, besides the lake there is a small peace Pagoda located near the lake.
There are no hotels or guest houses, only a few home stays are available. Best time to visit is from month of May to October.
