The largest Buddhist settlement in the world

Despite its secluded location it is home to the Larung Gar Buddhist Academy, the world's largest Buddhist settlement.

A vibrant splash of red, this colourful settlement has sprung up in the 1980s and is now a haven for over 40,000 monks and nuns.  

The sprawling settlement, Sertar, sits on elevations of 12,500ft, and the religious devotees battle harsh climates to study at the remote dwelling.

The wooden huts are built so closely together, they look like a red sea spreading up the hilly terrain. 

Nuns and monks are housed near to their colleges, and separated by age and sex. 

The segregation of male and female living quarters is marked by a winding road, which weaves through the dense mass of huts. 

Conditions are basic, with residents having to share communal toilets, and each unheated hut ranging from one to three rooms in size. 

An isolated religious haven, Sertar is located around 370 miles from Chengdu, and those wishing to visit have to travel by coach for a gruelling 20 hours.

TVs are prohibited at the picturesque retreat, with monks and nuns flocking to benefit from the studies, prayers and lectures ran at the academy.

(dailymail.co.uk)