Gurudongmar Lake, Snow-capped Himalayan peaks, Sikkim, India

Elevated peace

Situated amid imposing Himalayan peaks, Gurudongmar Lake is one of the highest bodies of water in the world, with its surface about 17,000 feet above sea level. Part of the multiethnic Indian state of Sikkim—a rugged patch between Nepal and Bhutan that remained an independent kingdom until 1975—the lake is held sacred by both Buddhists and Sikhs. That this place is good for the spirit is hard to deny: Whether you're here under a clear summer sky and the shade of Khangchengyao's peak, or wandering amid mists that hug Gurudongmar's frozen shores, there's hardly a more solemn place on planet Earth.