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Destinations

A small country, many valleys

Select a place on the profile below to see what it holds — or scroll through the regions to find where your own journey might lead.

Western Bhutan

Where most journeys begin: broad valleys, great dzongs and the Tiger's Nest.

  • The wide Paro valley with farmhouses, fields and forested ridges

    Valley · 2,200 m

    Paro

    Where almost every journey begins — and where many guests wish they had stayed longer.

    A broad, fertile valley of red-rice fields and farmhouses, home to the country's only international airport, the National Museum and the Tiger's Nest.

    2–3 nightsBest: March–May and September–November

    Explore Paro
  • The Thimphu valley seen from the forested hills above the capital

    Town · 2,330 m

    Thimphu

    A capital without traffic lights, where monks, civil servants and teenagers in sneakers share the same pavements.

    Bhutan's small, lively capital — seat of government and the monastic body, and the best place to understand how tradition and modern life fit together.

    2 nightsBest: Year-round

    Explore Thimphu
  • Punakha Dzong at the meeting of the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu rivers

    Valley · 1,250 m

    Punakha

    A warm, low valley of rice and rivers, watched over by the most beautiful dzong in the country.

    The old winter capital, where two rivers meet beneath Punakha Dzong and rice terraces climb the hillsides to the Khamsum Yulley chorten.

    1–2 nightsBest: Spring for jacaranda blossom; autumn for golden rice terraces; winter is mild and pleasant here when the high valleys are cold

    Explore Punakha
  • Sunrise over the broad glacial valley of Phobjikha

    Valley · 2,900 m

    Phobjikha & Gangtey

    A wide glacial valley of wetlands and potato fields, and the winter home of the black-necked crane.

    Phobjikha is the valley; Gangtey Goemba is the monastery on its western ridge. Together they make one of the most peaceful places to spend a night or two in Bhutan.

    1–2 nightsBest: Late October to February for the cranes; April–May and September–October for walking

    Explore Phobjikha
  • Whitewashed chortens with gilded eaves on a grassy slope of yellow wildflowers at Dochula Pass

    Mountain pass · 3,100 m

    Dochula Pass

    A forested saddle of 108 chortens, and — on a clear winter morning — a view across the eastern Himalaya.

    The pass between Thimphu and Punakha, crowned by the Druk Wangyal chortens and temple, with walking trails into moss-draped forest.

    A long stop or half-day hikeBest: October–February for mountain views; April–May for rhododendrons

    Explore Dochula Pass
  • Mist rising from the forests of the Haa valley

    Valley · 2,700 m

    Haa

    A high, quiet valley on the western frontier, reached over the highest road pass in the country.

    Opened to visitors only in 2002, Haa is a place of farmhouses, yak pastures and village temples — the most traditional valley within easy reach of Paro.

    1–2 nightsBest: April–June and September–November

    Explore Haa
  • Hundreds of prayer flags at the top of Chele La

    Mountain pass · 3,988 m

    Chele La

    Prayer flags, rhododendron and a clear line of sight to Jomolhari.

    Usually described as the highest motorable pass in Bhutan, Chele La links Paro and Haa and makes one of the finest day hikes in the west.

    Half day or en route to HaaBest: October–December for the clearest mountain views; April–June for wildflowers

    Explore Chele La
  • Dawn over a dzong and terraced fields in a quiet valley

    Town · 1,300 m

    Wangdue Phodrang

    A rebuilt fortress on a river spur, and the gateway to the central valleys.

    Just south of Punakha, Wangdue is known for its dzong — painstakingly rebuilt after a fire in 2012 — and the stone village of Rinchengang across the river.

    A stop of a few hours, usually en route to PhobjikhaBest: Year-round; spring and autumn are most comfortable

    Explore Wangdue Phodrang

Central Bhutan

Beyond the Black Mountains, older temples and quieter roads.

  • Prayer flags above the wide valleys of Bumthang

    Region · 2,600 m

    Bumthang

    Four broad valleys, some of the oldest temples in the Himalaya, and Bhutan's spiritual heartland.

    Chumey, Choekhor, Tang and Ura — high, open valleys of buckwheat fields, sacred sites and weaving villages, where Buddhism first took root in Bhutan.

    2–3 nightsBest: March–May and September–November

    Explore Bumthang
  • Trongsa Dzong spread along its ridge above the gorge

    Town · 2,200 m

    Trongsa

    The ancestral seat of Bhutan's royal family, guarding the old route between east and west.

    Trongsa Dzong, sprawling down a ridge above a deep gorge, is the largest and one of the most impressive fortresses in the kingdom.

    1 night or a long stopBest: Spring and autumn; the Trongsa Tshechu is usually held in December or January

    Explore Trongsa

Eastern Bhutan

Wilder, greener and rarely visited — the Bhutan of weavers and herders.

  • A river winding through the deep green valleys of eastern Bhutan

    Region · 1,100 m

    Trashigang

    The largest district of the east — terraced hillsides, silk weavers and the high villages of the Brokpa.

    Eastern Bhutan sees only a small share of visitors. Trashigang, with its cliff-top dzong and weaving villages, is the place to start exploring it.

    2 nights or moreBest: October–April is dry and comfortable; the monsoon (June–August) can affect roads

    Explore Trashigang

Southern Bhutan

The warm foothills, and the border gateways to India.

  • A road curving through dense subtropical forest seen from above

    Town · 300 m

    Phuentsholing

    Bhutan's busy southern gateway, where the hills meet the plains of West Bengal.

    The main overland entry point from India, a warm commercial town on the border with Jaigaon — the starting point for road journeys up into the western valleys.

    1 nightBest: October–March

    Explore Phuentsholing
  • Low cloud drifting over forested hills

    Town · 250 m

    Samdrup Jongkhar

    The quiet south-eastern border town that makes a cross-country journey possible.

    Bhutan's south-eastern gateway, bordering Assam. Travellers exploring the east often enter or leave here, linking with flights from Guwahati.

    1 nightBest: October–March

    Explore Samdrup Jongkhar

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