Cultural Tours · Nature & Wildlife · Moderate
The Grand Crossing — West to East
- Paro
- Thimphu
- Punakha
- Phobjikha
- …
The whole kingdom, end to end — from Paro across the central valleys to Trashigang, leaving through Samdrup Jongkhar.
View itinerary
Southern Bhutan · 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.
Samdrup Jongkhar is the end of the road — or the beginning, depending on which way you are travelling. Tucked into the foothills on the border with Assam, it is a small, low-key town that most visitors pass through on longer journeys across the country.
Its value is practical: rather than driving three or four days back to Paro after exploring the east, travellers can exit here and fly out of Guwahati. Or start here and travel west, seeing the less-visited east first while energy is high.
The drive north to Trashigang is a journey in itself, climbing from steamy lowland forest past roadside villages to the terraced hills of the east. We break it at Khaling, where a weaving centre keeps eastern textile traditions alive.
Things to see
- 01
Zangdopelri Lhakhang
The town's main temple, a peaceful place amid the bustle of the border.
- 02
Dewathang
A town on the road north, site of an important nineteenth-century battle and home to a historic monastery.
- 03
The road to Trashigang
A long, beautiful climb from subtropical forest to the terraced hills of the east.
Things to do
- Begin or end a west-to-east crossing of Bhutan
- Visit community projects supporting organic farming in the region
- Break the drive north at Wamrong or Khaling, home to a weaving centre
Local tips
- Guwahati airport in Assam is about three hours away by road.
- Exiting here avoids retracing several days of driving back to Paro.
Journeys that include Samdrup Jongkhar
Start the conversation
See Samdrup Jongkhar with us
Tell us when you would like to go and what you hope to find, and we will build a journey that does Samdrup Jongkhar justice.