Bumthang

Bhutan's spiritual heartland: four valleys dotted with ancient temples, Jakar Dzong, Jambay Lhakhang and the Burning Lake, plus lively autumn tsechu festivals.

Bumthang lies in central Bhutan and comprises four valleys – Chumey, Choekhor (Bumthang Valley), Tang and Ura – at an average elevation of 2,600–4,000 m. Its main town, Jakar, is about 270 km from Thimphu. Bumthang is regarded as Bhutan's spiritual heartland: the 7th-century Jambay Lhakhang, Kurjey Lhakhang, where Guru Rinpoche left his body imprint, and Tamshing Lhakhang, founded by the treasure revealer Pema Lingpa, are all clustered in the Choekhor Valley and can be linked on foot. The Tang Valley holds the legendary sacred Burning Lake (Mebar Tsho) and the noble manor of Ogyen Choling, while the Ura Valley preserves an old village of flagstone lanes. Bumthang is also known for its Swiss cheese, Red Panda beer and buckwheat noodles. The best seasons are March–May, when the rhododendrons bloom, and September–November, with crisp, clear autumn weather; festivals such as the Jambay Lhakhang Drup and Prakar Tshechu cluster in October–November. Winters are cold but quiet. Getting there: it's about a 2-day drive from Paro or Thimphu via Punakha and Trongsa, or you can take a domestic flight to Bathpalathang Airport. Allow 2–3 days. Note: foreign visitors must book through a licensed tour operator and pay the Sustainable Development Fee (check the latest policy), and are accompanied by a guide throughout. Wear long sleeves and long trousers and remove hats when entering dzongs and temples; photography is prohibited inside shrine halls.

Top sights

• Jakar Dzong – The 'White Bird Fortress' on the western ridge of Jakar town, seat of Bumthang's district administration and monastic community, overlookin…
• Jambay Lhakhang – Said to be one of the 108 demon-subduing temples built by Songtsen Gampo in the 7th century, one of Bhutan's oldest temples and famous for…
• Kurjey Lhakhang – A sacred site where Guru Padmasambhava left his body imprint in a rock cave. Its three temples and wall of 108 chortens make it Bumthang's…
• Tamshing Lhakhang – A Nyingma temple founded in 1501 by the treasure revealer Pema Lingpa. It houses Bhutan's oldest surviving murals and a legendary iron chai…
• Konchogsum Lhakhang – An ancient temple beside Tamshing Lhakhang, traditionally dated to the 6th–7th centuries. It is famous for a great bell that Pema Lingpa di…
• Membar Tsho (Burning Lake) – A deep pool in the Tang Chhu gorge. Legend says Pema Lingpa held a lamp and plunged into the lake to retrieve a treasure, and the flame nev…
• Ura Village – The highest valley village in Bumthang, with well-preserved stone-paved lanes and traditional stone houses. At the spring Ura Yakchoe festi…
• Swiss Farm Bumthang – Cheese, honey and craft beer workshops introduced by Swiss settlers in the 1960s. Visitors can taste Emmental cheese and the Red Panda whea…
• Ogyen Choling Palace – A noble manor at the far end of the Tang Valley. Home to descendants of Pema Lingpa since the 16th century, it is now a family museum showi…
• Lhodrak Kharchu Monastery – A large Nyingma monastic college on the hillside east of Jakar, where hundreds of young monks study. Debates and chanting can be heard in t…
• Wangdicholing Palace – Bhutan's first non-dzong-style palace, completed in 1857. It was the birthplace and early residence of Bhutan's first king, Ugyen Wangchuck.
• Thangbi Lhakhang – An old temple among the fields at the northern end of Chokhor Valley, founded in 1470 by the 4th Shamarpa. Its autumn Thangbi Mani festival…
• Ngang Lhakhang – The 'Swan Temple' in the upper Chokhor Valley, founded in the 15th century by a Tibetan lama. It must be reached on foot or by rough track…
• Tharpaling Monastery – A hillside monastery about 3,600 meters above Chumey Valley, where Longchenpa practiced in the 14th century. It offers wide views and a cla…
• Chumey Valley & Prakhar Lhakhang – The westernmost valley of Bumthang, known for handwoven yathra wool cloth. Pakha Lhakhang, a three-story ancient temple built by a son of P…
• Jakar Town – The capital town of Bumthang, where timber shops, restaurants and guesthouses cluster along the main street. Try buckwheat noodles, cheese…
• Trongsa Dzong – One of Bhutan's largest dzongs, built in tiers along a ridge above the Mangde River gorge. It is the birthplace of the Wangchuck dynasty.

Where to eat

• Swiss Guest House Restaurant – A long-established guesthouse restaurant on a hillside in Bumthang, famous for Swiss cheese fondue and raclette made wi…
• Perk Café – A popular café on the second floor of Chamkhar's main street, where pizza, homemade cakes and vegetarian options earn h…
• Panda Beer Garden Café – A beer garden next to the Red Panda Brewery, serving unfiltered wheat beer with pizza and Swiss cheese dishes.

Itineraries

• Western to Bumthang Cultural Journey – Travel east by land to the four valleys of Bumthang, and take a domestic flight back to save a day of long mountain dri…
• Bhutan East-West Traverse: Guwahati to Paro – Enter overland from Assam, India, and travel from east to west along the entire Bhutan East-West Highway.